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Biomedical Science Ph.D. Career Interest Patterns by Race/Ethnicity and Gender

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  • Kenneth D Gibbs Jr.
  • John McGready
  • Jessica C Bennett
  • Kimberly Griffin

Abstract

Increasing biomedical workforce diversity remains a persistent challenge. Recent reports have shown that biomedical sciences (BMS) graduate students become less interested in faculty careers as training progresses; however, it is unclear whether or how the career preferences of women and underrepresented minority (URM) scientists change in manners distinct from their better-represented peers. We report results from a survey of 1500 recent American BMS Ph.D. graduates (including 276 URMs) that examined career preferences over the course of their graduate training experiences. On average, scientists from all social backgrounds showed significantly decreased interest in faculty careers at research universities, and significantly increased interest in non-research careers at Ph.D. completion relative to entry. However, group differences emerged in overall levels of interest (at Ph.D. entry and completion), and the magnitude of change in interest in these careers. Multiple logistic regression showed that when controlling for career pathway interest at Ph.D. entry, first-author publication rate, faculty support, research self-efficacy, and graduate training experiences, differences in career pathway interest between social identity groups persisted. All groups were less likely than men from well-represented (WR) racial/ethnic backgrounds to report high interest in faculty careers at research-intensive universities (URM men: OR 0.60, 95% CI: 0.36–0.98, p = 0.04; WR women: OR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.47–0.89, p = 0.008; URM women: OR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.30–0.71, p

Suggested Citation

  • Kenneth D Gibbs Jr. & John McGready & Jessica C Bennett & Kimberly Griffin, 2014. "Biomedical Science Ph.D. Career Interest Patterns by Race/Ethnicity and Gender," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(12), pages 1-18, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0114736
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0114736
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Anthony Lising Antonio, 2002. "Faculty of Color Reconsidered," The Journal of Higher Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 73(5), pages 582-602, September.
    2. Scott E. Carrell & Marianne E. Page & James E. West, 2010. "Sex and Science: How Professor Gender Perpetuates the Gender Gap," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 125(3), pages 1101-1144.
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    1. Stephanie W Watts & Deepshikha Chatterjee & Julie W Rojewski & Carol Shoshkes Reiss & Tracey Baas & Kathleen L Gould & Abigail M Brown & Roger Chalkley & Patrick Brandt & Inge Wefes & Linda Hyman & J , 2019. "Faculty perceptions and knowledge of career development of trainees in biomedical science: What do we (think we) know?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(1), pages 1-31, January.
    2. Jessica M Faupel-Badger & David E Nelson & Grant Izmirlian, 2017. "Career Satisfaction and Perceived Salary Competitiveness among Individuals Who Completed Postdoctoral Research Training in Cancer Prevention," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(1), pages 1-13, January.
    3. Rebekah St. Clair & Tamara Hutto & Cora MacBeth & Wendy Newstetter & Nael A McCarty & Julia Melkers, 2017. "The “new normal”: Adapting doctoral trainee career preparation for broad career paths in science," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(5), pages 1-19, May.

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