Developing leadership in women’s health research

Abstract

Purpose Recruiting medical students into women’s health and gender-based medical research is important internationally. Medical student research training is critical for developing future women’s health leaders who are adept at conducting high-impact research. This paper aims to describe a six-month medical student research fellowship in women’s health in terms of fellowship recipients’ publications related to their research project and future academic careers. Design/methodology/approach Targeted searches of fellowship recipients and their fellowship mentors were conducted in PubMed and Scopus from 2001–2017. Prior student fellows were also e-mailed and called to assess whether they held academic positions. Findings Since 2001, funds have been secured to support a total of 83 students (69 women, 14 men) in a mentored research experience in women’s health and gender-based medicine. In total, 48 out of the 83 (57.8%) medical student fellowship recipients published at least one peer-reviewed research paper or scientific review related to their research project. Of the 50 prior recipients with a least five years of follow-up data (41 women, 9 men), 26 (52%) were in academic careers. Research limitations/implications Because this is an observational study and only medical students interested in women’s health applied to be a student fellow, there is an inability to infer causality. Practical implications Following completion of the medical student research training fellowship in women’s health, more than half of recipients published in peer-reviewed medical journals on their research project. Originality/value This study explores the association of an innovative medical student experience in women’s health research on subsequent fellowship-related publications and career outcomes, contributing to the body of knowledge on the influence of a mentored research leadership program for medical students on academic professional development.