Scholarly activity training in pediatric pulmonology fellowship programs.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pulmonology
• Research Training

Background:

• Scholarly activity training is a mandatory component of pediatric pulmonology fellowship programs.
• Existing data on resources, barriers, and factors influencing fellow productivity in this training are lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the resources, barriers, and factors associated with scholarly activity productivity in US pediatric pulmonology fellowship programs.

Main Methods:

• A survey was distributed to US pediatric pulmonology fellowship program directors (FPDs) from March to October 2019.
• The primary outcome measured was fellow productivity, defined as >75% of fellows having a manuscript accepted in a peer-reviewed journal in the past 5 years.
• Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-squared tests, Fisher's exact tests, t-tests, and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests.

Main Results:

• Sixty-one percent of FPDs responded. Most fellows (79%) engaged in clinical, basic science, or translational research, but only 21% pursued research positions post-graduation.
• Lack of funding and competing clinical responsibilities were identified as barriers by 21% of respondents.
• Highly productive programs (39%) correlated with greater FPD satisfaction and higher publication rates; 52% of FPDs favored shortening training to two years for clinical or clinician-educator tracks.

Conclusions:

• Barriers in scholarly activity training jeopardize the pipeline of future academic pediatric pulmonologists and physician-investigators.
• Aligning fellow scholarly activity and clinical training with postgraduate career requirements is crucial for resource optimization and career development.