Table 2.

Possible work groups to address strategic goals for enhancing the specialty of hematology in the United States

Clinical

• Exploring hospitalist and other career enhancement opportunities through engagement of hospitals

• Engagement with and assessing the impact of regulatory entities such as the ABIM, ABP, American Board of Legal Medicine, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, The Joint Commission, and others

• Impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute

• Enhancing mentorship of the clinical hematologist

Training

• Research training: exploring opportunities for redesigning the pathway to research independence

• Enhancing flexibility in training along clinical/translational/basic pathways with requisite “entry and exit ramps” to protect the trainee against time penalties

• Exploring opportunities for special trainee pathways (eg, medicine/pediatrics; critical care across the age spectrum; chronic disease management across the age spectrum)

• Fostering/expanding/supporting mentorship for research and career development

Research

• Enhancement of basic and clinical research mentorship

• Centers of Excellence creation/expansion for specialized training and broadened mentorship

• Establishment of an integrated longitudinal pathway for researcher development

• Exploration of public-private partnership opportunities for research support

• Creation of funding mechanisms that encourage established scientists to take risks and that support innovation

• Development of funding mechanisms to bridge established investigators when needed to maintain a science workforce

• Consideration of other ways to make the pursuit of translational or basic research a securer career option

Data collection and analyses

• Database creation and tracking of trainees in hematology

• Modeling of societal needs and trends

• Assessment of who should be partnering with whom and what data are critical

• Education of the public about how hematology care and research impact their health and well-being