Abstract
Background: Amid concerns about the pediatrician-scientist workforce, we hypothesized that declining numbers of pediatric subspecialists devote at least 25% of their professional time to research with fewer younger and female pediatricians engaged in research over the study period. Methods: Board-certified pediatricians enrolling online in the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP’s) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program October 2009 through 2016 were invited to complete a survey with questions about the allocation of their professional time. Responses from individuals in the 14 ABP-certified subspecialties were analyzed. The number and proportions of respondents devoting 25−49% and 50% or more of professional time to research were calculated over time. Age and gender were also examined. Results: We analyzed 21,367 responses over 8 years. A small number of pediatric subspecialists engaged in research with 5.2−6.7% devoting 25−49% and 5.6−8.4% at least 50% of their professional time to research across subspecialties. There was no discernable increase or decrease over time or pattern by age or gender. Conclusion: Less than 10% of pediatric medical subspecialists devote at least 50% of their professional time to research. Efforts to promote research among pediatric subspecialists have not increased the size of the population that reports engaging in research at this level.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1128-1134 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Pediatric research |
| Volume | 87 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 1 2020 |
Funding
Numerous published commentaries and opinion pieces decry a dwindling number of physician-scientists in the United States over the past generation.1–8 Concerns about declining funding and increased competition for awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have been cited as factors driving investigators to leave academic careers.9,10 The population of researchers with R01 funding is aging11 and NIH-funded physician-scientists are estimated to represent less than 1.5% of the total physician workforce.12 Fears about the loss of a generation of physician-scientists have generated interest in the potential role of industry, public−private partnerships, and professional societies to train and support young biomedical researchers.9,10,13,14 Specific concerns have been raised about declining numbers of pediatricians who choose to focus their careers on research,1 decreasing rates of NIH grant awards to pediatric departments,1,15 and the impact of these trends on the creation of new knowledge and scientific innovation to improve child health.1,8 Pediatric physician-scientists are often trained in medical subspecialties through pathways that traditionally require 3 years of pediatric residency and 3 or more years of fellowship. Within pediatric medical subspecialty fellowships certified by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP), trainees receive a formal introduction to research with a goal of mastery through the completion of fellowship. Even though few subspecialty fellowship graduates are anticipated to have a career focus in research, they can be expected to achieve sufficient skills to collaborate productively in team science.15 There have been several approaches put forward over time to patch the “pipeline” of pediatric physician-scientists and new “on ramps” to research careers are being considered. The ABP has created two infrequently utilized alternative pathways to expedite clinical training and increase research exposure, the integrated pathway and the accelerated pathway.3 Building on the ABP’s integrated pathway framework, there are a few structured Pediatrician Scientist Training and Development Programs that have published on their approach and experience.16–18 In addition, pediatric-focused T32 training programs and K12 awards, such as the Pediatric Scientist Development Program (PSDP) sponsored by the Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs and funded by the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development and private agencies, have been successful in the development of fellows and faculty who intend to make research their primary professional activity.19–21 This study was funded by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) Foundation, a nonprofit, supporting organization to the ABP. M.L.M. and G.L.F. were contracted to lead in developing the study design; analyzing the data; and drafting, editing, and submitting the manuscript. L.K.L. is an employee of the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) and received salary compensation for their role in this research, including the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; preparation of the manuscript; and the decision to submit the article for publication. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the ABP or the ABP Foundation.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health