Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Epidemiology

Health Equity/Social Determinants of Health

Health Services Research

Medical Education

Public Health

Trainee

The Pediatric Match: Red Herring or Canary in the Coal Mine? A Data-informed Discussion of the State of the US Pediatrician Workforce

Chair(s)

• 

  Laurel Leslie, MD MPH (she/her/hers)

  Vice President, Research
  American Board of Pediatrics
  Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States

Recent scientific and lay publications have questioned the future of the US pediatrician workforce, highlighting the closure of pediatric hospital beds, salary disparities between pediatric and adult clinicians, and pediatric residency and fellowship match rates in 2024. Yet, from 2013 to 2023, the number of first-year residents in categorical pediatric training programs increased by 10% and first-year pediatric subspecialty fellows increased by 26%. Over that same period, the number of children in the US remained stable, but with notable geographic change and increasing diversity. The last decades have also witnessed substantive improvements in child health, resulting from advances in technology, diagnostic testing, precision medicine, therapeutic interventions, and recognition of the social drivers of health. In a time of great promise for pediatric care, what can available data tell us about its chief caretakers- the general and subspecialty pediatrician workforce?

This session will examine the current and future trajectory of the pediatrician workforce, leveraging available datasets and expert insights. Presenters will share data from the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Intealth, the US Census Bureau, and other sources to examine current numbers, diversity, trends over time, and future projections regarding the pediatric primary care and subspecialty workforce. Recommendations will be shared by leaders from national organizations regarding proactive strategies to address the evolving health needs of US children.

Presentations:

• 1:00pm – 1:05pm HST

  Introduction
  

  Speaker: Laurel K. Leslie, MD MPH (she/her/hers) – American Board of Pediatrics
• 1:05pm – 1:17pm HST

  What Do We Know About Entry into Pediatric Residency and Subspecialty Fellowship Training?
  

  Speaker: Robert JJ Vinci, MD (he/him/his) – Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine
• 1:17pm – 1:29pm HST

  What Do We Know About the US Child Population?
  

  Speaker: Lynn Olson, PhD – American Academy of Pediatrics
• 1:29pm – 1:41pm HST

  What Do We know About Current Trainees and General Pediatricians?
  

  Speaker: Adam Turner, MPH, PMP – The American Board of Pediatrics
• 1:41pm – 1:53pm HST

  What Do We Know About the Subspecialty Pediatrician Workforce?
  

  Speaker: Colin J. Orr, MD, MPH (he/him/his) – Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt
• 1:53pm – 2:05pm HST

  What Do We Know About International Medical Graduates and the Pediatrician Workforce?
  

  Speaker: Lyuba Konopasek, MD (she/her/hers) – Intealth
• 2:05pm – 2:10pm HST

  Using Data to Inform Proactive Strategies to Address the Evolving Health Needs of US Children
  

  Speaker: Laurel K. Leslie, MD MPH (she/her/hers) – American Board of Pediatrics
• 2:10pm – 2:30pm HST

  Q & A