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Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Workforce

ASPHO is dedicated to understanding the pediatric hematology-oncology (PHO) subspecialty workforce and its effect on membership, including the challenges and changing workforce dynamics that the subspecialty faces. The Workforce Strategy guides the organization’s efforts towards workforce, providing a comprehensive, high-level strategy to follow. The Society’s 2022-2025 Strategic Plan continues to highlight workforce as a strategic goal and tasks committees with workforce-specific charges. We are committed to a continued focus on this critical issue to support our membership and the profession.

The August 2022 eNews President’s Message from Dr. Doug Graham, discusses the Society’s role and capacity in addressing these workforce-related challenges. Below are a few of the Society’s recent and current efforts related to workforce.

  • ASPHO's workforce manuscript based on workforce-related surveys from 2018-2021, was published in early 2023.
  • Advocacy work to support reauthorization and funding of the Pediatric Subspecialty Loan Repayment Program (PSLRP) as well as advocate for increased funding for pediatric cancer research and other programs.
  • Addition of medical student and resident membership categories to engage them early in networking and educational experiences within the subspecialty.

Workforce Strategy

Originally approved  in 2020 and recently updated by the Board in Nov 2023, this strategy serves to guide ASPHO’s focus on workforce-related objectives. Four key objectives of the strategy are noted below. To learn more, read the detailed  Workforce Strategy.

  • Outreach to engage residents and medical students in the profession.
  • Increase our understanding of the current PHO workforce landscape via comprehensive collection, assessment and reporting of workforce data (as described in workforce surveys section below).
  • Provide education/programs on career opportunities and development (e.g., mentoring, career path highlights, post-PHO fellowship directory, etc.).
  • Collaborate with external partners to enhance understanding and create opportunities for the pediatric workforce.

ASPHO Workforce Publications

The following publications are based on data obtained from ASPHO's previous workforce surveys:

2023 Publication:

2018 Publications:

ASPHO Workforce Surveys

Workforce and Productivity Survey

The Workforce and Productivity survey of PHO Division Directors helps to provide comprehensive data and up-to-date figures regarding workforce and productivity trends in the PHO field, including information on physicians, hospitalists and advanced practice providers. The ASPHO Practice Committee provides oversight of this survey.

Compensation and Benefits Survey

ASPHO distributes a physician compensation survey in five years intervals, with the goal of obtaining subspecialty compensation and productivity data for its members’ individual understanding and use in practice management. Conducting this survey repeatedly allows development of longitudinal data for the field. The ASPHO Practice Committee provides oversight of this survey.

Employment of Graduating Fellows Survey

This survey asks US PHO Fellowship program Directors to provide data on graduating fellow employment outcomes to help better understand current trends of post-fellowship employment. The ASPHO Training Committee provides oversight of this survey. Please visit the National Resident Matching Program’s (NRMP) Fellowship Match Data and Reports for historical data related to the PHO Match.

Third-Year Fellow Survey

The Third Year Fellow Survey is fielded to help understand the post-fellowship plans and perceptions of job opportunities, among third-year fellows training in US pediatric hematology-oncology fellowship programs. This data assists in giving us a better understanding of the employment landscape in PHO. The ASPHO Practice Committee provides oversight of this survey.

Related Workforce Data

The American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) estimates nearly 2,900 Board-certified US-based PHO physicians (age 70 or under) currently, with a total of around 4,231 physicians ever certified in PHO. For further workforce data regarding PHO and other pediatric subspecialties, including further fellowship statistics, access Interactive ABP Workforce Data.

Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program Application Process and Eligibility

The Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program (PSLRP) through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) provides loan repayment for pediatric medical subspecialists, pediatric surgical specialists, and child mental health professionals who care for children in underserved areas, addressing critical shortages of these professionals by lessening financial disincentives for serving in such areas. To access more information regarding the program, including eligibility requirements, visit the PSLRP web page.