It’s not every day you meet a young neurosurgeon with over 700 operations under their belt. It’s even rarer to find one that has published an equal amount of academic papers. Yet, Dr. Robert Starke has done both with excellence and candor. Some may think his level of productivity comes naturally, but the reality is there is no substitute for common sense and hard work. I recently sat down with Dr. Starke to discuss some of the secrets to his success and his advice to help clinician scientists thrive who are struggling.
Tips for success
The best piece of advice Dr. Starke could give any clinician scientist is to surround yourself with excellent people. First and foremost, you need mentors. If there are areas you lack experience or understanding (and let’s face it: we all have them), find people who can help fill in the gaps. You don’t have to limit yourself to a single source either. Having numerous mentors inside and outside of your field will make you better in your area and more well-rounded. You also have to be a good mentee! This can’t be a one-sided experience for your mentor. Not only do you need to progress, but you need to add value to the work that they are doing too.
Another gem Dr. Starke had to offer clinician scientists is that your area of research needs to be more than a job. It has to be a hobby and a passion. It’s got to be something you enjoy doing because it will be something that ends up requiring your attention outside of work. If you don’t love it enough to do experiments after you clock out or run through scenarios in your head at home, then that may be the wrong focus for you.
From struggling to thriving
Being a clinician scientist in the field of neurosurgery isn’t easy. Dr. Starke would be the first person to tell you that. Whether it’s long hours, grueling amounts of work, or grant rejections, there are many opportunities to get discouraged without the proper mindset. Dr. Starke could have easily given after years of failed grant proposals, but he kept going by never allowing his desire for learning and growth to be quenched.
If you’re feeling a little lost as a clinician scientist, Dr. Starke’s recommendation is to focus on doing good research. If good research is your focus, everything else will come eventually. It just takes time. In fact, the publication that he is most proud of took over five years to complete. Or maybe you’re further along in your career with the hopes of going back to research, but you feel like it’s too late. Truthfully, it’s never too late. Dr. Edward Oldfield, one of Dr. Starke’s biggest mentors and the Director of Neurosurgery Research at the NIH for almost 30 years, didn’t start his research arc until much later in his career and became a tremendous leader in academic neurosurgical research. It just goes to show you that we all start somewhere. What matters is that we start, and we don’t give up.