IN BRIEF
Analysis
Volume 9, Number 4
October 2009
Association of
American Medical Colleges
This
Analysis in Brief
documents an
increase in the average age of medical
school faculty, a finding that holds
regardless of degree, department type,
rank, or demographic characteristic.
These data on aging should inform a
number of policy issues regarding the
training, recruitment, retention, and
financing of medical school faculty. In
addition, the results of this analysis
seem consistent with certain expecta-
tions about the effects of the Age
Discrimination in Employment Act
(whereby Congress abolished
mandatory retirement before age 70
in 1978 and abolished mandatory
retirement altogether in 1986).
Methodology
The study used the AAMC Faculty
Roster, the only comprehensive
national database of U.S. medical
school faculty. The findings reflect the
age of full-time faculty members active
as of December 31 in 1967, 1987, and
2007, respectively. During this 40-year
period, the number of faculty increased
from 17,584 individuals to 119,018
individuals, a nearly seven-fold increase
influenced (in part) by an increase in
the number of medical schools as well
as by an increase in their typical size.
The analysis ended with 2007 because
that is the last year for which complete
information is available due to
reporting lags. The following Table and
Figures show department, degree, rank,
and demographic breakouts that are
similar to those in the June 2008
Analysis in Brief
on long-term faculty
retention and attrition.
Results
Aging examined over 20-year intervals.
Table 1 shows the average faculty age
was 41.7 in 1967, 44.7 in 1987, and
48.5 in 2007. The percentage of all
faculty over 55 years old was 9 percent
in 1967, 19 percent in 1987, and 29
percent in 2007. Over these decades,
the average age of first-time assistant
professors pursuing research increased
from 33.6 years old to 39.3 years old.
1
The average age of all first-time
faculty, regardless of entering rank,
increased from 35.3 years old in 1987
years old to 37.8 years old in 2007.
2
Aging examined year-by-year
. Figure 1
illustrates that the average age of M.D.s
and Ph.D.s has been consistently
higher for faculty in the basic sciences
than it has been for faculty in the
clinical sciences. In 2007, for instance,
the average age of M.D.s in basic
sciences was 52.9 years old, while the
average age for M.D.s in clinical
departments was 47.8 years old.
Figure 2 shows that the average age of
men faculty diverged from the average
age of women faculty and that the
average age of white faculty has been
always higher than has the average age
of other faculty. The average age for
men increased from 41.7 years old in
1967 to 50.0 years old in 2007. Over
The Aging of Full-time U.S. Medical School Faculty: 1967-2007
1
We defined likely research faculty to be all individuals with Ph.D.s or M.D.s and Ph.D.s as well as all M.D.s in basic science departments. Also, additional data on median age and
percentages of study groups at selected ages are in the supplemental materials at www.aamc.org/data/aib.
2
Since the AAMC Faculty Roster was launched in 1966, there has been inadequate historical information to accurately identify whether an appointment in 1967 was the first
appointment for a faculty member. The problem seems to be especially great for individuals in 1967 who were associate professors or full professors.
Figure 1. Average Age of Full-time Medical School Faculty
Degree and Department Trends, 1967–2007
Average Age
M
.D. Clinical
Ph.D. Clinical
M.D. Basic Science
Ph.D. Basic Science
0
2
5
30
35
40
4
5
50
55
1967 1972 1977 1982 1987 1992 1997 2002 2007
Year
this time, the average age for women
increased from 41.7 years old to 45.6
years. The average age of white faculty
members increased from 41.7 years
old in 1967 to 50.0 years old in 2007,
while the average age for non-white
faculty members increased from 40.1
years old to 45.4 years old.
3
Separate
analyses indicate differences by sex
and race/Hispanic origin at each
academic rank, although the differ-
ences at a given rank tend to be less
pronounced than are the overall
differences.
Discussion
Differences among medical schools in
the ages of their faculty and in the
retirement plans of their faculty will
shape how medical schools address
these issues. Nevertheless, this
Analysis in Brief
may provide insight
into a number of policy issues.
Should a large proportion of faculty
decide to retire in the coming years,
some medical schools may need to
consider how best to meet the chal-
lenges associated with recruiting and
integrating unusually large numbers
of faculty. Other medical schools
might have to manage the financial
i
mplications of increasingly older
(and higher-paid) faculty postponing
retirement. Moreover, the increasing
age of first-time assistant professors
pursuing research has implications for
issues surrounding the length of
training programs and the difficulty
“young” researchers may experience
in obtaining faculty appointments.
Furthermore, these findings may
inform faculty retention issues. Despite
the almost seven-fold increase in the
total number of faculty, this study
documents that the recruited faculty
have not been young enough to offset
the overall aging due to continuing
(i.e., retained) faculty. In addition, the
older ages of men in comparison with
women and of white faculty in
comparison with other faculty may tie
into diversity issues. Although women
and minorities have increased as a
percentage of the faculty, it may be that
their relatively higher attrition rates
contribute to their relatively lower ages
(see the
Analysis in Brief
from June 2008
on long-term retention and attrition
patterns). Moreover, the differential
ages of women and minorities may
reflect the late arrival of women and
minorities to the faculty in appreciable
numbers.
Analysis I
N BRIEF
Association of
American Medical Colleges
2450 N Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20037-1127
www.aamc.org/data/aib
Authors:
Hershel Alexander, Ph.D.
Director, Medical School and Faculty
Studies
(202) 828-0649
Christine Qi Liu, Ph.D.
Senior Research Analyst
(202) 862-6014
3
The non-white faculty category are individuals with Hispanic/Latino ethnicity as well as Alaska Natives, American
Indians, Asians, blacks, Native Hawaiians, and Other Pacific Islanders. The average age for each group increased over
the time period studied, although the small number (or even absence) of faculty in certain groups provided for some
fluctuation in the average ages.
Year
Average Age
Figure 2. Average Age of Full-time Medical School Faculty
Demographic Trends, 1967–2007
0
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
1967 1972 1977 1982 1987 1992 1997 2002 2007
Men – All Faculty
Women – All Faculty
White Faculty – All
Non-white Faculty – All
Table 1. Age Statistics of Full-time U.S. Medical School Faculty, 1967-2007
Faculty Group
1967 1987 2007 1967 1987 2007 1967 1987 2007
All Faculty
Clinical Departments
M.D. or Equivalent
Ph.D. or Equivalent
M.D. and Ph.D. or Equivalent
Basic Sciences
M.D. or Equivalent
Ph.D. or Equivalent
M.D. and Ph.D. or Equivalent
First-time Assistant Professors Pursuing Research
First-time Faculty (All Ranks)
Men
Women
White (Not Hispanic/Latino)
Non-white
Average Age
Percentage of
Faculty Age >=55
Study Group Size
17,584 64,513
1
19,018 41.7 44.7 48.5 9 19 29
8,577 37,836 74,116 41.4 44.1 47.8 8 18 26
1,375 7,964 16,162 39.9 43.4 48.7 6 13 30
748 3,025 7,540 43.1 45.6 49.5 10 20 27
1,247 1,981 2,193 42.3 49.6 52.9 10 36 41
2,779 8,983 12,445 41.3 45.5 51.1 10 19 38
444 832 1,414 43.5 48.0 51.3 14 28 31
423 1,234 1,739 33.6 36.0 39.3 01 4
5,387 8,721 35.3 37.8 24
15,375 51,590 78,841 41.7 45.4 50.0 9 20 34
2,194 12,798 39,717 41.7 41.9 45.6 10 12 19
15,143 53,868 81,353 41.7 44.8 50.0 9 20 34
1,214 8,390 27,442 40.1 43.9 45.4 5 14 17
