Strategic Training in Transdisciplinary Radiation Science for the 21st Century (STARS21): 15-Year Evaluation of an Innovative Research Training Program

Purpose To evaluate the 15-year impact of a transdisciplinary research training program for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and clinical trainees focused on radiation science, entitled Strategic Training in Transdisciplinary Radiation Science for the 21st Century (STARS21) with a primary objective to build capacity in radiation research. Methods and Materials Alumni (n = 128) and mentors (n = 41) who participated in STARS21 between 2003 and 2018 were sent an anonymized online survey designed to evaluate the program. Twelve alumni and 7 mentors also volunteered to participate in semistructured interviews. The transcribed interviews were coded and analyzed using NVivo12-Pro software. Alumni employment and publications were assessed from program records and by web-based search queries. Results Alumni are located in 11 countries, and nearly 90% are employed in a research-oriented career and continue to publish in radiation medicine– or cancer-related fields. Of those invited, 46 alumni (36%) and 12 mentors (29%) completed the online survey. Approximately 87% of alumni valued interdisciplinary collaboration, and 80% indicated that STARS21 had encouraged them to pursue such collaborations. Alumni emphasized that STARS21 assisted their career development, and the majority of alumni and mentors would recommend STARS21 to other trainees (4.48 and 4.58, respectively; 5 = strongly agree). The time invested in the program was perceived by mentors as worthwhile for the knowledge and skills gained by trainees (4.67; 5 = strongly agree), and 64% of mentors indicated that these benefits were associated with improved trainee research productivity. From the alumni and mentor perspectives, the valuable skills acquired from STARS21 included scientific communication (85% and 83%, respectively) and networking (83% and 92%, respectively). Conclusions STARS21 is an innovative research training program that promotes interdisciplinary collaboration in radiation medicine research, which is valued by alumni and mentor respondents. Alumni can acquire important skill sets for career development, with a large proportion of alumni currently engaged in radiation research around the world.