The Vanishing Physician Scientist: A Critical Review and Analysis

Accountability in Research

Volumn 19, Issue 2, 2012, Pages 89-113

  Gordon, Richard ^a  

^a Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory   (United States)

Author keywords

academic careers; grants; medical clinical research; medical school admissions; mentoring

Indexed keywords

AGE; DECISION MAKING; HUMAN; MEDICAL RESEARCH; MEDICAL SCHOOL; MEDICAL STUDENT; ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT; PERSONNEL; PHYSICIAN; REVIEW; STATISTICS;

AGE FACTORS; BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH; CAREER CHOICE; HUMANS; PHYSICIANS; RESEARCH PERSONNEL; SCHOOLS, MEDICAL; STUDENTS, MEDICAL;

EID: 84858202302     PISSN: 08989621     EISSN: 15455815     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/08989621.2012.660076     Document Type: Review

References (94)

1. AAMC. (2010). Enrollment, Graduates, and MD/PhD Data. http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/enrollmentgraduate/ Last accessed February 13, 2012
2. AAMC (2011). MD-PhD: Is it Right for Me? Training & Career Paths. Washington, DC: Association of American Medical Colleges. http://www.aamc.org/students/download/121086/data/mdphd_isitrightforme.pdf, (Accessed: 13 February 2012).
3. Akst, J. (2010). Physician-scientists: vanishing? http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/57191/, (Accessed: 13 February 2012).
4. Anonymous. (2010). The CIHR Individual Grants Program. http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/cihrfunding/, (Accessed: 13 February 2012).
5. Bartels, S. J., Lebowitz, B. D., Reynolds 3rd, C. F., Bruce, M. L., Halpain, M., Faison, W. E. and Kirwin, P. D. 2010. Programs for developing the pipeline of early-career geriatric mental health researchers: Outcomes and implications for other fields. Academic Medicine: Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, 85: 26-35.
6. Bernoulli, R. 1994. Paracelsus-Physician, reformer, philosophy, scientist. Experientia, 50: 334-338.
7. Best, M. A. 2003. Benjamin Franklin: Verification and Validation of the Scientific Process in Healthcare As Demonstrated by the Report of the Royal Commission of Animal Magnitism, Bloomington, IN: Trafford.
8. Bloch, H. 1983. William Charles Wells, M.D., F.R.S., 1757-1817. An American physician-scientist America almost forgot. New York State Journal of Medicine, 83: 248-250.
9. Borges, N. J., Navarro, A. M., Grover, A. and Hoban, J. D. 2010. How, when, and why do physicians choose careers in academic medicine? A literature review. Academic Medicine, 85: 680-686.
10. Brass, L. F., Akabas, M. H., Burnley, L. D., Engman, D. M., Wiley, C. A. and Andersen, O. S. 2010. Are MD-PhD programs meeting their goals? An analysis of career choices made by graduates of 24 MD-PhD programs. Academic Medicine, 85: 692-701.
11. Brass, L. F., Andersen, O. S. and Akabas, M. H. 2011. The urgent need to increase support for the NIH's MD-PhD student fellowships: Reply. Academic Medicine, 86: 277-278.
12. Brown, A. J. 2009. "Generation X and the millennials in academic medicine: Developing the next generation of physician-scientists". In The Vanishing Physician-Scientist?, Edited by: Schafer, A. I. 97-112. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
13. Buckley, C. D. 2007. Careers in clinical academic medicine: New opportunities or old threats?. Clinical Medicine, 7: 79-81.
14. Cadman, E. C. 1994. The academic physician-investigator-A crisis not to be ignored. Annals of Internal Medicine, 120: 401-410.
15. Chen, J. C. (2011). National High School Journal of Science. http://nhsjs.com/, (Accessed: 13 February 2012).
16. CIHR. (2011a). Follow-up to CIHR's Message to the Health Research Community from the Scientific Council of CIHR Regarding the Open Operating Grant (OOG) Competitions. http://secure.campaigner.com/Campaigner/Public/t.show?IDwP-6bpd-YiLSi4, (Accessed: 13 February 2012).
17. CIHR. (2011b). CIHR Peer Review Manual for Grant Applications. http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/4656.html, (Accessed: 13 February 2012).
18. CIHR Scientific Council. (2010). Message to the Health Research Community from the Scientific Council of CIHR Regarding the OOG Competitions. http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/42857.html, (Accessed: 13 February 2012).
19. Cole, S., Cole, J. R. and Simon, G. A. 1981. Chance and consensus in peer review. Science, 214: 881-886.
