Overview
The Physician–Scientist Development Pillar strengthens the pediatric workforce by supporting the training, recruitment, and retention of pediatric physician–scientists.
This work aligns with the 2023 NASEM Future Pediatric Subspeciality Workforce recommendations to strengthen child health research capacity and sustain pediatric research pathways. It reflects the PWI goal to improve the quantity and quality of child health research by strengthening physician–scientist training pipelines.
Given ongoing pressures on federal research funding and variability in institutional support, this pillar focuses on expanding structured training pathways, strengthening funding partnerships, and advancing shared metrics to support long-term sustainability.
Physician–scientists are essential to advancing evidence-based pediatric care and improving child health outcomes.
Pediatric research funding represents a small share of overall NIH investment, and research training pathways are lengthy and financially demanding. Early-career investigators face extended timelines, funding uncertainty, and compensation disparities compared to clinically focused careers.
When research pathways weaken:
- Departments lose the capacity to generate innovation and new knowledge
- Recruitment of research-oriented trainees declines
- Institutional competitiveness for federal funding erodes
- The pipeline of future pediatric research leaders narrows
Sustaining and strengthening physician–scientist development is critical to maintaining academic excellence and advancing child health science.
Our Approach
The Physician–Scientist Development Pillar advances three coordinated areas of work: expanding the Pediatrician Scientist Development Program (PSDP), improving transparency around federal investment in pediatric research training, and strengthening shared metrics and competencies in physician scientist training programs.
Current efforts prioritize growing PSDP through philanthropic partnerships, multi-sponsor funding models, and institutional expansion to increase access to structured research pathways.
In parallel, one workgroup has examined the qualitative and quantitative measures for success and retention for pediatrician scientist training implemented across training programs in an effort to develop shared metrics that align with evolving competency-based training models.
One workgroup kicked off an early body of work focused on defining child health research in a large effort to improve reporting on federal investments in pediatrician scientist training.
Following the release of the recent 2026 NASEM Strategies to Enhance Pediatric Health Research report priorities are being refined to ensure alignment with national guidance and to focus on areas where AMSPDC can add meaningful value.