TABLE 3.

Best Practices for Research in Residency Training for Surgeon Scientists

Program administration	Dedicated faculty research training program director with oversight for the research training experience Dedicated personnel to support infrastructure Financial resources for personnel, educational activities, scientific travel, salary support/fringe benefits (including supplemental funding for gaps), and tuition.
Before the research years	Communicate a longitudinal perspective for professional development and research training throughout residency to support the translational mindset Expose trainees to many types of biomedical research and potential research mentors Select mentor and establish project Offer early fellowship-specific grant writing education and mentorship far in advance of application due date Plan in advance for enrollment into advanced degree program
During the research years	Provide protected time Provide a “Structured Research Experience” including an orientation session and early development of an individual mentorship plan Offer formal coursework and skill building education Plan career development activities Organize research-in-progress and programmatic group meetings Facilitate opportunities for scientific presentation and professional networking Set expectations to publish original research, review articles, case reports, editorials, book chapters Schedule individual director/trainee meetings to assess research progress and productivity and initiate corrective action as needed Engage trainees in program feedback and innovation initiatives
After the research years	Encourage continued scholarship activities including submission of manuscripts for publication and abstracts to scientific meetings. Facilitate practice of professional development skills (resident responsibility for clinical protocol development, committee/project leadership, mentorship of junior trainees, and organization of institutional events) Intentional mentorship for fellowship selection and to bridge to first faculty position Education for early career award funding mechanisms Surgeon scientist-specific education for negotiating first faculty position