Washington, DC (UroToday.com) At the Young Urologic Oncologists (YUO) Dinner Program Dr. Gennady Bratslavsky discussed keys to failing forward from a research perspective. Dr. Bratslavsky started by quoting Dr. John C. Maxwell, noting “[Failing forward is the key to] turning mistakes into stepping stones for success". Dr. Bratslavsky also notes five additional definitions for failing forward:
- Failure is not the opposite of success but the road to it
- Failure is inevitable, so embrace it
- Failures do lead to success
- Learn from your failures
- Set inspiring goals that will encourage you to take actions and fail
Although Dr. Bratslavsky is now the chairman of urology at SUNY Upstate, he notes that he has several “true” disclosures that he’s amassed throughout his journey to a chairmanship position:
- He was rejected from the NASA Research Fellowship in college
- He was rejected from all medical schools the first time around
- He was rejected from most medical schools the second time around
- He was rejected from five journals on his first submission of a manuscript
- He spent another five months trying to get the RNA extracted and another 7 months looking for intact RNA with regards to renal cell carcinoma
- He took a device from concept to market and distribution in the US (distributed by a billion-dollar company), but this did not stick long term
- He closed his lab until 2017 after becoming Chairman of Surgery
So, how do you define failure in research? It could be as simple as receiving no grants or having no manuscript published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Furthermore, it may represent giving no podium talks at the American Urological Association (AUA), Society of Urologic Oncology (SUO) or Genitourinary Cancers Symposium (GU ASCO). It may also be as simple as receiving no gold cystoscope award or the award for best poster at a meeting. Failing in research may be explained by lack of luck in securing a grant or the acceptance of a paper. Second, it may be a lack of a mentor to direct you to an interesting project that you can carry through. Third, it may be a lack of a supportive environment with not enough protected time, too little time clinically, or no research money. Finally, it may be secondary to a lack of an ability to accomplish something, or not being comfortable with stats, having no knowledge of the lab, or having no experience in clinical trials.
According to Dr. Bratslavsky, the ideal talk on failing forward in research would include a discussion of how he had no idea what he was doing; that he had no mentor but found one, how he found research money or that he got his first grant, and then another one, and then got the Nobel prize. But in reality, the true story, according to Dr. Bratslavsky, is that he had an MD with research distinction as well as hurt many rabbits and mice over many years. Furthermore, Dr. Bratslavsky notes that he continued to fail at most everything he’s done, which has included high impact publications and achieving funding through major grants. However, Dr. Bratslavsky notes that his failures in science have also led to:
- The ability to communicate with basic science colleagues
- Publishing several manuscripts that still have relevance
- Having lab and directorship of Upstate’s biorepository
- Being Deputy Director of the Upstate Cancer Center
- Becoming President of the Society of Urologic Oncology Clinical Trials Consortium SUO-CTC
According to Dr. Bratslavsky, success in research is defined as manuscripts, grants, presentations, and being part of improving care via research. His final thoughts include:
- Keep failing – it means you are trying (persistence)
- Research is a continuum – every effort counts (grit)
- Research will save you from burnout (resilience)
- Research will keep you relevant in your field, pharma, start-ups, etc (success)
Presented by: Gennady Bratslavsky, MD, Professor and Chair of Urology, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department Chief of Adult Urology Clinic, Director of Prostate Cancer Program, Division Chief of Upstate Urology at 550 Harrison, Division Chief of Urologic Male Health, Department Chief of Urologic Oncology, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York
Written by: Zachary Klaassen, MD, MSc – Assistant Professor of Urology, Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University/Medical College of Georgia, Twitter: @zklaassen_md at the 20th Annual Meeting of the Society of Urologic Oncology (SUO), December 4 - 6, 2019, Washington, DC