title: Physician-scientists in Japan: attrition, retention, and implications for the future.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate career trends for physician-scientists in Japan.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors analyzed 1996-2008 biennial census survey data from Japan's national physician registry to examine trends over time in the numbers and proportion of physician-scientists by sex and years since registration. They also analyzed the transition of registered physicians into and out of the physician-scientist field across two sets of two consecutive surveys (1996-1998 and 2006-2008).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The number of physician-scientists between 1996 and 2008 was stable, with a low of 4,893 and a high of 5,325. The number of younger physician-scientists (those registered 0-4 years at the time of the surveys) declined sharply, however, from 828 in 1996 to 253 in 2008. The number of female physician-scientists increased from 528 in 1996 to 746 in 2008. Across the two survey periods, about 30% of physician-scientists left the career path, but this attrition was offset by about the same number of new individuals entering the field.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the total number of physician-scientists was relatively unchanged during the period studied, it is essential that educators and policy makers develop approaches to address underlying demographic changes to ensure an adequate age- and gender-balanced supply of physician-scientists in the future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Planning, Information and Management, University of Tokyo Hospital, Japan. koikes@adm.h.u-tokyo.ac.jp
authors.forename: Soichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koike
authors.forename: Hiroo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ide
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kodama
authors.forename: Shinya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yasunaga
authors.forename: Tomoaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Imamura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D035843:Biomedical Research; D002321:Career Choice; D004501:Education, Medical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D010820:Physicians / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000078329:Workforce; D055815:Young Adult