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Title:

Infectious Diseases Physicians: Improving and Protecting the Public’s Health- Why Equitable Compensation is Critical

Authors:

Matthew Zahn, MD Amesh A Adalja Paul G Auwaerter, MD Paul J Edelson Gail R Hansen Noreen A Hynes, MD, MPH, DTM&H Amanda Jezek Rodger D MacArthur, FIDSA, FACP Yukari C Manabe Colin McGoodwin Jeffrey S Duchin, MD

Date posted:

October 17, 2018

Publication type:

Article

Publication:

Clinical Infectious Diseases

Publisher:

Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciy888

See also:

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Introduction:

Infectious diseases (ID) physicians play a crucial role in public health in a variety of settings. Unfortunately, much of this work is undercompensated despite the proven efficacy of public health interventions such has hospital acquired infection (HAI) prevention, antimicrobial stewardship, disease surveillance, and outbreak response. The lack of compensation makes it difficult to attract the best and the brightest to the field of infectious diseases, threatening the future of the ID workforce. This paper examines compensation data for ID physicians compared to their value in population and public health settings and suggests policy recommendations to address the pay disparities between cognitive and procedural specialties which prevents more medical students and residents from entering the field. All ID physicians should take an active role in promoting the value of the subspecialty to policymakers and influencers as well as trainees.