Into the Shark Tank

There were no cameras rolling during the “Shark Tank” portion of the Institute for Excellence in Education’s spring conference, nor meetings with multimillionaire investors, like fashion mogul Daymond John. But the stakes felt just as high for the five Johns Hopkins physicians asked to present their ideas for innovative educational projects in need of funding.

On Track with Primary Care

When Americans talk about physicians, many speak enthusiastically about their family doctors, pediatricians or general internists. Among medical students, however, primary care remains less favored as a career choice than other specialties. Lower pay, longer hours, low Medicare reimbursements and more complex patients contribute to its unpopularity across the nation. By 2025, experts predict a potential shortfall of up to 31,100 primary care physicians.

Opening More Doors for Ph.D. Grads

Nationwide, fewer than 15 percent of biomedical Ph.D. graduates will get research faculty positions, according to a 2014 Cell Press article. And competition keeps getting fiercer as the pool of Ph.D.s continues to grow but the number of such jobs stagnates under funding constraints.