Structured career pathways in academic primary care

Research in primary care has much to offer researchers and ultimately efforts to improve population health and health care. There is a need for capacity building and efforts to improve the science of research in this field. This article outlines a relatively structured career pathway for primary care researchers and offers advice on opportunities and commonly encountered pitfalls. It is largely based upon the authors' experiences and personal reflections as medically trained researchers but many of the implications and lessons are relevant to other clinical and research disciplines.