Training the clinician investigator.

Medicine today presents daunting challenges to the young clinician aspiring to an investigative career. Among these are the ever-increasing vastness of the scientific literature, a highly competitive grant environment, and the allure of private practice. Despite these challenges, never have the investigative opportunities been greater. The “gap” between the basic laboratory and the wards is rapidly narrowing, rendering accessible a number of big clinical questions (eg, who really needs an implantable defibrillator? How can we repair injured organs?) that seemed elusive only 5 or 10 years ago. Here, we reflect on the general question of how to train the clinician investigator. Both of us have spoken on this topic, notably at the Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association; the present document distills the essence of our reflections and recommendations. Although primarily intended as a primer for trainees and junior faculty facing crucial career decisions, the reflections have important policy implications for addressing a problem that threatens to undermine the future of academic medicine.