Supporting the Development of Physician-scientists
Article Sidebar
Published:
Apr 17, 2021
Keywords:
Research, Medical Education, Physician-scientist, Training
Main Article Content
Abstract
In the last decade, there has been a discrepancy between the increasing recognition for research involvement in medical training and the stagnation in the number physician-scientists. Health research funding cutbacks, inadequate mentorship, heavy schedules, and unfamiliarity with scientific methodology are obstacles that limit research interest amongst junior medical learners and cause attrition of promising physician-scientist in training. This article outlines five strategies to promote and facilitate the development of physician-scientists with the understanding that research is integral to clinical excellence. Some of the ways the undergraduate and postgraduate medical curricula can better lend themselves to producing clinicians with the skillset to address clinical uncertainties through an evidence-based approach are: partnerships between healthcare and academia, increasing admission to MD/PhD and Clinical Investigator programs, establishing fundamentals of scientific thinking, long-term research mentorship, facilitating knowledge translation.
Article Details
Section
Commentary
- Authors publishing in the UOJM retain copyright of their articles, including all the drafts and the final published version in the journal.
- While UOJM does not retain any rights to the articles submitted, by agreeing to publish in UOJM, authors are granting the journal right of first publication and distribution rights of their articles.
- Authors are free to submit their works to other publications, including journals, institutional repositories or books, with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in UOJM.
- Copies of UOJM are distributed both in print and online, and all materials will be publicly available online. The journal holds no legal responsibility as to how these materials will be used by the public.
- Please ensure that all authors, co-authors and investigators have read and agree to these terms.
- Works are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
1. Laidlaw A, Aiton J, Struthers J, Guild S. Developing research skills in medical students: AMEE Guide No. 69. Med Teach. 2012;34(9):e754-771.
2. Collier AC. Medical school hotline: importance of research in medical education. Hawaii J Med Public Health. 2012 Feb;71(2):53–6.
3. Frank JR, Danoff D. The CanMEDS initiative: implementing an outcomes-based framework of physician competencies. Med Teach. 2007 Sep;29(7):642–7.
4. Archer SL. The making of a physician-scientist—the process has a pattern: lessons from the lives sof Nobel laureates in medicine and physiology. European heart journal. 2007;28(4):510-4.
5. NIH RePORT - Physician Scientist Workforce Report 2014 [cited 2018 May 17]. Available from: https://report.nih.gov/Workforce/PSE/index.aspx.
6. Davila JR. The Physician-Scientist: Past Trends and Future Directions. Michigan Journal of Medicine. 2016;1(1).
7. Daniels RJ. A generation at risk: Young investigators and the future of the biomedical workforce. PNAS. 2015;112(2):313–8.
8. Webster PC. CIHR cutting MD/PhD training program. Canadian Medical Association Journal. 2015;187(12).
9. Sater L, Schwartz JS, Coupland S, Young M, Nguyen LHP. Nationwide study of publication misrepresentation in applicants to residency. Med Educ. 2015; 49: 601-11.
10. Eisen A, Eaton DC. A Model for Postdoctoral Education That Promotes Minority and Majority Success in the Biomedical Sciences. CBE Life Sci Educ. 2017;16(4). [cited 2020 Jul 11]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5749967/
11. Fernandez Nievas IF, Thaver D. Work–Life Balance: A Different Scale for Doctors. Front Pediatr 2015;3. [cited 2018 May 17]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4689844/.
12. Siemens DR, Punnen S, Wong J, Kanji N. A survey on the attitudes towards research in medical school. BMC Med Educ. 2010 Jan 22;10:4.
13. Bornstein SR, Licinio J. Improving the efficacy of translational medicine by optimally integrating health care, academia and industry. Nat Med. 2011;17(12):1567–9.
14. Groß M, Stauffacher M. Transdisciplinary Environmental Science: Problem-oriented Projects and Strategic Research Programs. Interdisciplinary Science Reviews. 2014;39(4):299–306.
15. Ebert RH. Flexner’s model and the future of medical education. Acad Med. 1992 Nov;67(11):737–42.
16. Relationship Between JHU & JHM [Internet]. JHU Board of Trustees. [cited 2020 Jul 11]. Available from: https://trustees.jhu.edu/relationship-between-jhu-jhm/
17. Cardiac Translational Research Laboratory [Internet]. University of Ottawa Heart Institute. [cited 2020 Jul 11]. Available from: https://www.ottawaheart.ca/research-team/cardiac-translational-research-laboratory
18. Skinnider MA, Squair JW, Twa DDW, Ji JX, Kuzyk A, Wang X, et al. Characteristics and outcomes of Canadian MD/PhD program graduates: a cross-sectional survey. CMAJ Open. 2017 Apr 25;5(2):E308–14.
19. Hayward CP, Danoff D, Kennedy M, Lee AC, Brzezina S, Bond U. Clinician investigator training in Canada: a review. Clin Invest Med. 2011 Aug 1;34(4):E192.
20. Solomon SS, Tom SC, Pichert J, Wasserman D, Powers AC. Impact of Medical Student Research in the Development of Physician-Scientists. Journal of Investigative Medicine. 2003;51(3):149–56.
