Abstract
This cross-sectional study uses the Association of American Medical Colleges 2022 National Sample Survey of Physicians to offer a more complete understanding of the prevalence and characteristics of research-engaged physicians in the US.
Introduction
There is an incomplete understanding of the prevalence and characteristics of research-engaged physicians in the US.1 Most studies focus narrowly on physician-scientists, often defined as National Institutes of Health–funded physicians or physicians for whom research is their primary professional activity,1,2 capturing an essential, but incomplete, segment of this population. Using the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) 2022 National Sample Survey of Physicians (NSSP), this study offers a more complete understanding of the prevalence and characteristics of research-engaged physicians.
Methods
This cross-sectional study uses data from the 2022 NSSP, the second iteration of a national survey of practicing physicians in the US. The 2022 NSSP followed the University of Michigan Population Dynamics and Health Program strategy to recruit a sample of 5917 US-based physicians.3 Analytical weights based on American Medical Association data are applied to ensure results are nationally representative based on age group, specialty group, and gender (eTable in Supplement 1).
Respondents self-reported the percentage of their working time spent on research activities in a typical week; respondents who reported any time spent on research were considered research engaged. This study was reviewed by the AAMC institutional review board and received exemption because it does not constitute as human subjects research, as defined in 45 CFR 46. This project is a secondary analysis of deidentified data. This study followed the STROBE reporting guideline.
Results
Physicians reporting research engagement were demographically reflective of the overall physician workforce. Among the analytical sample of 897 research-engaged physicians (Table 1), only 7.4% (95% CI, 5.0%-10.9%) were part of a racial or ethnic group considered underrepresented in medicine, whereas 62.2% (95% CI, 56.7%-67.4%) were White only, and 28.2% (95% CI, 23.4%-33.6%) were Asian only. Most research-engaged physicians (66.5%; 95% CI, 61.1%-71.4%) were cisgender men, whereas 33.4% (95% CI, 28.4%-38.7%) were cisgender women, and less than 1% identified as another gender (0.01%; 95% CI, 0.00%-0.04%). In this study, 14% (95% CI, 12.6%-15.5%) of all physicians self-reported research engagement (Table 2). However, most research-engaged physicians (83.6%; 95% CI, 79.2%-87.2%) dedicated 10% or less of their weekly hours to research, whereas 12.8% (95% CI, 9.6%-16.8%) spent between 11% and 50% of their time on research. Only 3.6% (95% CI, 2.1%-6.2%) spent more than half of their time on research, representing 0.5% (95% CI, 0.3%-0.9%) of all physicians.
Table 1. Sociodemographic Characteristics of Physicians Engaged in Research in the US.
| Sociodemographic characteristic | No. (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Research-engaged physicians (n = 897) | All physicians (n = 5917) | |
| Race and ethnicity | ||
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 1 (0.0) | 11 (0.1) |
| Asian | 244 (28.2) | 1416 (25.4) |
| Black or African American | 27 (2.3) | 145 (2.2) |
| Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin | 28 (3.0) | 185 (2.5) |
| Multiple races | 24 (2.2) | 123 (2.3) |
| Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander | 0 | 13 (0.2) |
| Other | 22 (1.9) | 125 (2.1) |
| White | 524 (62.2) | 3744 (64.8) |
| Not reported | 27 (0.0) | 155 (0.3) |
| Aggregated race and ethnicity | ||
| Underrepresented in medicinea | 80 (7.4) | 477 (7.3) |
| Gender identity | ||
| Male | 668 (66.5) | 4084 (62.6) |
| Female | 223 (33.4) | 1792 (37.1) |
| Transgender, genderqueer, or other | 1 (0.2) | 7 (0.2) |
| Not reported | 5 (0.0) | 34 (0.1) |
| Sexual orientation | ||
| Straight or heterosexual | 856 (96.4) | 5596 (95.1) |
| Lesbian, gay, bisexual, asexual, or other | 32 (2.3) | 224 (3.2) |
| Not reported | 9 (1.2) | 97 (1.8) |
| Mean age (95% CI), y | 53.2 (52.0-54.4) | 53.9 (53.7-54.0) |
| Disability status | ||
| No disability | 838 (94) | 5566 (94.4) |
| Disability | 31 (3.7) | 195 (2.8) |
| Do not know | 26 (2.1) | 146 (2.5) |
| Not reported | 2 (0.2) | 10 (0.3) |
| Citizenship | ||
| Citizen | 844 (93.9) | 5699 (95.6) |
| Not a citizen | 49 (4.8) | 162 (2.6) |
| Not reported | 4 (1.3) | 56 (1.8) |
All demographic characteristics were self-reported by respondents.
Includes Hispanic, Latino, or of Spanish origin; American Indian or Alaska Native; Black or African American; or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander alone or in combination with any other race and ethnicity.
