Extract
Although we can rightfully take pride in our contributions to biomedicine, the sobering mood of the times calls us to reexamine the future. Our most important asset—the thing that truly drives the research engine—is human capital: the scientists on whose experience, expertise, and creativity we rely. We are entering a time marked by a graying population, and some of our most experienced scientists may be considering life beyond active research. Will we have a workforce sufficient to carry on if they leave?