Our History
Where we started
Four decades ago, a task force identified a growing crisis in pediatric science. What followed became one of academic medicine's most enduring training programs.
The Beginning
AMSPDC Task Force, 1984–1986
In response to a growing concern on the part of its membership, The Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs Inc. (AMSPDC) established a task force in early 1984 to examine the perceived shortage of trained pediatric scientists. The number of physicians receiving postdoctoral research training was diminishing.
Even more ominous was the decline in the number of young academic physicians, trained in research, who received an NIH Individual Research Grant (R01) and were qualified for positions in academic pediatric departments.
The task force undertook an in-depth study of the reasons contributing to the lack of physician investigators who were competent in basic research after completion of pediatric residency and fellowship training. While the task force recognized that no single explanation sufficed, it identified postdoctoral research training as a critical period of career development for academic scientists in pediatrics.
Program Milestones
Four decades of building pediatric science
AMSPDC task force established
AMSPDC convened a task force to investigate a perceived shortage of trained pediatric scientists and the declining number of physicians entering postdoctoral research training.
In-depth study of the research pipeline
The task force conducted a comprehensive analysis identifying postdoctoral research training as the critical period of career development for academic pediatric scientists — a finding that would shape the PSDP's structure.
The PSDP is born
Drawing directly on the task force findings, AMSPDC launched the Pediatric Scientist Development Program, offering three years of protected research time and mentorship to fellows committed to academic pediatrics.
NIH K12 designation secured
The PSDP received and has maintained its NIH K12 award designation, cementing its role as a federally recognized physician-scientist training program in pediatrics.
A legacy of over 40 years
With 81% of graduates in academic pediatrics, 53% holding NIH funding, and over $1.28 billion in alumni NIH funding secured, the PSDP stands as one of the most successful physician-scientist development programs in the country.
Why it Mattered
The crisis the task force identified
Declining research training
The number of physicians receiving postdoctoral research training was falling at a time when medicine's scientific complexity was growing rapidly.
Fewer R01 recipients
Young academic physicians trained in research who could compete for and receive an NIH Individual Research Grant (R01) were becoming increasingly rare in pediatrics.
Academic departments at risk
The shrinking pipeline of research-trained pediatricians threatened the scientific vitality of academic pediatric departments across the country.
A singular intervention point
The task force identified postdoctoral research training as the critical leverage point — the moment where targeted investment could reverse the trajectory for an entire generation of pediatrician-scientists.
Continue the legacy
The same mission that launched the PSDP in 1984 drives it today. If you are committed to a career in academic pediatrics, we want to hear from you.
Submit eligibility form Learn about the programAMSPDC TASK FORCE 1984-1986
In response to a growing concern on the part of its membership, The Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs Inc. (AMSPDC) established a task force in early 1984 to examine the perceived shortage of trained pediatric scientists. The number of physicians receiving postdoctoral research training was diminishing. Even more ominous was the decline in the number of young academic physicians, trained in research, who received an NIH Individual Research Grant (R01) and were qualified for positions in academic pediatric departments.
The task force undertook an in-depth study of the reasons contributing to the lack of physician investigators who were competent in basic research after completion of pediatric residency and fellowship training. While the task force recognized that no single explanation sufficed, it identified postdoctoral research training as a critical period of career development for academic scientists in pediatrics.