A new study co-authored by UF Department of Anesthesiology resident Wendy Guo, M.D., and faculty members Terrie Vasilopoulos, Ph.D., associate professor of anesthesiology & sports medicine, and Brenda Fahy, M.D., professor of anesthesiology, was recently published by the Journal of Clinical Anesthesia (online ahead of print). Their article, “Prevalence of Faculty Mentoring Programs in Anesthesiology and Medical Schools in the US and Their Association with Federal Research Funding,” investigates the relationship between institutional faculty development efforts and financial support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
By analyzing data on faculty mentoring programs and development offices across US anesthesiology departments and medical institutions, the authors assessed formal and informal mentoring activities. In reviewing 164 anesthesiology programs, they found that only 10% had faculty mentoring programs, with 29% having offices or leadership positions supporting faculty development. Institutionally, 59% had formal mentoring programs, while 73% had informal mentoring activities and 77% had faculty development leadership. Interestingly, 74% of anesthesiology departments with mentoring resources received NIH funding, while only 26% of departments without those resources received the same funding.
“In US anesthesiology departments with ACGME-accredited anesthesiology residency programs, the availability of mentoring resources, whether at the institutional or departmental level, was strongly associated with department NIH funding,” the authors wrote. “The anesthesiology department amount of NIH funding was significantly associated with the presence of mentoring and professional development resources at the departmental level, not at the institutional level.”
While Fahy and Vasilopoulos are widely published, this article marks Guo’s first peer-reviewed publication—an outstanding accomplishment for a resident physician. She is currently in her intern year with the department, having graduated from medical school at UF earlier this year.
Congratulations to Drs. Guo, Vasilopoulos, and Fahy!