20. Coller, B. S. 2009. "Translational research and the physician-scientist". In The Vanishing Physician-Scientist?, Edited by: Schafer, A. I. 67-83. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
21. Crist, T. B., Barr, W. G., Linas, S. L. and Zuckerman, K. S. 2004. Using local solutions to address a national issue: ASP's recommendations to ensure the vitality of clinical research. American Journal of Medicine, 116: 359-362.
22. Dennis, W. 1966. Creative productivity between ages of 20 and 80 years. Journals of Gerontology, 21: 1-8.
23. Dickler, H. B., Di, F., Heinig, S. J., Johnson, E. and Korn, D. 2007. New physician-investigators receiving National Institutes of Health research project grants: A historical perspective on the "endangered species.". Journal of the American Medical Association, 297: 2496-2501.
24. Donowitz, M., Anderson, J., Cominelli, F. and Germino, G. 2009. "The attrition of young physician-scientists: problems and potential solutions". In The Vanishing Physician-Scientist?, Edited by: Schafer, A. I. 193-207. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
25. Emerson, S.G., Meneely, P. and Punt, J. 2009. "Engaging undergraduate students in research: Sustaining our nation's pipeline of future biomedical investigators". In The Vanishing Physician-Scientist?, Edited by: Schafer, A.I. 113-119. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
26. Forsdyke, D.R. 2000. Tomorrow's Cures Today? How to Reform the Health Research System, London: Gordon & Breach.
27. Freeman, R.B. 2006. Does globalization of the scientific/engineering workforce threaten U.S. economic leadership?. Innovation Policy and the Economy, 6: 123-157.
28. Goldsmith, L.A. 1992. The physician-scientist. A vanishing oxymoron?. Archives of Dermatology, 128: 474
29. Gordon, R. 1993. Grant agencies versus the search for truth. Accountability in Research, 2: 297-301.
30. Gordon, R. and Poulin, B.J. 2009a. Indeed: Cost of the NSERC science grant peer review system exceeds the cost of giving every qualified researcher a baseline grant. Accountability in Research, 16: 232-233.
31. Gordon, R. and Poulin, B.J. 2009b. Cost of the NSERC science grant peer review system exceeds the cost of giving every qualified researcher a baseline grant. Accountability in Research, 16: 1-28.
32. Gordon, R. (2011). Cosmic Embryo #3: The ART of 3D Sun and Breast Cancer Imaging. http://www.science20.com/cosmic_embryo/cosmic_embryo_3_art_3d_sun_and_breast_cancer_imaging-75977, (Accessed: 13 February 2012).
33. Gunderman, R.B. and Kanter, S.L. 2008. Perspective: "How to fix the premedical curriculum" revisited. Academic Medicine, 83: 1158-1161.
34. Hauser, S.L. 2004. The shape of things to come. Neurology, 63: 948-950.
35. Henig, R.M. 2000. The Monk in the Garden, The Lost and Found Genius of Gregor Mendel, the Father of Genetics, Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
36. Henke, P.K. 2003. Collaboration based on the clinical model can help grow the physician-scientist. American Journal of Surgery, 185: 42-44.
37. Howell, L.P., Chen, C.Y., Joad, J.P., Green, R., Callahan, E.J. and Bonham, A.C. 2010. Issues and challenges of non-tenure-track research faculty: The UC Davis School of Medicine experience. Academic Medicine, 85: 1041-1047.
38. Intel. (2011). About Intel > Corporate Responsibility > Education > Competitions. http://www.intel.com/about/corporateresponsibility/education/competitions/index.htm?iid=intel_inside_ed:science_head, (Accessed: 13 February 2012).
39. Ioannidis, J.P.A. 2011. Fund people not projects. Nature, 477: 529-531.
40. Jagsi, R. and Tarbell, N.J. 2009. "Women as physician-scientists". In The Vanishing Physician-Scientist?, Edited by: Schafer, A.I. 84-96. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
41. Kaushansky, K. 2009. "Mentoring physician-scientists: repairing the leaky pipeline". In The Vanishing Physician-Scientist?, Edited by: Schafer, A.I. 156-178. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
42. Keller, E.F. 1983. A Feeling for the Organism, The Life and Work of Barbara McClintock, New York: W. H. Freeman.
43. Kissel, J. (2009). High school scientist's research published in medical journal. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09266/999916-54.stm, (Accessed: 13 February 2012).
44. Korn, D. and Heinig, S.J. 2009a. "Restoring and invigorating an "endangered species": Initiatives by the Association of American Medical Colleges". In The Vanishing Physician-Scientist?, Edited by: Schafer, A.I. 208-226. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
