Fostering networking opportunities and creating a community of early and mid-career clinicians and researchers within the International Society for Bipolar Disorders

The International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) recognizes that empowering the next generation of professionals focused on bipolar disorder is critical for both the scientific progress of the discipline but also its survival as an organization. The Early and Mid-Career Committee (EMCC) was established to provide a platform from which the ISBD could nurture and support the career development of clinicians and researchers working in this space.¹

The recent EMCC-led Needs Assessment survey, which was targeted at early and mid-career (EMC) professionals, highlighted that both EMC clinicians and researchers place great importance on the development of meaningful collaborations with peers and other professionals in the field.² Most survey respondents reported actively trying to establish collaborations within their departments and with partners in other institutions and networking during conferences and presentations. Commonly reported facilitators of successful collaborations included (i) the existence of opportunities for networking, including via social media, conferences, and committees; (ii) the availability of supportive mentors that encouraged and facilitated the establishment of collaborations and (iii) pleasurable interpersonal interactions with other professionals that cultivated a positive collaborative relationship.

The future activities of the EMCC will be guided by the aforementioned priorities, which provide a tenable framework to support the needs of EMC clinicians and researchers focused on bipolar disorder. These activities will prioritize the inclusion of individuals of diverse backgrounds to foster networking in underdeveloped areas, such as in the Global South, as a means of mitigating inequality and reducing disparities in line with the guiding principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion. Although some initiatives, such as advocating for more representation and dedicated activities in scientific meetings are already in place and are part of the EMCC mission, the implementation of initiatives to address other priorities may take more time and effort. For instance, there will likely be financial barriers within the ISBD to expand travel funding for EMC members, so establishing new and creative partnerships with funding agencies and industry and offering a hybrid model that allows online participation and networking during the Annual Conference might be warranted. That said, as ISBD already promotes online activities there should be virtually no barriers to adapt the existing digital infrastructure and expertise to establish an online community connecting new and existing EMC members.

The EMCC recognizes that networking and collaboration are a critical means to enable innovative solutions to difficult problems. Fostering networking and collaboration is a priority of the EMCC, and the initiatives that will be executed to address this priority will undoubtedly better position EMC professionals focused on bipolar disorder to make progress in the field.

FAG received research funding from the BBRF Foundation (NARSAD Young Investigator Award/P&S Fund Investigator), the Canadian Menopausal Society/Pfizer Research Award, Queen's University Faculty of Health Science, SEAMO and Queen's University Department of Psychiatry internal grants. He received honoraria as a speaker/consultant in the past from Abbvie, Lundbeck, and Otsuka. All these funds were unrelated to the current manuscript.

HSR received funding from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Network of Depression Centers and Huntsman Foundation.

SHS received funding from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation Young, Investigator Award (Sperry), NIMH K23MH131601 (Sperry) and NIMH 1L30MH127613–01 (Sperry) grants.

TEVR was supported by an Al and Val Rosenstrauss Fellowship from the Rebecca L Cooper Medical Research Foundation.