Physician-Scientist Research and Medical Education (PRIME) Program

Cultivating a physician-scientist workforce capable of meeting the growing needs of the US population is critical. In fact, the United States Congress has formally asked the NIH to recognize the vital importance of training physician-scientists. Nevertheless, our understanding of evidence-based interventions to promote the development of a biomedical research workforce that is innovative, impactful, and involves robust participation is limited. In order to meaningfully advance the science of training of clinician-investigators, the Physician-Scientist Research and Medical Education (PRIME) program will address this knowledge gap. First, through an innovative positive- deviance study design, we will identify evidence-based interventions to increase the number of trainees pursuing a career as a physician-scientist. Second, we will identify strategies to promote and sustain physician-scientist professional identity formation among trainees. Third, we will identify interventions to foster the success of faculty in academic medical centers, which receive over two-thirds of all NIH funding. The proposed research program will comprehensively and systematically investigate interventions to enhance the participation of physician-scientists across the entire career span from trainees to NIH-funded faculty.