45. Korn, D. and Heinig, S.J. 2009b. "The ecology of physician-scientists in academic medicine". In The Vanishing Physician-Scientist?, Edited by: Schafer, A.I. 50-66. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
46. LCME. (2008). LCME [Liaison Committee on Medical Education] Accreditation Standards (with annotations). http://www.lcme.org/functionslist.htm (http://www.lcme.org/functionslist.htm) (Accessed: 13 February 2012).
47. Ley, T.J. and Rosenberg, L.E. 2005. The physician-scientist career pipeline in 2005-Build it, and they will come. Journal of the American Medical Association, 294: 1343-1351.
48. Ley, T.J. 2009. "Demographics of the physician-scientist workforce: Impact of age, gender, degrees, and debt". In The Vanishing Physician-Scientist?, Edited by: Schafer, A.I. 39-49. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
49. Loscalzo, J. 2006. The NIH budget and the future of biomedical research. New England Journal of Medicine, 354: 1665-1667.
50. Nathan, D.G. 2009. "A half century of clinical research". In The Vanishing Physician-Scientist? The Vanishing Physician-Scientist?, Edited by: Schafer, A.I. 245-256. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
51. National Research Council. 2005. Bridges to Independence: Fostering the Independence of New Investigators in Biomedical Research, Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
52. Neilson, E.G. 2003. The role of medical school admissions committees in the decline of physician-scientists. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 111: 765-767.
53. NIH. (2011a). Research Supplements to Promote Re-Entry into Biomedical and Behavioral Research Careers. http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/pa-08-191.html, (Accessed: 13 February 2012).
54. NIH. (2011b). NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00). http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-09-036.html, (Accessed: 13 February 2012).
55. Perry, M.J. (2010). Med School Grads Haven't Increased Since 1980; Nurses Can Help, But the AMA Protects Its Turf. http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2010/04/medical-school-grads-have-been-flat.html, (Accessed: 13 February 2012).
56. Pizzo, P.A. 2009. "The role of academic medical centers and medical schools in the training and support of physician-scientists". In The Vanishing Physician-Scientist?, Edited by: Schafer, A.I. 120-137. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
57. Poulin, B.J. and Gordon, R. 2001. How to organize science funding: The new Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), an opportunity to vastly increase innovation. Canadian Public Policy, 27: 95-112.
58. Rabinowitz, H.K., Diamond, J.J., Markham, F.W. and Wortman, J.R. 2008. Medical school programs to increase the rural physician supply: A systematic review and projected impact of widespread replication. Academic Medicine, 83: 235-243.
59. Reynolds, T. 2001. Are physician-scientists a vanishing breed?. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 93: 490-491.
60. Rodin, F.H. 1936. Moses Maimonides: Great physician, scientist, and philosopher. Western Journal of Medicine, 44: 192-196.
61. Roncari, D.A.K., Salter, R.B., Till, J.E. and Lowy, F.H. 1984. Is the clinician scientist really vanishing: Encouraging results from a Canadian Institute of Medical Science. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 130: 977-979.
62. Rosner, F. and Kottek, S.S. 1993. Moses Maimonides: Physician, scientist, and philosopher, Northvale, NJ: J. Aronson.
63. Royal Perth Hospital. (2005). 2005 Nobel Laureates, Professor Barry Marshall and Dr. Robin Warren. http://www.rph.wa.gov.au/nobel.html, (Accessed: 13 February 2012).
64. Sales, C.S. and Schlaff, A.L. 2010. Reforming medical education: a review and synthesis of five critiques of medical practice. Social Science and Medicine, 70: 1665-1668.
65. Samarasinghe, R.A. 2011. The urgent need to increase support for the NIH's MD-PhD student fellowships. Academic Medicine, 86: 277
66. Schafer, A.I. 2009a. "Epilogue: looking forward". In The Vanishing Physician-Scientist?, Edited by: Schafer, A.I. 257-260. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
