Established in 1997 as a way to encourage clinical and research training, the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Research Pathway is intended for residents who seek academic careers in basic, translational, or clinical research, cultivating their passion for research that began in medical school or earlier.
The ABIM Research Pathway is an integrated program that combines training in research with training in clinical internal medicine and its subspecialties. Because of participants’ commitment to a career in academic medicine, the ABIM Research Pathway condenses clinical training during residency, with residents forgoing the third year of residency training in order to complete three additional years of mentored research in general internal medicine or in a subspecialty. Depending on the fellowship program, one to two years of clinical fellowship training, in addition to the three years of research, will need to be completed. In most instances, the total time commitment for participation in this pathway is the same as a standard three-year residency followed by a fellowship.
This pathway is recommended only for physicians who intend to seriously pursue a career in basic science or clinical research. This program is a pipeline for the recruitment, development, and nurturing of future physician-scientists and leaders. This program is unique based on the long-term commitment (between 6-7 years) to the trainees from their first day of residency until their completion of fellowship to their transition into faculty members.
The UPMC ABIM Research Pathway is well-supported financially, with funding for meetings and research needs, as well as supplemental monetary support for selected trainees in during their research years of fellowship training. Integration of the program with the University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science Institute and associated Institute for Clinical Research Education offers additional comprehensive training and career development programs customized to meet the needs of trainees and early-stage investigators. And, with multiple NIH training grants in a variety of subspecialties, the Department of Medicine is able to support trainees in structured research training programs during either their residency or their clinical fellowship.
With a mission to nurture trainees and have them develop into successful leaders and faculty investigators, the ABIM Research Pathway offers nascent physician-scientists a path to transform the science of medicine, while providing compassionate, evidence-based care to their patients. The majority of its graduates have continued on as clinical fellows here in the Department of Medicine, with 38% of those who completed all of their training now serving as faculty at Pitt. Program graduates include:
Joseph Bednash, MD // Assistant Professor of Medicine (Ohio State University) // Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine // NIH Funding: T32 & K08
Cary Boyd-Shiwarski, MD, PhD // Assistant Professor of Medicine (Pitt) // Renal-Electrolyte // NIH Funding: T32, K08, & R03
Edwin Chen, MD, PhD // Assistant Professor of Medicine (UT Houston/McGovern) // Infectious Diseases
John Evankovich, MD // Assistant Professor of Medicine // Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine // NIH Funding: T32, F32, K08, R03, & R56
Emily Geramita, MD, PhD // Assistant Professor of Medicine (Pitt) // Malignant Hematology and Medical Oncology // NIH Funding: T32
Amir Ghaffari, MD, PhD // Assistant Professor of Medicine (Pitt) // Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition // NIH Funding: T32
Rachael Gordon, MD, PhD // Assistant Professor of Medicine (Pitt) // Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology // Funding: T32 & Foundation CDA
Charlie Kuang, MD, PhD // Assistant Professor of Oncology (Albert Einstein) // Medical Oncology // NIH Funding: T32
Kevin Quann, MD, PhD // Instructor of Medicine (Pitt) // Malignant Hematology and Medical Oncology
Ashwin Somasundaram, MD // Assistant Professor of Medicine (UNC) // Oncology // NIH Funding: T32 & K08
Madison Stellfox, MD, PhD // Assistant Professor of Medicine (Pitt) // Infectious Diseases // NIH Funding: T32 & K08
Roderick Tan, MD, PhD // Associate Professor of Medicine (Pitt) // Renal-Electrolyte // Funding: T32, VA CDA, & R01
Jeremy Tilstra, MD, PhD // Assistant Professor of Medicine // Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology // NIH Funding: T32 & K08
Anna Zemke, MD, PhD // Assistant Professor of Medicine (Pitt) // Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine // NIH Funding: T32, K23, & R01