Young GI angle: My biggest (career) mistake

In this issue of the Young GI Angle we have compiled the experiences of three clinical and basic researchers. Although we usually try to learn about the great achievements and recognitions from eminent people, we decided to ask prominent figures in the field of Gastroenterology about pitfalls during their lifetime. These experiences can give us, especially to young trainees and specialists, very important tips for our future career development.

Jakub Fichna

Management skills! My biggest career mistake is that I have never taken care of training within this field. Being a basic scientist, my undergraduate and post-graduate education was very strong in the area of physiology, pathophysiology and pharmacology. When applying for grant to support financially my studies and my research team – I got skills in drafting projects, planning research tasks and building the budget. While working in the lab (good old times), I obtained expertise by the bench, but also learned how to fix the printer and manage my time to be fully efficient.

However, the management skills I mentioned at the beginning of this article, and which I never possessed to the extent that satisfies me, regard team management. I truly lack some good background, even in sociology and psychology, that could also help the lab run smoothly.

A few years ago I got a stipend from the Foundation for Polish Science (Program “Coaching”), which was a 1-year long support in laboratory and team management. Even though the coach was very new to the field of science and to academia, he managed to solve the most alarming issues that existed at that time in my research team and smoothly expand both the team and our research focus.

I wish I had some courses in my curriculum that would allow me to solve staff- and lab-related problems with ease, just like that coach had had.

Nathalie Vergnolle

As a young principal investigator, freshly installed in a laboratory and working in a highly competitive field, one of the biggest worries is that other researchers would publish similar results just before us. Indeed, setting up a laboratory is rather time consuming and the clock is often running fast before we can publish our first independent results. During that rather stressful period of my career, I realized that another laboratory was working on exactly the same things as us. This was a highly visible laboratory, with an impressive record of publications. They were having slightly different approaches, but our hypothesis was the same and the preliminary results they presented in conference abstracts were going the same direction as ours. Because I knew the head of this “concurrent” laboratory, I went to him and suggested a possible co-publication of our results. He seemed open to this idea and I started to write an article with our own results, then asked him to send me his results in order for me to include them into the article. I did not ask for raw data nor original gels when this colleague sent me already constructed figures. I also did not look into the previously published research articles from his laboratory. What would I look for? Possible similar or already published figures or gels? This did not even cross my mind. Altogether this was probably the biggest mistake I made in my career. Indeed, after including all his figures into the article without further questions or inquiries, I submitted as corresponding and first author the article, which was published in a renowned scientific journal. I was shocked, a few years later, I received a letter from the journal, informing me that our research article had been withdrawn for fraud on some of the figures. The letter was clearly stating that the figures originating from my laboratory were not questioned, but some of the gels originating from this co-author’s laboratory were re-used after having been previously published in other articles (where they were used as evidence supporting different data!).

Although I was never blamed for having done anything wrong or fraudulent, the withdrawal of this article has been a weight I have had to carry since then. The paper cannot be cited anymore, while the data that we had generated for the article were solid and original. My biggest mistake was not to try to co-publish with another laboratory of course. It is fundamental to establish collaborations and to publish with colleagues. However, we have to be the most uncompromising reviewers for our own research articles before we submit them for publication. We have to make sure we have all raw data and original gels in hand, whether they originate from our trainees or collaborators. I have learned that lesson.

Ilse Rooman

Sometimes you regret that you haven’t approached things differently.

At one point in my career I received a great job offer for a group leader position. I ended up in a flourishing department where top-notch research was ongoing. However, 1 year into the job, the institute’s directorship and the management suddenly changed and, with it, its culture. Not only did this create a lot of uncertainty about the direction of our research program, it also became rapidly clear that the directorship was highly focused on building up one particular technology, and all research(ers) had to serve this purpose. Many senior scientists relocated their research groups to other places.

This turmoil was not only at the scientific level. In the new management structure there did not seem to be a place anymore for many of the at-the-time recently appointed group leaders, and assignment of new positions happened without clearly defined merit criteria. This situation created frustration for my colleagues and myself. We invested a lot of time to earn recognition of our ongoing research activities, as well as for our independent positions. We finally received a draft document of the new group leader criteria, which reassuringly fit most of us, were it not accompanied by a letter stating that it might be wise to seek out other job opportunities. I regret the amount of time and energy wasted, and not having accepted the advice of my senior colleagues who told us from the start to find new positions elsewhere.

In the end, all of us who faced this crisis ended up being very successful in other places. I have heard many successful people saying that there is no point trying to go straight when there is a major roadblock ahead. It also reminded me of a quote by Sheryl Sandberg (COO of Facebook) ‘Careers are a jungle gym, not a ladder’. They seemed to be right.