The Association of Professors of Medicine (APM) began the APM Physician-Scientist Initiative to identify, develop, and implement substantive and practical solutions that will ensure the survival, growth, and diversity of the physician-scientist workforce. Today, the initiative has evolved into the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine (AAIM) Physician-Scientist Initiative.
The initiative is planned in linked phases. Phase I of the initiative focused on evaluating the physician-scientist problem and creating a set of recommendations for growing, revitalizing, and diversifying the physician-scientist workforce. This goal was achieved through a series of surveys and focus groups, which in turn informed the agenda for the APM Physician-Scientist Consensus Conference, "Revitalization of the Nation's Physician-Scientist Workforce," in November 2007.
In May 2007, APM released the report "Recommendations for Revitalizing the Nation’s Physician-Scientist Workforce," a product of the first phase of the APM Physician-Scientist Initiative. The report outlines four major recommendations that aim to address the shrinking and aging physician-scientist workforce as well as the varying expectations of current physicians-in-training. If implemented, the recommendations would support efforts to ensure the future robustness of medical researchers and medical care.
Under the leadership of AAIM Physician-Scientist Initiative Principal Investigator Andrew I. Schafer, MD, AAIM is currently planning Phase II of the initiative to encourage medical schools, teaching hospitals, universities, and federal and private organizations that fund research to implement the recommendations. In October 2008, APM and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) hosted the AAMC-APM Forum, "The Physician-Scientist Workforce: A Workshop for Clinical Faculty Leaders," which assembled approximately 50 leaders of the academic, medical, and research communities to address the issues surrounding the development, nurturing, and sustenance of physician-scientists.
Next steps for Phase II will continue to address issues surrounding institutional changes to support physician-scientists as well as changes at the departmental level.