The recent NIH Physician Scientist Workforce Working Group Report has indicated that the current physician and dental investigator pool is aging and stagnating, and that there is an adverse environment for new clinical investigators. In order to addresss these concerns, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is taking steps to estalish a healthy culture for clinician scientists. To support and enhance the training of UAB Clinician Scientists as they develop their careers as future leaders of academic medicine, the UAB Heersink School of Medicine (SOM) has established the Physician Scientist Development Office (PSDO).

In addition to providing direction for programs that develop future physician scientists (K-12, undergraduate, MD summer research programs, and MD-PhD programs) a new comprehensive UAB Physician Scientist Training Program is being instituted to provide career development seminars and workshops for any research-focused MD, DMD, MD-PhD, or DMD-PhD resident, fellow, or junior faculty in all clinical deparmtents of the Heersink SOM or School of Dentistry. The office will help trainees to develop their research portfolios, establish mentoring teams, obtain independent external grant funding, and develop into future leaders of our academic medical centers and will synergize with the available seminars offered by the UAB CCTS. The office will also help with oversight of these trainees to monitor progress through their established career development plans and milestones.

Contact

Please contact us with any questions or suggestions as we work together to support clincial scientist and physician scientists at UAB.

William Geisler, MD, MPH
Assistant Dean, Physician Scientist Development
wgeisler@uabmc.edu

Randy L. Seay, MA, MPA, MPH
Associate Director of Physician Scientist Development
physci@uab.edu