67. Schafer, A.I. (2009b). How to Succeed as a Clinician Scientist in the Year 2009 and Beyond. [PowerPoint presentation]. http://www.afmr.org/files/2009/How-to-Succeed-as-a-Clinician-AFMR-Career-Development-Workshop.pdf, (Accessed: 13 February 2012).
68. Schafer, A.I. 2009c. The Vanishing Physician-Scientist?, Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
69. Schafer, A.I. 2009d. Revitalizing the nation's physician-scientist workforce: The Association of Professors of Medicine initiative, Edited by: Schafer, A.I. 227-244. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
70. Schafer, A.I. 2009e. "History of the physician as scientist". In The Vanishing Physician-Scientist?, Edited by: Schafer, A.I. 17-38. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
71. Schafer, A.I. 2009f. "Introduction". In The Vanishing Physician-Scientist?, Edited by: Schafer, A.I. 1-16. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
72. Schafer, A.I. 2010. The vanishing physician-scientist?. Translational Research, 155: 1-2.
73. Schrier, R.W. 1998. A Ph.D. in clinical science for physicians: One solution to the vanishing breed of the physician-scientist. Proceedings of the Association of American Physicians, 110: 88-89.
74. Schwartz, A.L. and Hostetter, M.K. 2009. "Mentoring the physician-scientist: A developmental approach". In The Vanishing Physician-Scientist?, Edited by: Schafer, A.I. 179-192. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
75. Schwartz, A.L. 2011. Commentary: Physician-scientist attrition: Stemming the tide through national networks for training and development. Academic Medicine, 86: 1071-1072.
76. Senior, K. 1999. Are physician scientists close to extinction?. Molecular Medicine Today, 5: 192
77. Simon, I. (2011). MEDLines: Student Research Opportunities. http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/medicine/media/Standard_IS-14_-_Student_Research_Opportunities.pdf, (Accessed: 13 February 2012).
78. Simonton, D.K. 1997. Creative productivity: A predictive and explanatory model of career trajectories and landmarks. Psychological Review, 104: 66-89.
79. Sloan, A.W. 1978. William Harvey, physician and scientist. South African Medical Journal, 54: 247-252.
80. Smallwood, S. (2004). Doctor dropout: High attrition from Ph.D. programs is sucking away time, talent, and money and breaking some hearts, too. Chronicle of Higher Education (January 16). http://chronicle.com/article/Doctor-Dropout/33786, (Accessed: 13 February 2012).
81. Smith, S.C. 1997. The postdoc trap. University Affairs (Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada), 38: 16-17.
82. Stephan, P.E. and Levin, S.G. 1993. Age and the Nobel Prize revisited. Scientometrics, 28: 387-399.
83. Szabo, G. 2009. The "health" and future of the physician-scientist in hepatology. Hepatology, 49: 341-343.
84. Thomas, L. 1978. Notes of a biology-watcher: How to fix premedical curriculum. New England Journal of Medicine, 298: 1180-1182.
85. Vidyasagar, D. 2007. Integrating international medical graduates into the physician-scientist pool: Solution to the problem of decreasing physician-scientists in the United States. Journal of Investigative Medicine, 55: 406-409.
86. Wadman, M. (2011). NIH answers petitioners, defends grant review policy. http://blogs.nature.com/news/thegreatbeyond/2011/03/nih_defends_twostrikesandyoure.html, (Accessed: 13 February 2012).
87. Warren, J.R. and Marshall, B. 1983. Unidentified curved bacilli on gastric epithelium in active chronic gastritis. The Lancet, 321: 1273-1275.
88. Weber, L.W. 2002. Georgius Agricola (1494-1555): Scholar, physician, scientist, entrepreneur, diplomat. Toxicological Sciences, 69: 292-294.
89. Wells, P.G. 2007. Building a better pipeline: The case for undergraduates in gastrointestinal research. Gastroenterology, 133: 740-741.
90. Wesson, D.E. 2007. The Southern Society for Clinical Investigation contributes to the health of Academic Medical Centers. American Journal of Medical Science, 334: 1-3.
91. Wingfield, B.D. 2010. How long does it take to get a PhD?. South African Journal of Medicine, 106: 1
92. Wyngaarden, J.B. 1979. The clinical investigator as an endangered species. New England Journal of Medicine, 301: 1254-1259.
93. Wyngaarden, J.B. 1981. The clinical investigator as an endangered species. Bulletins of the New York Academy of Medicine, 57: 415-426.
94. Zemlo, T.R., Garrison, H.H., Partridge, N.C. and Ley, T.J. 2000. The physician-scientist: Career issues and challenges at the year 2000. FASEB Journal, 14: 221-230.