Researchers and clinicians at Nationwide Children’s Hospital now have new opportunities for training in writing as a result of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s new partnership with the Kenyon Institute in Biomedical and Scientific Writing. Beginning in November 2014, the Kenyon Institute will bring a series of intensive writing seminars to the Nationwide Children’s campus. The seminars will be based upon the summer Kenyon Institute workshops and led by experienced teachers who are also accomplished researchers and authors.
“We’ve built the courses to support a culture of excellent scientific writing at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, one that can lead directly to greater productivity in publication,” commented Christopher Gillen, PhD, Kenyon professor of biology and director of the Kenyon Institute biomedical writing program. “Our programs introduce the first-time author to scientific writing strategies, assist experienced writers in making their work clearer and more compelling, and help mentors become better writing coaches of junior faculty and trainees.”
Program elements include “Crash Courses,” one-day intensive introductions to scientific writing principles; a month-long manuscript revision course for researchers nominated by their departments; and opportunities for Nationwide Children’s researchers and physicians to attend the June Biomedical and Scientific Writing workshop on the Kenyon campus. The Nationwide Children’s program expects to train almost 100 physicians and researchers in its first year and will track publication and qualitative writing outcomes to determine future program offerings.
“A significant goal during my tenure has been to strengthen the culture of writing and writing mentorship among our faculty,” explained John Barnard, MD, president, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “The Kenyon Institute – Nationwide Children’s partnership is a crucial step forward toward achieving that goal. The accomplished Kenyon Institute faculty has had a constructive impact on a small group of our investigators who participated in previous sessions. I’m gratified we will expand these training opportunities to reach a larger audience of Nationwide Children’s physicians and scientists.”
Nationwide Children’s involvement with Kenyon began in summer 2013, when its researchers attended the Kenyon Institute in Biomedical and Scientific Writing, a four-day “boot camp” in preparing scientific articles for publications. Led by Gillen, author of Harvard University Press’s recently published The Molecules that Move Us, and Drew Kerkhoff, Kenyon associate professor of biology, the course also featured editors and writers from the Weill-Cornell Medical School, Penn State University, and the MD Anderson Cancer Center. The course drew participants from the Cleveland Clinic, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, the James Cancer Hospital, MIT’s Whitehead Institute, Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, and other institutions. Post-program evaluation showed that 56 percent of participants had published an article after one year, several for the first time.
The Nationwide Children’s-Kenyon project is overseen by a newly appointed Senior Editorial Board at Nationwide Children’s facilitated by the Kenyon program leadership. Editorial board members include John Barnard, MD, president of The Research Institute; Bruce Stevenson, PhD, vice president for Research Operations; Jeff Bridge, PhD, principal investigator in the Center for Innovation in Pediatric Practice; Deena Chisholm, PhD, principal investigator in the Center for Innovation in Pediatric Practice; Linda H. Cripe, MD, professor of pediatrics; Mark W. Hall, MD, FCCM , director of the Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellowship program; Susan Hodge, DSc, faculty member, Battelle Center for Mathematical Medicine; Richard J. Brilli, MD, chief medical officer; and E. Steve Roach, MD, chief of pediatric neurology and vice-chair of pediatrics.
The Kenyon Institute offers intensive summer writing programs for adults who are seeking to become more proficient writers in their professional fields, each presented in collaboration with experienced industry partners. For more information about the 2015 Kenyon Institute programs offered on the Kenyon College campus in Gambier, Ohio in June and July, please visit www.kenyoninstitute.org.
About The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital
The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the fastest growing pediatric research centers in the United States and currently is ranked sixth for National Institutes of Health funding among free-standing children’s hospitals. The Research Institute is comprised of 12 Centers of Emphasis designed to encourage collaboration, team science and the free flow of ideas. Learn more at NationwideChildrens.org/pediatric-research.