21. Areephanthu CJ, Bole R, Stratton T, Kelly TH, Starnes CP, Sawaya BP. Impact of Professional Student Mentored Research Fellowship on Medical Education and Academic Medicine Career Path. Clin Transl Sci. 2015 Oct;8(5):479–83.
22. Research Guides: Scientific Discovery Path of Excellence - An Information Resource Starter Kit: Getting Started. Library Research Guides. [cited 2018 May 23] Available from: http://guides.lib.umich.edu/DiscoveryPoE.
23. RIM Mentorship. Dalhousie University. [cited 2020 Jul 11]. Available from: https://medicine.dal.ca/research-dal-med/Faculty-staff/benefits.html
24. Bornstein SR, Licinio J. Improving the efficacy of translational medicine by optimally integrating health care, academia and industry. Nat Med. 2011;17(12):1567–9.
25. Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Ottawa, ON: Knowledge translation in health care: Moving from evidence to practice. [cited 2018 April 27].Available from: http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/40618.html
2. Collier AC. Medical school hotline: importance of research in medical education. Hawaii J Med Public Health. 2012 Feb;71(2):53–6.
3. Frank JR, Danoff D. The CanMEDS initiative: implementing an outcomes-based framework of physician competencies. Med Teach. 2007 Sep;29(7):642–7.
4. Archer SL. The making of a physician-scientist—the process has a pattern: lessons from the lives sof Nobel laureates in medicine and physiology. European heart journal. 2007;28(4):510-4.
5. NIH RePORT - Physician Scientist Workforce Report 2014 [cited 2018 May 17]. Available from: https://report.nih.gov/Workforce/PSE/index.aspx.
6. Davila JR. The Physician-Scientist: Past Trends and Future Directions. Michigan Journal of Medicine. 2016;1(1).
7. Daniels RJ. A generation at risk: Young investigators and the future of the biomedical workforce. PNAS. 2015;112(2):313–8.
8. Webster PC. CIHR cutting MD/PhD training program. Canadian Medical Association Journal. 2015;187(12).
9. Sater L, Schwartz JS, Coupland S, Young M, Nguyen LHP. Nationwide study of publication misrepresentation in applicants to residency. Med Educ. 2015; 49: 601-11.
10. Eisen A, Eaton DC. A Model for Postdoctoral Education That Promotes Minority and Majority Success in the Biomedical Sciences. CBE Life Sci Educ. 2017;16(4). [cited 2020 Jul 11]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5749967/
11. Fernandez Nievas IF, Thaver D. Work–Life Balance: A Different Scale for Doctors. Front Pediatr 2015;3. [cited 2018 May 17]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4689844/.
12. Siemens DR, Punnen S, Wong J, Kanji N. A survey on the attitudes towards research in medical school. BMC Med Educ. 2010 Jan 22;10:4.
13. Bornstein SR, Licinio J. Improving the efficacy of translational medicine by optimally integrating health care, academia and industry. Nat Med. 2011;17(12):1567–9.
14. Groß M, Stauffacher M. Transdisciplinary Environmental Science: Problem-oriented Projects and Strategic Research Programs. Interdisciplinary Science Reviews. 2014;39(4):299–306.
15. Ebert RH. Flexner’s model and the future of medical education. Acad Med. 1992 Nov;67(11):737–42.
16. Relationship Between JHU & JHM [Internet]. JHU Board of Trustees. [cited 2020 Jul 11]. Available from: https://trustees.jhu.edu/relationship-between-jhu-jhm/
17. Cardiac Translational Research Laboratory [Internet]. University of Ottawa Heart Institute. [cited 2020 Jul 11]. Available from: https://www.ottawaheart.ca/research-team/cardiac-translational-research-laboratory
18. Skinnider MA, Squair JW, Twa DDW, Ji JX, Kuzyk A, Wang X, et al. Characteristics and outcomes of Canadian MD/PhD program graduates: a cross-sectional survey. CMAJ Open. 2017 Apr 25;5(2):E308–14.
19. Hayward CP, Danoff D, Kennedy M, Lee AC, Brzezina S, Bond U. Clinician investigator training in Canada: a review. Clin Invest Med. 2011 Aug 1;34(4):E192.
20. Solomon SS, Tom SC, Pichert J, Wasserman D, Powers AC. Impact of Medical Student Research in the Development of Physician-Scientists. Journal of Investigative Medicine. 2003;51(3):149–56.
21. Areephanthu CJ, Bole R, Stratton T, Kelly TH, Starnes CP, Sawaya BP. Impact of Professional Student Mentored Research Fellowship on Medical Education and Academic Medicine Career Path. Clin Transl Sci. 2015 Oct;8(5):479–83.
22. Research Guides: Scientific Discovery Path of Excellence - An Information Resource Starter Kit: Getting Started. Library Research Guides. [cited 2018 May 23] Available from: http://guides.lib.umich.edu/DiscoveryPoE.
23. RIM Mentorship. Dalhousie University. [cited 2020 Jul 11]. Available from: https://medicine.dal.ca/research-dal-med/Faculty-staff/benefits.html
24. Bornstein SR, Licinio J. Improving the efficacy of translational medicine by optimally integrating health care, academia and industry. Nat Med. 2011;17(12):1567–9.
25. Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Ottawa, ON: Knowledge translation in health care: Moving from evidence to practice. [cited 2018 April 27].Available from: http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/40618.html