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We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com.<\/strong> <\/p>\nBack to Healio<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\nKey takeaways:<\/h2>\n\nFewer physicians are entering ID, with only 45% of fellowship programs filled in 2025.<\/li>\n IDSA president-elect says the downturn is not surprising, with ID facing an \u201conslaught\u201d in the public eye.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nThe number of physicians who matched in fellowship programs for adult infectious diseases declined in 2025, according to Match Day stats released in December.<\/p>\n
In all, 272 physicians matched with adult ID programs last year \u2014 nearly a 14% drop from 2024, when 316 physicians matched. Only 45% of fellowship programs for adult ID were filled in 2025, compared with 51% the previous year. <\/p>\n
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Pediatric ID remained steady, going from 43 matches in 2024 to 44 last year.<\/p>\n
Except for a surge of ID applicants in 2021 \u2014 sometimes called \u201cthe Fauci effect\u201d \u2014 the specialty has historically struggled to recruit physicians for numerous reasons. The latest downward trend is worrisome, according to Wendy S. Armstrong, MD,<\/b> president-elect of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and head of the division of infectious diseases at the University of Colorado.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all knew it was going to be a bad year because of the onslaught that infectious disease (care) and public health have been under in the public eye,\u201d Armstrong told Healio.<\/p>\n
Armstrong pointed to \u201ccuts at every level\u201d and \u201cbacklash from people consistently telling you that you are trying to hurt people instead of care for people\u201d as reasons for the declining matches. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat <\/b>influences folks thinking how they\u2019re going to spend their life. And is a career in infectious disease viable if you can\u2019t obtain funding either to care for patients or to do research?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Armstrong said compensation continues to be another reason for the low numbers, with ID clinicians ranking near the bottom in salary compared with other specialties.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do think a barrier for people is compensation when you\u2019re faced with medical school debt,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Armstrong said there is a potential comeback for ID in the form of the Bio-Preparedness Workforce Pilot Program \u2014 a federal initiative that passed in 2022 to boost ID recruitment, which still awaits Congress to approve funding. A key element of the program is medical school loan forgiveness to help recruit physicians into the ID space. <\/p>\n
Armstrong does not expect Congress to allocate funding to the program during the next budgeting cycle. Nevertheless, she remains hopeful for ID\u2019s future, saying, \u201cIf you\u2019re doing good work, there\u2019s always hope.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more information:<\/h2>\n Wendy S. Armstrong, MD,<\/b> can be reach at wendy.armstrong@cuaschutz.edu.<\/p>\n\n
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Perspective<\/h2>\n Back to Top
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Regarding the 2025 ID Match, adult ID programs saw a decline in filled positions, while pediatric ID largely held steady. This was an exceptionally difficult year for medicine and science overall given all the changes in our country, and yet trainees are still choosing infectious diseases.<\/default:p>Although I know there is still work to do, this inspires me and highlights that the people who are going into ID are mission-driven and want to make a difference, even if it is hard. It\u2019s difficult to know whether the Match results reflect a short-term fluctuation or a longer-term trend.<\/default:p>Post-Match recruitment, sometimes called the \u201cscramble,\u201d remains critically important and has historically brought ID fellowship numbers much closer to available positions following Match Day. IDSA has invested in this phase by developing a toolkit to support effective and equitable post-Match recruitment.<\/default:p>Salary continues to be a major barrier to ID recruitment. IDSA is actively working to improve compensation, expand loan repayment options, optimize work-life balance, and reduce structural barriers to a career in ID, including streamlining pathways for international medical graduates. I am encouraged by IDSA\u2019s new leadership, including incoming CEO Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH, who has prioritized and advocated for ID workforce issues and improvements in the past.<\/default:p>I am inspired by a quote from Lauren Jackson, who wrote in The New York Times<\/default:i>, \u201cWhile optimism is the belief that the future will be better, hope is the belief that we have the power to make it so.\u201d ID has both the insight and the will to shape its future and the work underway suggests we are doing exactly that.<\/default:p><\/p>\n\n
Darcy A Wooten, MD, MS<\/strong><\/p>\n\nEditorial Board Member<\/li>\n Healio | Infectious Disease News<\/li>\n Professor of Medicine<\/li>\n Director, ID Fellowship Program<\/li>\n Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n
Disclosures: <\/strong> Wooten reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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