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.
Agenda
Additional speakers to be announced
8:30 am | Registration and Networking Breakfast
9:00 am | Welcome and Opening Remarks
- Victor Dzau, NAM
- Jennifer Kwan, AJIA
9:10 am | First Keynote
- To be announced
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
- David Ginsburg, University of Michigan
- Mukesh Jain, Brown University
- Louis Muglia, BWF
- Sam Gill, Doris Duke
- Ivy Ng, Singapore Health System
11:30 am | Break
11:45 am | 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
- Vivian Cheung, Brown University
- Anna Greka, Broad Institute
- Robert Califf, Duke University
12:45 pm | Lunch
1:05 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
- PJ Utz, Stanford
- Say Beng Tan, Singapore NMRC
- Michelle Le Beau, Cancer Prevention Initiative of Texas
2:05 pm | Breakout Sessions: Designing Innovative Solutions
Opening Remarks
- Evan Noch, University of Texas Southwestern
- Kyu Rhee, Cornell University
Breakout Topics & Discussion Leads
- Policy communication
- Yvette Seger, FASEB
- Innovative funding mechanisms
- To be announced
- Redefining success and impact
- Olivier Elemento, Weill Cornell
- Retaining the pipeline
- Brendan Lee, Baylor
- Novel paradigms for training
- Linda Demer, UCLA
4:00 pm | Report-Out and Group Discussion
- Jennifer Kwan, AJIA
- Evan Noch, UT Southwestern
5:00 pm | Closing Reflections & Call to Action
- Victor Dzau, NAM
- Jennifer Kwan, AJIA
5:30 pm | Informal Networking Reception
6:00 pm | Adjourn
