The Association of American Medical Colleges released a new report on the careers of physician-scientists. The study analyzes the careers of MD-PhD dual-degree program graduates between 1964 and 2014.
Here are five observations.
1. Of survey respondents, about 80 percent reported following career paths aligned with the goals of their training. This may include positions as full-time faculty or jobs working for the National Institutes of Health, research institutes or industry and federal agencies.
2. The report found more than 75 percent of respondents conduct research. Most of these physicians possess research grants.
3. More than half of the respondents said they spend at least half their time conducting research, and about 23 percent commit the majority of their time to clinical work.
4. The current number of MD-PhD program graduates annually will not meet the anticipated demand for physician-scientists, estimated by the NIH Physician-Scientist Workforce Working Group.
5. Find a list of 35 spine surgeons holding PhDs, here.
"Physician-scientists play an essential role in academic medicine through innovative research and discovery and by linking that new knowledge to clinical applications that can improve patient care and the health of our nation," said Darrell G. Kirch, MD, AAMC president and CEO.