Early career academic productivity among emergency physicians with R01 grant funding

The objective was to describe the early academic career activities of emergency physician (EP) scientists with recent Research Project Grant Program (R01) grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The curricula vitae of all EP scientists in the United States currently funded by the NIH were analyzed for evidence of advanced research training and frequency and type of publication and grant writing. Each investigator was surveyed for demographic features and estimation of protected time during their early career development.

Eighteen investigators were identified. The median length of time from completion of residency to receipt of their first R01 grant was 11 years (interquartile range [IQR] = 11 to 15 years), and the median age of investigators at the time of this award was 43 years (IQR = 39 to 47 years). At the time of their award, researchers were publishing five peer-reviewed manuscripts a year (IQR = 1 to 8 manuscripts) and had already received considerable external funding. Ninety-four percent of those studied had pursued a research fellowship, an advanced degree, or an NIH K-award following residency.

For EPs, receipt of an R01 from the NIH requires more than a decade of work following the completion of training. This period is characterized by pursuit of advanced research training, active and accelerating publication and collaboration, and acquisition of smaller extramural grants.