A longitudinal study of research productivity in McGill University's MD-PhD and Clinician Investigator Program...

Canadian MD-PhD and Clinician Investigator Program (CIP) pathways both train physician-scientists, yet longitudinal data on graduate research productivity are limited.

We conducted a longitudinal study of McGill University MD-PhD and CIP graduates who completed these programs between 2000 and 2017, using sex- and year-matched MD-only graduates as controls. Outcomes were collected for publications indexed through to December 31, 2022, and included H-index, total publications, total citations, per-paper journal impact factor, per-paper citations, and authorship position (first, second, senior). Productivity was assessed across four time periods: (1) pre-medical/medical training, (2) residency, (3) post-residency/fellowship, and (4) independent practice.

Among 549 graduates (MD-PhD = 31; CIP = 97; MD-only = 421), research productivity, research impact, and active research involvement (defined as ≥3 first- or senior-author papers in the prior 5 years) were similar between MD-PhD and CIP graduates; both exceeded MD-only graduates across all metrics. Within-group sex differences were not significant. MD-PhD graduates were more productive during pre-medical/medical training, whereas CIP graduates were comparatively more productive during residency. Sustained productivity in independent practice correlated with research engagement during medical school, residency, and fellowship. In both programs, graduates with active research involvement had higher authorship counts in the 10 years immediately following graduation from medical school.

Research productivity and impact were comparable between MD-PhD and CIP graduates, and both groups exceeded MD-only peers across measured research metrics. Across both programs, graduates with active research involvement had higher early-career authorship counts, particularly during residency and post-residency/fellowship time periods. These findings provide descriptive benchmarking data for future studies of physician-scientist training pathways in Canada.