# Greater gulf coast regional translational workforce development: Assessment and action plan

## TL;DR

This paper examines the instability of a specialized workforce in translational research and proposes a regional alliance to address the growing demand for skilled professionals.

## Contribution

The study introduces a new workforce category called 'bridge and clinical research professionals' and proposes a regional collaboration to address its instability.

## Key findings

- B + CRP-specific jobs increased 1.2 to 2.3-fold from 2017 to 2022 in two Houston–Galveston institutions.
- Turnover in the B + CRP workforce doubled after the pandemic and remained unstable by 2022.
- A regional alliance was formed to expand the pool of skilled B + CRP professionals.

## Abstract

Converting knowledge from basic research into innovations that improve clinical care requires a specialized workforce that converts a laboratory invention into a product that can be developed and tested for clinical use. As the mandate to demonstrate more real-world impact from the national investment in research continues to grow, the demand for staff that specialize in product development and clinical trials continues to outpace supply. In this study, two academic medical institutions in the greater Houston–Galveston region termed this population the “bridge and clinical research professional” (B + CRP) workforce and assessed its turnover before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic . Both institutions realized growth (1.2 vs 2.3-fold increase) in B + CRP-specific jobs from 2017 to 2022. Turnover increased 1.5–2-fold after the onset of the pandemic but unlike turnover in the larger clinical and translational research academic workforce, the instability did not resolve by 2022. These results are a baseline measurement of the instability of our regional B + CRP workforce and have informed the development of a regional alliance of universities, academic medical centers, and economic development organizations in the greater Houston–Galveston region to increase this highly specialized and skilled candidate pool.