About the Initiative
The Pediatrics 2025: AMSPDC Workforce Initiative was created in 2020 with the goal to increase the number and diversity of high-quality students who enter training in categorical Pediatrics, Medicine-Pediatric, and Combined Pediatric Subspecialty training programs, as well as improve the supply and distribution of pediatric subspecialists with the ultimate goal of meeting the health and wellness needs of the wide diversity of US children, adolescents, and young adults.
The March 2024 residency match results brought a heightened urgency to the work of the AMSPDC Pediatrics Workforce Initiative. In spring 2024, the AMSPDC Board of Directors unanimously approved the continuation of the Pediatric Workforce Initiative and to drop 2025 from our initiative as we recognize the time, commitment and collective action that must be made to achieve our goals.
Drawing from the work over the last 4 years, the Board agreed to restructure workgroups to strategically align with the NASEM Report and encourage the innovation and disruption needed for child health. The 4 new workgroups are:
Workgroups and Leaders
- Economic Strategy – Mary Leonard, MD, MSCE (Stanford)
- Redesign Education – Becky Blankenburg, MD, MPH (Stanford)
- Physician Scientist – Sallie Permar MD, PhD (Weill Cornell)
- Practice Collaboration – Ann M. Reed, MD (Duke)
The AMSPDC Pediatrics Workforce Initiative is committed to bringing our community together and working in strong partnership with each of you. We need collective actions from the pediatric community to ensure all children can grow up leading healthy, fulfilling lives and that Pediatricians lead rewarding careers in pursuit of this shared goal. We are committed to the work that must be undertaken to achieve these goals and look forward to working with each of you to secure the future of the Pediatric Workforce. (rev: 7.1.2024)
AMSPDC Press Release
Advocating for Children’s Health: Lessons from Suffs Event
Featuring the Tony Award-Winning Broadway Show Suffs
Followed by a brief panel discussion with leading pediatricians:
Dr. Peter Hotez, Dr. Omolara Uwemedimo & Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez
NASEM Study: Slides and Talking Points for AMSPDC Chairs
September 7, 2023
Critically Important Changes Are Needed to Improve the Care of our Nation’s Children
McLean, Virginia – The Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs (AMSPDC) endorses the comprehensive recommendations of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) Consensus Study on the Future Pediatric Subspecialty Workforce. As a sponsor of the study, AMSPDC is announcing a plan to review, discuss and disseminate the important findings of the NASEM consensus study on the pediatric subspecialty workforce.
As noted in the report, the NASEM Committee “envisions an accessible and efficient health system that enables all children to receive the appropriate type and amount of primary and specialty care whenever they need it.”
AMSPDC strongly endorses the goals outlined in the NASEM consensus study in order to achieve a vision of a high-quality pediatric subspecialty workforce and to advance the health of infants, children, and adolescents, including promoting collaboration and the effective use of services between pediatric primary care clinicians and subspecialty physicians; reducing financial and payment disincentives; enhancing education, training, recruitment, and retention; and supporting the pediatric physician–scientist pathway.
Key recommendations in the consensus study include overhauling the Medicaid system to provide more appropriate support for our nation’s pediatric workforce, lobbying Congress for enhanced financial support for the Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program, reforming the graduate medical education payment system, increasing the number of federally funded pediatric career development research awards for young pediatrician-scientists, developing innovative models of care to more effectively use the pediatric subspecialty workforce, and creating new models of pediatric training that are more effectively designed to prepare the workforce to address the evolving physical and mental health needs of the pediatric population.
AMSPDC anticipates active collaboration with schools of medicine, children’s hospitals, state and federal government officials, other pediatric and medical professional organizations, community agencies, and parent groups to implement these recommendations.
The NASEM Report supports the work of the Pediatrics 2025: The AMSPDC Workforce Initiative, which was launched in 2020 to increase the number and diversity of high-quality students who enter training in categorical pediatrics, medicine-pediatrics, and combined pediatric subspecialty residency training programs and the number of pediatric residents who pursue training in pediatric subspecialty fellowship programs. The ultimate goal of this initiative is to meet the health and wellness needs of the wide diversity of US children, adolescents, and young adults.
The Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs is an organization that is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of all children through the development of a diverse and inclusive community of academic pediatric department chairs from 155 academic institutions working collaboratively to advance departmental clinical, research, education, and advocacy missions while ensuring equity and anti-racist ideals.
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