Table 2. Professional Characteristics of Physicians Engaged in Research in the US.
| Professional characteristic | No. (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Research-engaged physicians (n = 897) | All physicians (n = 5917) | |
| Engaged in research | 897 (100.0) | 897 (14.0) |
| Mean time typically worked each week, h | 49.1 (47.2-51.1) | 45.1 (44.4-45.8) |
| Time spent on research, % | ||
| 0 | 0 | 5013 (85.9) |
| 1-10 | 727 (83.6) | 727 (11.7) |
| 11-50 | 141 (12.8) | 141 (1.8) |
| 51-100 | 29 (3.6) | 29 (0.5) |
| Types of research | ||
| Clinical | 726 (83.6) | 726 (11.7) |
| Basic science | 73 (6.7) | 73 (0.9) |
| Translational | 138 (14.5) | 138 (2.0) |
| Health services | 152 (16.7) | 152 (2.3) |
| Community-based | 76 (8.1) | 76 (1.1) |
| Educational | 190 (20.7) | 190 (2.9) |
| Engaged in multiple types of research | 329 (34.5) | 329 (4.8) |
| Degree type | ||
| MD | 718 (70.5) | 4710 (73) |
| DO | 52 (4.0) | 566 (8.1) |
| Not reported | 127 (25.4) | 641 (19) |
| Earned a PhD | ||
| Yes | 84 (9.2) | 240 (4.2) |
| No | 813 (90.8) | 5677 (95.8) |
| Not reported | 0 | 0 |
| Affiliated with an academic health center | ||
| Yes | 588 (61.8) | 2203 (36.1) |
| No | 299 (37.6) | 3662 (63.0) |
| Not reported | 10 (0.6) | 52 (0.9) |
| Faculty rank (among academically affiliated) | ||
| Not faculty | 89 (10.0) | 3848 (26.4) |
| Instructor | 49 (4.1) | 308 (9.2) |
| Other | 6 (0.8) | 97 (2.0) |
| Assistant professor | 171 (25.8) | 834 (26.9) |
| Associate professor | 147 (32.2) | 550 (22.5) |
| Professor | 123 (27.1) | 247 (12.2) |
| Not reported | 3 (0.0) | 33 (0.8) |
| Specialty group | ||
| Primary care | 141 (14.6) | 1903 (30.9) |
| Medical specialties | 327 (32.9) | 1233 (17.5) |
| Surgery | 213 (22.2) | 1143 (18.2) |
| Other | 216 (30.4) | 1638 (33.4) |
| Not reported | 0 | 0 |
Only 9.2% (95% CI, 6.5%-12.8%) of research-engaged physicians had a PhD; 37.6% (95% CI, 32.3%-43.2%) were not academically affiliated, whereas 61.8% (95% CI, 56.2%-67.1%) were. Among academically affiliated research-engaged physicians, 25.8% (95% CI, 19.9%-32.7%) were assistant professors, 32.2% (95% CI, 26.0%-39.2%) associate professors, and 27.1% (95% CI, 21.5%-33.4%) full professors. The rest were instructors, not faculty, or had another role. Research-engaged physicians worked across all specialty types, including one-third in medical specialties (32.9%; 95% CI, 28.5%-37.5%) and 22.2% (95% CI, 18.2%-26.7%) in surgical specialties. The most common type of research reported was clinical (83.6%; 95% CI, 79.0%-87.3%); basic science research was least common (6.7%; 95% CI, 4.5%-10.1%). One-third (34.5%; 95% CI, 29.3%-40.0%) of research-engaged physicians reported engagement in multiple types of research.
Discussion
The population of research-engaged physicians is characterized by the same racial and ethnic and gender disparities as the overall workforce.4,5 Although a limitation of self-reported data is that we cannot confirm that what respondents consider research activities falls within widely accepted definitions of research, these results provide a more complete estimate of the current prevalence of physician research engagement than previously available. Although results suggest a much larger share of physicians are engaged in research than the estimated 1% to 2% who are physician scientists,1,4 most research-engaged physicians spend less than 10% of their time on research, and a similarly small proportion (0.5%-1%) of our respondents might be considered physician-scientists based on the percentage of time spent on research. These cross-sectional study findings provide a benchmark estimate for future studies and present evidence that physicians across medical specialties and work settings—including physicians in community-based settings—are actively engaged in a diverse array of research.
eTable. Survey Question Text and Response Options
Data Sharing Statement
References
- 1.Garrison HH, Ley TJ. Physician-scientists in the United States at 2020: trends and concerns. FASEB J. 2022;36(5):e22253. doi: 10.1096/fj.202200327 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 2.Andriole DA, Grbic D, Yellin J, McKinney R. MD-PhD program graduates’ engagement in research: results of a national study. Acad Med. 2021;96(4):540-548. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000003516 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 3.AAMC National Sample Survey of Physicians 2022: documentation for sampling and weights. Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Accessed August 5, 2024. https://www.aamc.org/media/71861/download?attachment [Google Scholar]
- 4.Ding JL, Christophers B, Rupert DD, et al. How to diversify the dwindling physician–scientist workforce after the US affirmative action ban. Nat Med. 2024;30:635-637. doi: 10.1038/s41591-023-02787-6 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 5.Browne A. Demographic characteristics and work experiences of physician scientists in the U.S.: analysis of the 2022 National Sample Survey of Physicians (NSSP). Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Accessed August 5, 2024. https://www.aamc.org/data-reports/report/demographic-characteristics-and-work-experiences-physician-scientists-us
Associated Data
This section collects any data citations, data availability statements, or supplementary materials included in this article.
Supplementary Materials
eTable. Survey Question Text and Response Options
Data Sharing Statement
