Building Capacity in Pediatric Environmental Health: A Fifteen-Year Report on the Academic Pediatric Association's Professional Development Program

ABSTRACT Background Environmental exposures contribute to multiple diseases in children. Yet few pediatricians have training in Pediatric Environmental Health (PEH) and few academic health centers have PEH expertise. To build national capacity in PEH, the Academic Pediatric Association (APA) launched a professional development program that since 2002 has encouraged the establishment of post-residency/post-doctoral training programs, supported a Special Interest Group, and convened an annual mentored retreat for PEH trainees. Objectives To describe the APA's professional development program in PEH and assess its impact by tracking careers of former trainees. Methods Careers were tracked through interviews with trainees and program directors supplemented by searches of institutional websites. Publication listings were obtained through Pub Med. Publication impact was assessed using bibliometric and altmetric measures. Grant histories were accessed through NIH RePORTER. Information on advocacy work was obtained through interviews with program directors. Findings Fifty-five trainees – 36 physicians and 19 health scientists – completed PEH training and attended the APA retreat between 2002 and 2017. Forty-one (75%) are pursuing academic careers; 11 are associate or full professors; 11 are practicing general pediatrics or a pediatric subspecialty; two are CDC epidemiologists; one is a data scientist. Forty-two former trainees (76%) list "environment" or "environmental" in their job titles or websites. Former trainees have published 632 scientific papers. These papers have been cited 3,094 times, have a Relative Citation Ratio (RCR) of 2.97, and have been read or viewed 1,274,388 times. Twenty-one former trainees have been awarded 43 NIH grants. Trainees have developed education and advocacy skills by teaching medical students and residents, presenting grand rounds, preparing policy papers, presenting legislative testimony and making presentations to public audiences. Conclusion The APA's professional development program has contributed to expansion of national capacity in PEH. Former trainees are populating the field, generating new knowledge and moving into leadership positions.