The pediatric surgeon-scientist: An evolving breed or endangered phenotype?

Area of Science:

• Surgical Research
• Pediatric Surgery
• Grant Funding

Background:

• National Institute of Health (NIH) funding is a benchmark for scientific achievement.
• Examining trends in NIH funding for pediatric surgeons provides insight into research support within the specialty.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze trends in NIH funding for pediatric surgeons between 2012 and 2022.
• To compare demographics, time-to-award, and funding characteristics of NIH-funded pediatric surgeons over a decade.

Main Methods:

• Data queried from the NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools (RePORT) for American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) members.
• Compared demographics, time-to-award (TTA), grant types, funding amounts, and research areas between 2012 and 2022.
• Analyzed awardee demographics (gender, race) and funding distribution.

Main Results:

• The proportion of NIH-funded pediatric surgeons decreased from 4.6% in 2012 to 2.9% in 2022.
• R01 grants remained the most common award type, and awards were predominantly for basic science research.
• While median grant amounts increased, awardees were predominantly male and White, with notable funding disparities for non-White surgeons.

Conclusions:

• The landscape of NIH-funded pediatric surgeons shows little change over the decade studied.
• A high proportion of repeat awardees and a long median time-to-award suggest challenges for early-career pediatric surgeon-scientists.
• The findings indicate potential academic endangerment for new pediatric surgeon-scientists seeking research funding.