The Atlanta BEST program: A partnership to enhance professional development and career planning across two dissimilar institutions

Abstract Current Ph.D. training is largely based on an apprentice model that prepares trainees to become tenure-track investigators. However, most trainees entering Ph.D. programs in biomedical fields actually wind up pursuing non-academic positions. Unfortunately, most Ph.D. programs and individual mentors are ill-prepared to help Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows learn about and seek careers outside of academia. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched the BEST initiative to help institutions test ideas for modifying training programs in order to fill this gap. Emory University (Emory), in collaboration with the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), received a BEST award in 2013 and established the Atlanta BEST Program. Here, we describe lessons learned from implementing this program. Key among them is the understanding that a new model of training must be considered – one that includes shared roles of the PI and the institution in helping trainees to reach their career goals.