@article{b0aa9a19580a470c8288da03fdd7af66,
title = "NHLBI training workshop report: The vanishing pediatric pulmonary investigator and recommendations for recovery",
abstract = "The adequacy of the pipeline of advanced pulmonary fellows to supply appropriately trained and committed researchers to enter academic careers was the major topic of a recently held National Heart Lung and Blood Institute NHLBI Workshop: Respiratory Medicine-Related Research Training for Adult and Pediatric Fellows. The special challenges and opportunities for the academic pediatric pulmonary trainee were discussed as part of this workshop and are presented as a companion article to the report by the full workshop. Surveys were conducted of pediatric chairs of academic departments and pediatric pulmonary training directors in the United States to examine the current status and opportunities for the pediatric pulmonary trainee. Strategies for recruitment and retention of talented young trainees and junior faculty are proposed.",
keywords = "Clinician scientist, Training pipeline",
author = "Thomas Ferkol and Pamela Zeitlin and Steven Abman and Blaisdell, {Carol J.} and Hugh O'Brodovich",
note = "Funding Information: Pediatric pulmonology is a relatively young medical discipline, recognized by the American Board of Pediatrics as a subspecialty only a quarter century ago. In 2008, 897 of 18,949 (4.7%) pediatric specialists certified by the American Board of Pediatrics were in pediatric pulmonology ( https://www.abp.org/ABPWebStatic ), although 50% of visits to pediatricians are for respiratory symptoms, and respiratory diseases are the most common causes for pediatric emergency department and hospital visits []. The number of pediatric pulmonary candidates who have successfully transitioned from training to faculty positions has decreased during the past decade. This shortage is increasing. The first pediatric pulmonary fellowship match for academic year 2010 occurred in June 2009; 24% of positions were not filled and many programs did not match a single applicant ( www.nrmp.org/fellow/match_name/pssm/stats.html ). Because approximately 40% of the fellowship candidates are non-American medical graduates, these individuals face significant challenges regarding grant eligibility and research support. This shortage of well-trained pediatric pulmonologists who are adequately prepared to seek peer-reviewed funding potentially threatens the viability of the field and the ability to provide care for increasing numbers of children with acute and chronic lung disease. It is equally worrisome that the proportion of subboard diplomates who are actively engaged in scholarly pursuits continues to decline [, ]. This will impede our ability to develop new approaches to prevent and cure both childhood and adult respiratory disease and to sustain strong academic programs in the future. Funding Information: After completing their fellowship training, 142 (68.2%) pediatric pulmonology graduates joined university-based programs, and 31 (19.4%) had secured extramural research support from any funding agency, although some of these projects were clinical trials sponsored by pharmaceutical companies. Twenty graduates (10.6%) were principal investigators for NIH awards (Fig. ). Funding Information: It is clear that a three-year fellowship cannot fully prepare a trainee for an independent research career. In addition, the extramural funding of young pediatric pulmonologists is often fragmented. Supporting an additional year in fellowship can help provide a stronger academic foundation and time for developing additional research strengths. For some trainees, however, responding to this problem by offering a fourth year of fellowship training further delays launching their careers, imposes further financial burdens and stress, and “penalizes” senior fellows who are considering academic careers. Accordingly, grant support should be expanded to include the first two years on faculty with substantial protected time for research. These approaches would assist fellows and young faculty in their efforts to secure extramural portable support, allowing recipients to move their funding should new opportunities for independent careers arise at other institutions. For instance, T32 grants could be modified to support transitional faculty by folding fellowship slots into short-term, mentored junior faculty awards, thus affording greater flexibility in training dollars. ",
year = "2009",
month = dec,
doi = "10.1007/s00408-009-9184-0",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "187",
pages = "367--374",
journal = "Lung",
issn = "0341-2040",
publisher = "Springer New York",
number = "6",
}