Practical Advice on Surviving and Thriving as an Academic Physician-Neuroscientist

Training programs combining MD and PhD degrees provide critical instruction in disease mechanisms, gaps in treatment, and rigorous scientific methodology. Physicians with both MDs and PhDs provide a vital and unique service to society through biomedical research and tend to achieve greater academic rank and grant funding.¹ Within MD-PhD programs, 75% to 90% of matriculants graduate with both degrees.¹ Greater attrition occurs after residency and fellowship training, with only approximately 60% of MD-PhD graduates becoming medical school faculty members per the Association of American Medical College National MD-PhD Program Outcomes Study (2018).² Of those remaining engaged in research, approximately 50% to 60% conduct basic or translational research. The pronounced decline in the percentage of women, across medical specialties, with each subsequent promotion after training suggests professional hurdles may affect women physician-scientists disproportionately.³ What can individuals and academic and government institutions do to retain and promote junior physician-scientists in academic neurology?