The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Nov. 19 released a Request for Information (RFI) entitled, “Strategies to Enhance Diversity in the Physician-Scientist Workforce.”
In 2013, the NIH Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) convened the Physician-Scientist Workforce Working Group (PSW-WG), charged with analyzing the composition and size of the physician-scientist biomedical workforce defined as individuals with M.D., D.O., D.D.S./D.M.D., D.V.M./V.M.D., degrees, and nurses with research doctoral degrees who devote the majority of their time to biomedical research. The group additionally recommended actions that should be taken to sustain and strengthen the workforce.
The PSW-WG produced a report in June 2014 that contained nine recommendations for action. Specifically, one recommendation states that “NIH should intensify its efforts to increase diversity in the physician-scientist workforce. This Working Group recognized major deficiencies of the physician-scientist workforce with regard to diversity."
NIH is seeking both qualitative and quantitative information on the unique trajectories, potential systematic or structural barriers, and successful strategies to enhance the diversity of the physician-scientist workforce. Comments are due by Dec. 28 and can be submitted through the RFI submission website.