From its very beginning, neuroscience has been fundamentally interdisciplinary. As a result of rapid technological advances and the advent of large collaborative projects, however, neuroscience is expanding well beyond traditional subdisciplines and intellectual boundaries to rely on expertise from many other fields, such as engineering, computer science, and applied mathematics. This raises important questions about to how to develop and train the next generation of neuroscientists to ensure innovation in research and technology in the neurosciences. In addition, the advent of new types of data and the growing importance of large datasets raise additional questions about how to train students in approaches to data analysis and sharing. These concerns dovetail with the need to teach improved scientific practices ranging from experimental design (e.g., powering of studies and appropriate blinding) to improved sophistication in statistics. Of equal importance is the increasing need not only for basic researchers and teams that will develop the next generation of tools, but also for investigators who are able to bridge the translational gap between basic and clinical neuroscience.

Developing a 21st Century Neuroscience Workforce is the summary of a workshop convened by the Institute of Medicine's Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders on October 28 and 29,2014, in Washington, DC, to explore future workforce needs and how these needs should inform training programs. Workshop participants considered what new subdisciplines and collaborations might be needed, including an examination of opportunities for cross-training of neuroscience research programs with other areas. In addition, current and new components of training programs were discussed to identify methods for enhancing data handling and analysis capabilities, increasing scientific accuracy, and improving research practices. This report highlights the presentation and discussion of the workshop.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• PLANNING COMMITTEE ON DEFINING THE EXPERTISE NEEDED FOR THE 21ST CENTURY NEUROSCIENCE WORKFORCE
• FORUM ON NEUROSCIENCE AND NERVOUS SYSTEM DISORDERS
• Reviewers
• 1. Introduction and Overview
  • WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES
  • ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT
  • THE CURRENT AND FUTURE DIVERSITY OF NEUROSCIENCE
  • TOPICS HIGHLIGHTED DURING PRESENTATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS
• 2. Training Neuroscientists in Basic Research, Tool and Technology Development, and Big Data
  • THE NEED FOR INCREASED TRAINING IN BASIC RESEARCH
  • TRAINING IN TOOL AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT
  • TRAINING IN BIG DATA
• 3. Improving Training in Protocol Design, Experimental Rigor, and Quantitative Skills
  • ENHANCING EXPERIMENTAL RIGOR AND REPRODUCIBILITY
  • DESIGNING EXPERIMENTS WITH COMMON SENSE AND INTUITION
  • DEFINING THE GAPS IN THE TRAINING OF QUANTITATIVE SKILLS
• 4. Training in Transdisciplinary Research
  • DEFINING TRANSDISCIPLINARY NEUROSCIENCE
  • OPPORTUNITIES FOR TRANSDISCIPLINARY TRAINING
  • CROSS-TRAINING IN CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE
• 5. Enhancing Training to Support Translational Research
  • UNDER-, OVER-, AND PSEUDO-TRANSLATION
  • THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY'S PIVOT IN TRANSLATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE
  • FOSTERING PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN INDUSTRY AND ACADEMIA
  • SUMMARY
• APPENDIXES
  • A References
  • B Workshop Agenda
  • C Registered Attendees
  • D Participant Biographies

Rapporteurs: Sheena M. Posey Norris, Christopher Palmer, Clare Stroud, and Bruce M. Altevogt.

This project was supported by contracts between the National Academy of Sciences and the Alzheimer's Association; Brain Canada Foundation; the Department of Health and Human Services' Food and Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health (NIH, Contract No. HHSN26300026 [Under Master Base #DHHS-10001292]) through the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Eye Institute, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institute on Aging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institute on Drug Abuse, and NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research; Department of Veterans Affairs (VA240-14-C-0057); Eli Lilly and Company; Foundation for the National Institutes of Health; the Gatsby Charitable Foundation; GlaxoSmithKline, Inc.; Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, LLC; Lundbeck Research USA; Merck Research Laboratories; The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research; the National Multiple Sclerosis Society; the National Science Foundation (BCS-1064270); One Mind for Research; Orion Bionetworks; Pfizer Inc.; Pharmaceutical Product Development, LLC; Sanofi; the Society for Neuroscience; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited; and Wellcome Trust. The views presented in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

Suggested citation:

IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2015. Developing a 21st century neuroscience workforce: Workshop summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

NOTICE: The workshop that is the subject of this workshop summary was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.