Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Population Study Article
  • Published:

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric faculty: a report from nine academic institutions

Pediatric Research volume 95, pages 775–784 (2024)Cite this article

Abstract

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic affected home and work routines, which may exacerbate existing academic professional disparities. Objectives were to describe the impact of the pandemic on pediatric faculty’s work productivity, identify groups at risk for widening inequities, and explore mitigation strategies.

Methods

A cross-sectional study of faculty members was conducted at nine U.S. pediatric departments. Responses were analyzed by demographics, academic rank, and change in home caregiving responsibility.

Results

Of 5791 pediatric faculty members eligible, 1504 (26%) completed the survey. The majority were female (64%), over 40 years old (60%), and assistant professors (47%). Only 7% faculty identified as underrepresented in medicine. Overall 41% reported an increase in caregiving during the pandemic. When comparing clinical, administrative, research, and teaching activities, faculty reported worse 1-year outlook for research activities. Faculty with increased caregiving responsibilities were more likely to report concerns over delayed promotion and less likely to have a favorable outlook regarding clinical and research efforts. Participants identified preferred strategies to mitigate challenges.

Conclusions

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted pediatric faculty productivity with the greatest effects on those with increased caregiving responsibilities. COVID-19 was particularly disruptive to research outlook. Mitigation strategies are needed to minimize the long-term impacts on academic pediatric careers.

Impact

  • The COVID-19 pandemic most negatively impacted work productivity of academic pediatric faculty with caregiving responsibilities.

  • COVID-19 was particularly disruptive to short-term (1-year) research outlook among pediatric faculty.

  • Faculty identified mitigation strategies to minimize the long-term impacts of the pandemic on academic pediatric career pathways.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: The extent of caregiving needs being met during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fig. 2: Pediatric faculty’s 1-year outlook across academic contexts.
Fig. 3: Factors associated with more positive 1-year outlook across academic contexts.
Fig. 4: Factors associated with faculty’s concerns for delaying promotion due to the pandemic’s impact on three efforts.

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

Deidentified individual participant data will not be made available for institutional privacy.

References

  1. Paulus, J. K. et al. Where is the leak in the pipeline? Investigating gender differences in academic promotion at an academic medical centre. Perspect. Med Educ. 5, 125–128 (2016).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Raj, A. et al. Longitudinal analysis of gender differences in academic productivity among medical faculty across 24 medical schools in the United States. Acad. Med 91, 1074–1079 (2016).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  3. Morgan, H. K. et al. Perceptions of parenting challenges and career progression among physician faculty at an academic hospital. JAMA Netw. Open 3, e2029076 (2020).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Omoruyi, E. A., Orr, C. J., Russell, G. & Montez, K. Trends in the diversity of pediatric faculty: 2000 to 2020. Pediatrics 150, e2021055472 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Chumpitazi, C. E. et al. Vision 2020: How caregiving and work productivity outlook shifted for academic pediatric faculty. J. Women’s Health (Larchmt.) 31, 631–639 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Harris, P. A. et al. The redcap consortium: building an international community of software platform partners. J. Biomed. Inf. 95, 103208 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Harris, P. A. et al. Research electronic data capture (Redcap)-a metadata-driven methodology and workflow process for providing translational research informatics support. J. Biomed. Inf. 42, 377–381 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Braun, V. & Clarke, V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qual. Res. Psychol. 3, 77–101 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Radu, M. C., Schnakovszky, C., Herghelegiu, E., Ciubotariu, V. A. & Cristea, I. The impact of the covid-19 pandemic on the quality of educational process: a student survey. Int J. Environ. Res. Public Health 17, 7770 (2020).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  10. Rainford, L. A. et al. The impact of covid-19 upon student radiographers and clinical training. Radiogr. (Lond.) 27, 464–474 (2021).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Awadallah, N. S. et al. The impact of the covid-19 pandemic on family medicine residency training. Fam. Pr. 38, i9–i15 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Nagaraj, M. B. et al. The impact of covid-19 on surgical education. J. Surg. Res. 267, 366–373 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  13. Gottenborg, E. et al. Covid-19’s impact on faculty and staff at a school of medicine in the US: What Is the blueprint for the future? BMC Health Serv. Res. 21, 395 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  14. Jacobs, C. K., Ferber, M. F., Zubatsky, M. & Cronholm, P. F. Faculty Engagement and Productivity During the Covid-19 Pandemic. Fam. Med. 54, 107–113 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Fischer, R. S. B. & Regan, A. What the Triple Threat of Covid, Rsv and Flu Means for Children, <https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-the-triple-threat-of-covid-rsv-and-flu-means-for-children/> (2022).

