Child health and the US pediatric subspecialty workforce: Planning for the future

Colin Orr, MD, MPH, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics, is a co-author of a supplement article published in Pediatrics on Feb. 1.

The article, “Child Health and the US Pediatric Subspecialty Workforce: Planning for the Future,” is the first of a multi-part supplement that provides a rigorous analysis of the projected pediatric subspecialty workforce in the United States.

The article highlights that, despite numerous advances in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, the last decade has witnessed increasing numbers of children with acute or chronic physical and mental health disorders, including medical complexity, obesity, type 2 diabetes, anxiety, depression, and suicidality, all of which are exacerbated by poverty, racism, and other social drivers of health.

The article also describes the variability in the demographics, practice characteristics, and geographic distribution of the 15 core pediatric subspecialties certified by the American Board of Pediatrics.

It also discusses the rationale and approach to the development of a pediatric subspecialty workforce model that forecasts subspecialist supply from 2020 to 2040 for 14 subspecialties at the national and subnational levels (not including the newest subspecialty, pediatric hospital medicine), accounting for U.S. Census Bureau child population projections.