Goals, Expected Outcomes, and Methods
The evaluation's goals were to achieve the following:
- Assess the impact of the CBCRP New Investigator Award Program, especially on the career development of the recipients
- Improve the New Investigator Award Program at the CBCRP
Expected Outcomes
The following short and intermediate outcomes were expected from the New Investigator Awards:
- High quality new investigators will be encouraged to submit proposals addressing important questions of relevance to breast cancer.
- The award will help develop the careers of the recipients.
- New researchers will be recruited into the breast cancer field.
- Newly independent breast cancer researchers will remain in the field.
- More research conducted by talented researchers will be devoted to breast cancer.
- Promising new avenues of breast cancer research will be created and continued by studies that build logically on the work of the new investigator.
Methods
The CBCRP evaluation intern conducted twenty surveys with new investigators from funding cycles I-V. 2 The survey included both closed and open-ended questions and was administered either over the phone or electronically via e-mail. The survey was similar to a previously employed survey designed by the CBCRP to evaluate the Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards, another career development award. The survey was designed to assess whether the new investigators were currently working in the field of breast cancer, evaluate the impact of the award on their current career, determine measurable outcomes from the research conducted such as number of published papers, and elicit feedback from respondents about the CBCRP. The survey was pilot tested and minor changes were made before implementation.
The evaluation intern updated contact information, sent initial contact letters via e-mail, and followed up with each potential respondent to explain the study and arrange telephone interviews. Telephone interviews lasted between 15 and 45 minutes.
Eligibility for the study consisted of the following requirements:
- Award of a New Investigator Award from CBCRP during cycles I-V (1995-1999)3
- Acceptance of the award
- Utilization of at least half of the awarded funds
2 Cycles I-V occurred during 1995-1999.
Awards from the fifth cycle typically ended in 2001.
3 The evauation was limited to cycles I-V to capture information from completed grants only.
