ArticleBMC medical education2017
The first nationwide survey of MD-PhDs in the social sciences and humanities: training patterns and career choices.
Article in BMC medical education, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed.
- Training the Next Generation of Clinician Scholars in Psychiatry: Understanding Residents' Interests, Experiences, and Needs.Academic psychiatry : the journal of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training and the Association for Academic Psychiatry · 2026Article
- Comparing MD-PhD trainee experiences by disciplinary background.JCI insight · 2026Article
- Mentorship needs and satisfaction of MD-PhD and MD-MSc trainees with marginalized identities: the Canadian experience.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- Training Future Physician-Scientists in Social Sciences and Humanities.Journal of general internal medicine · 2025Article
- Bridging Medicine and Society-A Call to Expand the Pipeline of Physician-Social Scientists.JAMA · 2025Article
- The necessity of examining patients' social behavior and teaching behavior change theories: curricular innovations induced by the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC medical education · 2021Review
- Success and the next generation of physician-scientists.Journal of clinical and translational science · 2020Article
- Millennials in Medicine: Cross-Trained Physicians Not Valued in Medical Marketplace.Federal practitioner : for the health care professionals of the VA, DoD, and PHS · 2019Article
- Diversity and the next-generation physician-scientist.Journal of clinical and translational science · 2019Article
- The clinician-scientist track: an approach addressing Australia's need for a pathway to train its future clinical academic workforce.BMC medical education · 2018Article
- Breaking Down Barriers to Pharmacy Graduate Education: The Report of the 2017-2018 Research and Graduate Affairs Committee.American journal of pharmaceutical education · 2018Article
- Student Perceptions of M.D.-Ph.D. Programs: A Qualitative Identification of Barriers Facing Prospective M.D.-Ph.D. Applicants.Teaching and learning in medicineArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWhile several articles on MD-PhD trainees in the basic sciences have been published in the past several years, very little research exists on physician-investigators in the social sciences and humanities. However, the numbers of MD-PhDs training in these fields and the number of programs offering training in these fields are increasing, particularly within the US. In addition, accountability for the public funding for MD-PhD programs requires knowledge about this growing population of trainees and their career trajectories. The aim of this paper is to describe the first cohorts of MD-PhDs in the social sciences and humanities, to characterize their training and career paths, and to better understand their experiences of training and subsequent research and practice.
methodsThis paper utilizes a multi-pronged recruitment method and novel survey instrument to examine an understudied population of MD-PhD trainees in the social sciences and humanities, many of whom completed both degrees without formal programmatic support. The survey instrument was designed to collect demographic, training and career trajectory data, as well as experiences of and perspectives on training and career. It describes their routes to professional development, characterizes obstacles to and predictors of success, and explores career trends.
resultsThe average length of time to complete both degrees was 9 years. The vast majority (90%) completed a clinical residency, almost all (98%) were engaged in research, the vast majority (88%) were employed in academic institutions, and several others (9%) held leadership positions in national and international health organizations. Very few (4%) went into private practice. The survey responses supply recommendations for supporting current trainees as well as areas for future research.
conclusionsIn general, MD-PhDs in the social sciences and humanities have careers that fit the goals of agencies providing public funding for training physician-investigators: they are involved in mutually-informative medical research, clinical practice, and teaching - working to improve our responses to the social, cultural, and political determinants of health and health care. These findings provide strong evidence for continued and improved funding and programmatic support for MD-PhD trainees in the social sciences and humanities.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.