Early Career Outcomes of NRSA Predoctoral Training in the Behavioral Sciences

This chapter profiles the early career outcomes of former NRSA predoctoral trainees and fellows in the behavioral sciences. It represents the first formal assessment of this group in nearly two decades. Although some limited tracking of behavioral sciences trainees and fellows has been conducted (e.g., Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration, 1986; Clouet, 1986; National Research Council, 1977; Schneider, 1980), such efforts have seldom examined multiple outcomes or incorporated comparison groups into their methodologies. This also is true of the recent report issued by the Center for the Advancement of Health (1999) in which its conclusions about the targeting and quality of NRSA research training stemmed from interviews with a small number of trainees, fellows, and faculty advisors.