AAP piloted and launched the AAP/ASCI Physician Scientist Trainee Network (PSTN) in 2023. This program was held during the 2024 AAP/ASCI/APSA Joint Meeting and was enthusiastically received by both APSA students and AAP and ASCI mentors who participated last year.  We were delighted with the response and it proves the need for such a program.

The overall goal of the PSTN is to increase the number and decrease the time for MD-PhD and MD graduates to launch successful careers as physician scientists. The program is designed for AAP/ASCI members to serve as longitudinal mentors and sponsors of MD-PhD program graduates and will also provide peer mentorship from other mentees who are the same level or higher in their training. Although the program will launch with MD-PhD graduate, the PSTN will be expanded to include MD graduates in future years.

Registration will be open this week for the 2025 AAP/ASCI/APSA Meeting to be held April 25^th – 27^th at the Swissotel in Chicago and you will be invited to participate in the PSTN on the registration form. Requirements for the mentors and mentees and information about the launch of the program are provided below:

Requirements of PSTN Mentors and Mentees

AAP/ASCI mentor requirements:

• Attend the AAP/ASCI/APSA meeting to establish a mentee group and prioritize attending AAP/ASCI/APSA in future years to meet additional mentees assigned to your group
• The first year, mentors will be matched with 3 mentees planning to pursue research in a similar area as the mentor and will meet with them at lunch on Friday or Saturday (or another time agreed on by the group) at the meeting
• Mentors will meet with mentees as a group via web conferencing during the year at least three times
• Mentees groups will be established with 3 mentees, and another 2 – 3 mentees added per year, to form mentee groups of up to 15 mentees at various stages of training
• Mentors are agreeing to participate in the PSTN for at least 6 years

Mentee requirements:

• Attend AAP/ASCI/APSA meeting and prioritize attending AAP/ASCI/APSA in the future years
• Provide CV and information on future research goals
• Participate in PSTN group meetings during the year
• Commit to the longitudinal PSTN for 6 years

AAP/ASCI PSTN at the 2025 ASCI/AAP/APSA Joint Meeting

For those Mentors that met with a group of trainees last year and want to meet with your group of trainees again at the Annual Meeting, please check the box that you want to meet with mentees from last year and the day you are available and we will schedule the group.

If you indicate that you want to participate in the AAP/ASCI PSTN on the meeting registration form, you will be paired with three mentees based on shared research interests and specialty. Mentor-mentee groups will be assigned prior to the meeting and these groups will meet at lunch time on either Friday or Saturday. Emails will be sent to the mentor and mentees on the date, time and location to meet.

We hope you will join us in this new endeavor and provide your expertise and experience to the next generation of physician scientists.

Sincerely,
Paul Noble MD
President

Juanita Merchant, MD, PhD
President Elect

AAP Physician Scientist Trainee Network Committee

Dianna Milewicz, MD, PhD, Chair
Anna Huttenlocher, MD
Daniel Kelly, MD
Al Powers, MD
Anil Rustgi, MD
Kayla Schwartz, MD-PhD Student
Cynthia Tang, PhD
Alex Waldman, DPhil
Chris Williams, MD, PhD