NIH funding for the pediatric surgeon-scientist: An analysis of current trends

Previous studies highlighted the success of pediatric surgeons in obtaining NIH funding. Given increasing clinical demands, we sought to analyze the current state of NIH funding for pediatric surgeon-scientists.

APSA membership in August 2023 was filtered for Regular/Associate members and referenced through NIH RePORTER. Data included history of prior/active NIH funding, award type/institute, and funding pathways. Demographics collected included level of professorship, post-graduate degrees, and gender. Academic productivity was assessed by PubMed publications. In addition, a survey was distributed to Regular/Associate APSA members.

1079 APSA Regular/Associate members were identified. Total (previous/current) funding: 149 (13.8 %) surgeons had previous/current NIH funding, 145 with complete funding information. There were 371 previous/current grants totaling $387,148,625. 31.7 % of funded surgeons held Chair/Chief positions, 77.9 % were male, and 84.1 % had M.D. degree only. 282 (76.0 %) grants were independent, and 42 (11.3 %) were mentored. 100 (69.0 %) funded surgeons obtained independent investigator awards, 33 (22.8 %) with and 67 (46.2 %) without prior training/mentored grants. Current funding: 52 (4.8 %) surgeons had current NIH funding, with 80 grants totaling $44,232,644. 73 (91.25 %) were independent while 7 (8.75 %) were mentored awards. Academic productivity: Assessment revealed 7197 total publications (range = 0-207, mean = 49.6). Survey: results highlighted perceived challenges and suggested improvements.

Compared to a 2013 study by King et al., the percent of funded APSA members has trended downward; however, the number of funded pediatric surgeon-scientists and dollar amount of active NIH funds has increased. Concentrated efforts are needed to support surgical trainees and junior faculty, particularly females, to pursue research and academic pediatric surgery.