RAPID: Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Biomedical Research Workforce: Productivity and Progress in Academia

Northwestern University At Chicago, Evanston IL

Investigators

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the biomedical research enterprise as institutions across the country implemented workplace restrictions following public health guidelines. Scientists are expected to continue to work and achieve professional goals and milestones, while potentially facing additional domestic responsibilities. While broad projections can be made about the status of the research enterprise, it is unclear how these restrictions and limitations will affect individual scientists across the biomedical research spectrum. Further, with many institutions enacting policies such as tenure-clock adjustments, institutional policy shifts may raise expectations for “bouncing back” from work interruption without providing additional structural support or guidance on managing an unprecedented situation. It is likely that these experiences will vary not only by gender and family status, but also by institutional type and career stage. The goal of this project is to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the biomedical research enterprise by examining the productivity and professional progress of academic scientists. The objectives are: 1) To assess the perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on academic scientists at multiple timepoints; 2) To determine if the perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic differs based on gender, race/ethnicity, family status, career stage, or academic institution type; and 3) To identify the structural or systemic factors which influenced individual productivity and progress among a stratified sample of biomedical scientists. These findings will have significant implications related to gender equity within the biomedical workforce and may identify strategies to broaden participation in science. Using a mixed-methodology approach, the project will develop and administer a cross-sectional quantitative survey and conduct qualitative interviews. Expected outcomes of the survey-study include summary statistics and analysis of demographic information, family status, career stage, and type of academic institution against data on institutional response and support, work-family timing, and other variables. In-depth interviews will further probe respondents’ reactions to the work interruptions posed by COVID-19; experiences with work and family responsibilities; perceptions of universities’ responses to the pandemic; and prospective insights on long term impacts. Together, this work will provide a data driven perspective on the impact of COVID-19 on scientists which can be used to inform decision-making critical to sustaining the biomedical enterprise within the United States. The biomedical research enterprise is engaged in synergistic efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic at unprecedented speed. Thus, it is critical to monitor the ways in which the research community functions throughout the pandemic in order to generate data which informs research funding, policy, and practice. As women, minorities, and other underrepresented groups in the biomedical workforce have traditionally faced barriers to advancement, it is important to understand if and how COVID-19-related disruptions might differentially affect these groups. Likewise, this work will help identify the scientists left most professionally vulnerable by the pandemic and may assist in development of equitable strategies to support retention and advancement. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.