Pediatricians play a key role in advancing child health research to best attain and improve the physical, mental, and social health and wellbeing of all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. Child health presents unique issues that require investigators who specialize in pediatric research. In addition, the scope of the pediatric research enterprise is transdisciplinary and includes the full spectrum of basic science, translational, community-based, health services, and child health policy research. Although most pediatricians do not directly engage in research, knowledge of research methodologies and approaches promotes critical evaluation of scientific literature, the practice of evidence-based medicine, and advocacy for evidencebased child health policy. This statement includes specific recommendations to promote further research education and support at all levels of pediatric training, from premedical to continuing medical education, as well as recommendations to increase support and mentorship for research activities. Pediatric research is crucial to the American Academy of Pediatrics' goal of improving the health of all children. The American Academy of Pediatrics continues to promote and encourage efforts to facilitate the creation of new knowledge and ways to reduce barriers experienced by trainees, practitioners, and academic faculty pursuing research. Pediatrics 2014;133:943-949
INTRODUCTIONThe goal of the American Academy of Pediatrics is the attainment of the optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being of all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. To achieve this vision, pediatrics, as a field, must continually add to the current knowledge about how to best care for children through pediatric research. Research is broadly defined as the "systematic investigation, including research development, testing and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge." 1 For the purposes of this statement, the term "child" health research refers to research focused on infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.
Child Health Research Is a Unique FieldChild health presents unique issues that require investigators who specialize in pediatric research. For example, childhood affects an COMMITTEE ON PEDIATRIC RESEARCH KEY WORDS pediatric education, training, workforce, epidemiology, health services research, community-based participatory research, translational research, basic science research, postgraduate training ABBREVIATIONS NIH-National Institutes of Health PBRN-practice-based research network This document is copyrighted and is property of the American Academy of Pediatrics and its Board of Directors. All authors have filed conflict of interest statements with the American Academy of Pediatrics. Any conflicts have been resolved through a process approved by the Board of Directors. The American Academy of Pediatrics has neither solicited nor accepted any commercial involvement in the development of the content of this publication.The gu...