The Vanishing Physician-Scientist?

Andrew I. Schafer

• Publisher: ILR Press
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN: 9780801448454
• eBook ISBN: 9780801462429
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Medical Theory, Practice & Reference

Throughout history, physicians have played a vital role in medical discovery. These physician-scientists devote the majority of their professional effort to seeking new knowledge about health and disease through research and represent the entire continuum of biomedical investigation. They bring a unique perspective to their work and often base their scientific questions on the experience of caring for patients. Physician-scientists also effectively communicate between researchers in the "pure sciences" and practicing health care providers. Yet there has been growing concern in recent decades that, due to complex changes, physician-scientists are vanishing from the scene.In this book, leading physician-scientists and academic physicians examine the problem from a variety of perspectives: historical, demographic, scientific, cultural, sociological, and economic. They make valuable recommendations that—if heeded—should preserve and revitalize the community of physician-scientists as the profession continues to evolve and boundaries between doctors and researchers shift.

Contributors: James M. Anderson, MD, PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine; Ann J. Brown, MD, MHS, Duke University School of Medicine; Barry S. Coller, MD, Rockefeller University; Fabio Cominelli, MD, PhD, Case Western Reserve University; Paul E. DiCorleto, PhD, Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine; Mark Donowitz, MD, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Stephen G. Emerson, MD, PhD, Haverford College; Gregory Germino, MD, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Stephen J. Heinig, Association of American Medical Colleges; Margaret K. Hostetter, MD, Yale University School of Medicine; Reshma Jagsi, MD, DPhil, University of Michigan Medical School; Kenneth Kaushansky, MD, MACP, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine; David Korn, MD, Harvard University and Harvard Medical School; Timothy J. Ley, MD, Washington University School of Medicine; Philip M. Meneely, PhD, Haverford College; David G. Nathan, MD, Harvard Medical School; Philip A. Pizzo, MD, Stanford University School of Medicine; Jennifer Punt, VMD, PhD, Haverford College; Andrew I. Schafer, MD, Weill Cornell Medical College and New York-Presbyterian Hospital; Alan L. Schwartz, MD, PhD, Washington University School of Medicine; Roy L. Silverstein, MD, Cleveland Clinic; Nancy J. Tarbell, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School

Table of contents

• Contents
• Preface
• Introduction (Andrew I. Schafer, MD)
• 1. History of the Physician as Scientist (Andrew I. Schafer, MD)
• 2. Demographics of the Physician-Scientist Workforce: Impact of Age, Gender, Degrees, and Debt (Timothy J. Ley, MD)
• 3. The Ecology of Physician-Scientists in Academic Medicine (David Korn, MD, Stephen J. Heinig)
• 4. Translational Research and the Physician-Scientist (Barry S. Coller, MD)
• 5. Women as Physician-Scientists (Reshma Jagsi, MD, DPhil, Nancy J. Tarbell, MD)
• 6. Generation X and the Millennials in Academic Medicine: Developing the Next Generation of Physician-Scientists (Ann J. Brown, MD, MHS)
• 7. Engaging Undergraduate Students in Research: Sustaining Our Nation’s Pipeline of Future Biomedical Investigators (Stephen G. Emerson, MD, PhD, Philip Meneely, PhD, Jennifer Punt, VMD, PhD)
• 8. The Role of Academic Medical Centers and Medical Schools in the Training and Support of Physician-Scientists (Philip A. Pizzo, MD)
• 9. The Relationship between Physicians and PhD Scientists in Medical Research (Roy L. Silverstein, MD, Paul E. DiCorleto, PhD)
• 10. Mentoring Physician-Scientists: Repairing the Leaky Pipeline (Kenneth Kaushansky, MD)
• 11. Mentoring the Physician-Scientist: A Developmental Approach (Alan L. Schwartz, MD, PhD, Margaret K. Hostetter, MD)
• 12. The Attrition of Young Physician-Scientists: Problems and Potential Solutions (Mark Donowitz, MD, James Anderson, MD, PhD, Fabio Cominelli, MD, PhD, Greg Germino, MD)
• 13. Restoring and Invigorating an “Endangered Species”: Initiatives by the Association of American Medical Colleges (David Korn, MD, Stephen J. Heinig)
• 14. Revitalizing the Nation’s Physician-Scientist Workforce: The Association of Professors of Medicine Initiative (Andrew I. Schafer, MD)
• 15. A Half Century of Clinical Research (David G. Nathan, MD)
• Epilogue: Looking Forward (Andrew I. Schafer, MD)
• References
• List of Contributors
• Index