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Structured programs to train the next generation of clinician scientists

Nature Medicine volume 31, pages 24–27 (2025)Cite this article

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Structured programs for training clinician scientists have been implemented in several European countries, but these must include adequate resourcing and mentoring and foster career opportunities.

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Fig. 1: The many traits of the clinician scientist.
Fig. 2: Return on investment from clinician-scientist structured programs.

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Acknowledgements

This commentary resulted from intensive discussions during and after the 4th interdisciplinary symposium for and by clinician scientists in Germany, organized by the PRACTIS clinician-scientist program and supported by the Else Kröner Fresenius Foundation and Foundation MHH Plus. A.M., C.G., J.E. and T.S. received funding from the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft ME3696/3-1, ME3696/3-2).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dean’s Office for Academic Career Development, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany

    Anette Melk & Thorsten Saenger

  2. Department of Pediatric Kidney, Liver, Metabolic and Neurological Diseases, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany

    Anette Melk & Carl Grabitz

  3. PRACTIS Clinician Scientist Program, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany

    Carl Grabitz & Johanna Ernst

  4. Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany

    Johanna Ernst

  5. Department of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Eva Degraeuwe & Johan Vande Walle

  6. Institute of Anesthesiology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Beatrice Beck Schimmer

  7. Clinic of Pediatrics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania

    Karolis Ažukaitis

  8. Center of Education and Training, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands

    Berent Prakken

  9. Centre for Molecular and Cellular Intervention, Department of Paediatrics, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands

    Berent Prakken

  10. Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Elias Campo

  11. Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain

    Michela Giulia Bertero

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  1. Anette Melk
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  2. Carl Grabitz
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anette Melk.

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Competing interests

A.M. is chair of the German Research Foundation-funded clinician-scientist program PRACTIS; a member of the working group clinician scientists of the German Medical Faculty Association; co-chair of the Else Kröner Fresenius Foundation- and Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts-funded clinician-scientist program CORE100Pilot; a committee member and mentor of several structured Hannover Medical School programs that support academic careers in medicine; a member of the advisory board of (advanced) clinician-scientist programs at the universities of Jena, Freiburg, Greifswald, Germany and of the University of Zurich, Switzerland; and chair of the mentoring program of the International Pediatric Transplantation Association for clinician scientists. C.G. and J.E. are fellows of PRACTIS; founding members of the German clinician-scientist network; and main organizers of the national interdisciplinary symposium for and from clinician scientists 2023. T.S. is scientific coordinator of the Dean’s Office for Academic Career Development at Hannover Medical School; and scientific coordinator of the programs JuniorPRACTIS, PRACTIS, CORE100Pilot and ALLEGRO at Hannover Medical School. E.D. is a former participant in the MD–PhD program and fellow (clinician scientist) at Ghent University. B.B.S. is chair of the 'Advanced Clinician Scientist' program of the University of Medicine Zurich; and founder of the clinician-scientist program ‘Filling the Gap’ in the faculty of medicine at the University of Medicine Zurich, which focuses on promoting talented female clinician scientists. J.V.W. is a mentor of MD–PhD candidates and clinician scientists at Ghent University. K.A. is dean of research and a mentor for clinician scientists. B.P. is founding member of the Eureka Institute for translational medicine and a Mentor of clinician scientists. E.C. is the director of the Institute of Biomedical Research August Pi I Sunyer of Barcelona (IDIBAPS); coordinator and chair of the selection committee of the Biomedicine International Training Research for Excellent Clinician-Scientists program, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and La Caixa Foundation; chair of the IDIBAPS 50/50 and 80/20 programs for clinician scientists; and co-coordinator of the PhD4MD program for clinician scientists in Barcelona. M.B. is the IDIBAPS director of strategy; previous coordinator, now partner, in the EMERALD research program for clinician scientists funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program; and co-coordinator of the PhD4MD program for clinician scientists in Barcelona.

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Melk, A., Grabitz, C., Ernst, J. et al. Structured programs to train the next generation of clinician scientists. Nat Med 31, 24–27 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-03339-2

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