COVID-19: Challenges and Lessons Learned from Early Career Investigators

Abstract

In March 2020, the United States experienced an unprecedented event that suddenly demanded that researchers cease all nonessential activities to mitigate the rapid spread of the SARS-CoV2. Within the research community, the impact of this cessation on early career investigators was significant, in part because the support systems (i.e., mentors and institutions) that early career investigators typically rely on were also significantly impacted. This article presents the stories of the impact of COVID-19 on early career investigators within the NIH Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health and Women's Reproductive Health Research K12 career development programs. We discuss the common challenges that we faced across our respective fields ranging from basic to clinical to epidemiological women's health research, including the impact it had on our career trajectories. In addition, we share lessons learned in an effort to strengthen our research workforce and increase our resiliency during this and future challenges.

Psychiatric genomics research during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A survey of Psychiatric Genomics Consortium researchers

“…Overall, our survey revealed high stress and concern about the impact of COVID‐19 on their careers especially in individuals with nonpermanent positions and in women. Our results are consistent with those reported across various academic fields (Andersen et al, 2020; Brubaker, 2020; Denfeld et al, 2020; Kibbe, 2020; Weissman et al, 2020), and highlight steps that can and should be taken to ensure the ability of early career researchers and female academics not only to survive but to thrive postpandemic.…”

“…In addition, other academic activities, such as conferences and face‐to‐face meetings, were canceled or transitioned to virtual formats, interrupting training, networking, collaborative working, and other means of scientific information exchange. Several studies have documented challenges that have been faced by academics at different career levels, different genders, and different family structures, and concerns have been raised, especially for early career researchers and women regarding the long‐term impact of the pandemic on their career progression (Denfeld et al, 2020).…”

Psychiatric Genomics Research During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey of Psychiatric Genomics Consortium Researchers

“…Overall, our survey revealed high stress and concern about the impact of COVID-19 on their careers especially in individuals with non-permanent positions and in women. Our results are consistent with those reported across various academic fields (Andersen, Nielsen, Simone, Lewiss, & Jagsi 2020; Brubaker, 2020; Denfeld et al, 2020; Kibbe, 2020; Weissman et al, 2020), and highlight steps that can and should be taken to ensure the ability of early career researchers and female academics not only to survive but to thrive post-pandemic.…”

“…In addition, other academic activities, such as conferences and face-to-face meetings, were cancelled or transitioned to virtual formats, interrupting training, networking, and other means of scientific information exchange. Several studies have documented challenges that have been faced by academics at different career levels, different genders, and different family structures, and concerns have been raised, especially for early-career researchers and women regarding the long-term impact of the pandemic on their career progression (Denfeld et al, 2020).…”

Dismissals and Temporary Leaves in Romanian Companies in the Context of Low Demand and Cash Flow Problems during the COVID-19 Economic Lockdown

“…Like everyone, we have no answers and share the global uncertainty on how normality is going to look like on the labour market when all comes back to normal [23,24]. Still, the response of companies should follow two main objectives: A quick redistribution of employees to urgent activities and taking actions that maintain employee attachment [25,26].…”