Supporting early-career dementia researchers: Identifying support needs and ways forward via a European study.

Autor: Dupont C; End-of-Life Care Research Group, Department of Family Medicine & Chronic Care, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Gent, Belgium., Gilissen J; End-of-Life Care Research Group, Department of Family Medicine & Chronic Care, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Gent, Belgium.; Mongan Institute Center for Aging and Serious Illness, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA., Dassen FCM; Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology and Alzheimer Centrum Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands., Branco RM; Research Institute for Design, Media and Culture (ID+), Department of Communication and Art, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal., Heins P; Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology and Alzheimer Centrum Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands., Heffernan E; National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham, UK.; Hearing Sciences, Mental Health and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK., Bartels SL; Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology and Alzheimer Centrum Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association [Alzheimers Dement] 2024 Feb; Vol. 20 (2), pp. 1321-1333. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Nov 20.
DOI: 10.1002/alz.13530
Abstrakt: Introduction: Early-career researchers contribute significantly to dementia research and clinical practice. However, a growing group of early-career dementia researchers (ECDRs) lack appropriate support throughout their careers. Thus, we aim to (i) explore support needs, (ii) determine recommendations, and (iii) set the agenda for organizations to better support ECDRs.
Methods: An iterative, explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was applied. First ECDRs' needs were identified using an online survey informed by the Vitae Researcher Development Framework. Next, priority areas were selected and explored qualitatively with ECDRs in two workshops, utilizing the World Café methodology.
Results: Sixty-five ECDRs throughout Europe completed the survey, with the majority reporting that greater support is needed in terms of funding and career opportunities, social support and well-being, and "wide-reaching" dissemination.
Discussion: Based on the findings, six recommendations for support organizations, funding bodies, and universities to better support ECDRs are formulated, each intended for specific target audiences.
Highlights: This article reports on focal points of career-related support needed in doctoral education and postdoctoral employment to foster a healthier academic environment, including finance, work-life balance, dissemination of research findings, and supervision, both in general and in dementia fields specifically. Funding and resources were identified as a significant challenge, and there was a call for more long-term positions and transition funding for postdoctoral researchers. Early-career dementia researchers addressed the need for support in producing outputs for non-academic audiences, including people living with dementia. The importance of disseminating research to diverse audiences has long been recognized; thus, it is critical that early-career dementia researchers be supported in this effort. Recommendations were formulated for researcher support (organizations), funding bodies, and universities. These recommendations include providing support for disseminating research to non-academic audiences, offering training in supervision skills, and promoting peer-to-peer mentoring and social activities for early-career dementia researchers.
(© 2023 The Authors. Alzheimer's & Dementia published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Alzheimer's Association.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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