A Joint Workshop from the American Junior Investigator Association (AJIA) and the National Academy of Medicine (NAM)
Physician-scientists are essential to bridging bench research and patient care. However, these unique professionals face mounting challenges, including unstable funding, prolonged training timelines, limited institutional support, and competing clinical and research demands that threaten the viability of this critical career path. This workshop will convene leaders from academia, government, industry, philanthropy, and health systems to confront long-standing structural challenges and explore bold, innovative models for sustaining physician-scientist careers. Through retrospective analysis, forward-looking panels, and solution-driven breakout sessions, participants will co-develop actionable strategies to support and retain this critical segment of the biomedical workforce.
This workshop is co-sponsored by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and the Lasker Foundation.
**Virtual participation is available from 9:00 am until 2:30 pm. In-person registration has closed.**
Agenda
8:30 am | Registration and Networking Breakfast
9:00 am | Welcome and Opening Remarks
- Victor Dzau, NAM
- Jennifer Kwan, Yale University
9:10 am | First Keynote
- Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health
9:40 am | Second Keynote
- Bob Lefkowitz, Duke University
10:10 am | Panel 1: Lessons from Past Efforts
This opening panel will provide a retrospective look at national efforts to support physician-scientists, offering a candid assessment of what has and hasn’t worked. This “postmortem” sets the stage for bold new thinking grounded in lessons learned.
- Moderator: Juanita Merchant, University of Arizona
- Sam Gill, Doris Duke
- David Ginsburg, University of Michigan
- Mukesh Jain, Brown University
- Louis Muglia, BWF
- Ivy Ng, Singapore Health System
11:30 am | Lunch
12:00 pm | Panel 2: Physician-Scientists in an Evolving World of Science & Technology
This panel will explore the evolving identity of physician-scientists and their critical role in accelerating the translation of discovery into improved health outcomes, with a focus on integrating digital health and entrepreneurial models, advancing team science, and strengthening training pathways.
- Moderator: Joseph Wu, Stanford University
- Robert Califf, Duke University
- Vivian Cheung, Brown University
- Elena Fuentes-Afflick, Association of American Medical Colleges
- Anna Greka, Broad Institute
- Kenneth Mandl, Boston Children’s Hospital
1:15 pm | Panel 3: Bold Models for Sustainable Support
This panel will highlight innovative domestic and global models for sustaining physician-scientist careers, examining state-driven initiatives, mission-oriented and public-private funding strategies, the role of philanthropy and venture capital, and emerging synergies between health systems and universities.
- Moderator: To be announced
- Say Beng Tan, Singapore NMRC
- Carole Jabet, Fonds de recherche du Québec
- Michelle Le Beau, Cancer Prevention Initiative of Texas
- PJ Utz, Stanford
**Virtual participation ends at 2:30 pm**
2:30 pm | Break
2:45 pm | Breakout Sessions: Designing Innovative Solutions
Framing of Breakout Sessions
- Evan Noch, University of Texas Southwestern
Opening Remarks
- Kyu Rhee, Cornell University
Facilitated Small-Group Discussions and Leaders
- Policy and communication
- Yvette Seger, FASEB
- Mary Woolley, Research!America
- Innovative funding mechanisms
- Ruben Flores-Saaib, Ligand
- Redefining success and impact
- Olivier Elemento, Weill Cornell
- Retaining the pipeline
- Brendan Lee, Baylor
- Novel paradigms for training
- Linda Demer, UCLA
4:15 pm | Report-Out and Group Discussion
- Jennifer Kwan, AJIA
- Evan Noch, UT Southwestern
5:00 pm | Closing Reflections & Call to Action
- Victor Dzau
- Jennifer Kwan
5:30 pm | Informal Networking Reception
6:00 pm | Adjourn
