Impact of the Grosfeld Career Development Award on the Academic Success of Pediatric Surgeon-Scientists

Research conducted by surgeon-scientists is critical to advancing surgical care. Pediatric surgeons who engage in basic science and clinical research are needed to discover novel therapies, pioneer evidence-based treatments, and enrich the understanding of pediatric disease processes. However, supporting the next generation of pediatric surgeon-scientists has proven challenging. Along with clinical and administrative responsibilities, the competitive funding environment is a significant burden for surgeon-scientists, as the number of National Institutes of Health (NIH) career development awards for all surgeon-scientists has decreased over time, and the success rate for NIH research project grants (including D-,P-,U-, and R-series NIH grants), with surgeons as principal investigators in 2018 was only 16.4%, which was significantly lower than the mean NIH funding rate of 19.2% [1].