  16. Woitowich, N. C., Jain, S., Arora, V. M. & Joffe, H. Covid-19 threatens progress toward gender equity within academic medicine. Acad. Med. 96, 813–816 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  17. Finn, G. M. et al. The impact of the covid-19 pandemic on the research activity and working experience of clinical academics, with a focus on gender and ethnicity: a qualitative study in the Uk. BMJ Open 12, e057655 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Watnick, D. et al. “It’s impossible to do it all”: A cross-sectional observational study of pediatric faculty parents during the covid-19 pandemic. J. Hosp. Manag. Health Policy 6, 33 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Kotini-Shah, P. et al. Work-life balance and productivity among academic faculty during the covid-19 pandemic: a latent class analysis. J. Women’s Health (Larchmt.) 31, 321–330 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Nishida, S. et al. Dilemma of physician-mothers faced with an increased home burden and clinical duties in the hospital during the covid-19 pandemic. PLoS One 16, e0253646 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  21. Roubinov, D. et al. Gender differences in national institutes of health grant submissions before and during the covid-19 pandemic. J. Women’s Health (Larchmt.) 31, 1241–1245 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Lufler, R. S. & McNulty, M. A. The glass ceiling thickens: the impact of covid-19 on academic medicine faculty in the United States. Med. Educ. Online 27, 2058314 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  23. Bittar, N., Cohee, A., Bhamidipalli, S. S., Savoy, A. & Ismail, H. M. Emotional distress, stress, anxiety, and the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on early- to mid-career women in healthcare sciences research. J. Clin. Transl. Sci. 6, e93 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  24. Lendák-Kabók, K. Women’s work–life balance strategies in academia. J. Fam. Stud. 28, 1139–1157 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Nguyen, A. X., Trinh, X. V., Kurian, J. & Wu, A. Y. Impact of covid-19 on longitudinal ophthalmology authorship gender trends. Graefes Arch. Clin. Exp. Ophthalmol. 259, 733–744 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Harry, E. M. et al. Childcare stress, burnout, and intent to reduce hours or leave the job during the covid-19 pandemic among US health Care Workers. JAMA Netw. Open 5, e2221776 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  27. Liu, M. et al. Further divided gender gaps in research productivity and collaboration during the covid-19 pandemic: evidence from coronavirus-related literature. J. Informetr. 16, 101295 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. Ucar, I., Torre, M. & Elías, A. Mind the gender gap: covid-19 lockdown effects on gender differences in preprint submissions. PLoS One 17, e0264265 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  29. Krukowski, R. A., Jagsi, R. & Cardel, M. I. Academic productivity differences by gender and child age in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine faculty during the covid-19 pandemic. J. Women’s Health (Larchmt.) 30, 341–347 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Izquierdo-Useros, N. et al. Impact of Covid-19 lockdown in a biomedical research campus: a gender perspective analysis. Front. Psychol. 13, 906072 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  31. Lauer, M. Continued Impact of Covid-19 on Biomedical Research. https://nexus.od.nih.gov/all/2020/11/04/continued-impact-of-covid-19-on-biomedical-research/ (2020).

