The history of workforce concerns in pediatric pulmonary Medicine.

Children are affected by a broad spectrum of acute and chronic respiratory disorders. The number of children with respiratory disease is increasing, as are the complexity of disease pathophysiology and the management demands on pediatric pulmonologists. Despite slowly increasing numbers of board-certified pediatric pulmonologists, large areas of the country are underserved and there is a perception of an impending workforce crisis. There are multiple reasons for these concerns. A joint effort between the Pediatric Pulmonology Division Directors Association and Pediatric Pulmonary Training Directors Association was undertaken to address these issues.