  32. Stenson, M. C. et al. Impact of Covid-19 on access to laboratories and human participants: exercise science faculty perspectives. Adv. Physiol. Educ. 46, 211–218 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  33. Kwan, J. M. et al. The impact of covid-19 on physician-scientist trainees and faculty in the United States: a national survey. Acad. Med. 97, 1536–1545 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  34. Davis, J. C. et al. Are we failing female and racialized academics? a canadian national survey examining the impacts of the covid-19 pandemic on tenure and tenure-track faculty. Gend. Work Organ 29, 703–722 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  35. Clark, D., Mickey, E. L. & Misra, J. Reflections on institutional equity for faculty in response to Covid-19. Susan Bulkeley Butl. Cent. Leadersh. Excell. ADVANCE Working Pap. Ser. 3, 92–114, https://par.nsf.gov/servlets/purl/10280774 (2020).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Teresia M. O’Connor & Oriana Perez

  2. Division of Academic General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Teresia M. O’Connor

  3. Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Milenka Cuevas Guaman

  4. Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA

    Kimberly A. Randell

  5. University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, MO, USA

    Kimberly A. Randell & Angela L. Myers

  6. University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, KS, USA

    Kimberly A. Randell & Angela L. Myers

  7. Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Heather T. Keenan & H. Joseph Yost

  8. Section of Infectious Disease, Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas Medical School, Little Rock, AR, USA

    Jessica Snowden

  9. Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Jennifer W. Mack & Abby R. Rosenberg

  10. Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Jennifer W. Mack

  11. Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Elizabeth A. Camp & Corrie E. Chumpitazi

  12. Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, UT Health Houston McGovern Medical School and Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, Houston, TX, USA

    Michael L. Chang & Susan H. Wootton

  13. Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA

    Angela L. Myers

  14. Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Lise E. Nigrovic

  15. Department of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Jennifer O’Toole

  16. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Division of Hospital Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Jennifer O’Toole

  17. UC Health, Department of Internal Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Jennifer O’Toole

  18. Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Jennifer L. Reed

  19. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Division of Emergency Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Jennifer L. Reed

  20. Division of Hospital Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA

    Jennifer Reese & Sonja I. Ziniel

  21. Department of Psychosocial Oncology & Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA

    Abby R. Rosenberg

  22. Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Abby R. Rosenberg

  23. Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Anne C. Slater

  24. Division of Tropical Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Kristy O. Murray

  25. Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Lara Shekerdemian

Authors
  1. Teresia M. O’Connor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Milenka Cuevas Guaman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kimberly A. Randell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Heather T. Keenan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Jessica Snowden
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Jennifer W. Mack
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Elizabeth A. Camp
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Oriana Perez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Michael L. Chang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Angela L. Myers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Lise E. Nigrovic
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. Jennifer O’Toole
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  13. Jennifer L. Reed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  14. Jennifer Reese
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  15. Abby R. Rosenberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  16. Anne C. Slater
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  17. Susan H. Wootton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  18. Sonja I. Ziniel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  19. H. Joseph Yost
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  20. Kristy O. Murray
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  21. Lara Shekerdemian
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  22. Corrie E. Chumpitazi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

T.M.O. and C.E.C. conceptualized and designed the study, led the development of the final survey instrument, oversaw data collection and analyses, drafted the initial manuscript, and critically reviewed and revised the manuscript. M.C.G, K.A.R. and H.T.K. provided input on the development of the survey, facilitated the distribution the survey at their institutions, carried out the qualitative data analysis, summarized the qualitative data findings, and critically reviewed and revised the manuscript. J.S. and J.W.M. provided input on the development of the survey, facilitated the distribution the survey at their institutions, drafted the discussion, and critically reviewed and revised the manuscript. O.P. developed the RedCap database for the study, provided input on the development of the survey, facilitated the distribution the survey at her institution, carried out the qualitative data analysis, summarized the qualitative data findings, and critically reviewed and revised the manuscript. E.A.C. conducted the quantitative analysis and critically reviewed and revised the manuscript. M.L.C., A.L.M., L.E.N., J.O, J. Reed, J. Reese, A.R.R., A.C.S., S.H.W., S.I.Z., H.H.Y. and L.S. provided input on the development of the survey, facilitated the distribution of the survey at their institutions, and critically reviewed and revised the manuscript. K.O.M. facilitated the cross-institutional collaboration of the study, provided input on the development of the survey, and critically reviewed and revised the manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript as submitted and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Teresia M. O’Connor.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Consent to participate

The survey included a cover email that explained the purpose of the study and invited consent for participation before completing the survey.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary information

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

O’Connor, T.M., Guaman, M.C., Randell, K.A. et al. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric faculty: a report from nine academic institutions. Pediatr Res 95, 775–784 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-023-02726-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-023-02726-8

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links