Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic Onset on the Early Careers of Pediatric Oncology Health Professionals and Researchers: A Report From the Children’s Oncology Group Young Investigators Committee, Young SIOP Network, and Young SIOPE

Bryan G, Guolla L, Villanueva GI, Cohen-Gogo S, Casanovas A, Medina R, Revon-Riviere G, Coltin H, Kahalley LS, Withycombe JS, van Ewijk R, Schoot RA, Cash T, Baertschiger RM, McAleer MF, Benedetti DJ, Greengard E, Kitko CL, Green AL, Dhall G, Esbenshade AJ. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic Onset on the Early Careers of Pediatric Oncology Health Professionals and Researchers: A Report From the Children’s Oncology Group Young Investigators Committee, Young SIOP Network, and Young SIOPE. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2025 Jan;72(1):e31419. doi: 10.1002/pbc.31419. Epub 2024 Nov 6. PMID: 39502016; PMCID: PMC12227265.

The COVID-19 pandemic onset had a global debilitating impact on individuals and on burgeoning careers. In 2021, the Children’s Oncology Group Young Investigators Committee, Young SIOP (International Society of Pediatric Oncology) Network, and Young SIOPE (European Society for Paediatric Oncology) co-sponsored a survey to explore the impacts of the first year of the pandemic on early-career pediatric oncology professionals with respect to working practices, productivity, professional and career development, personal well-being, and changing childcare needs. The survey comprised demographic, multiple-choice, and free-text questions, and was distributed via email and social media with English, French and Spanish versions available. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were used to compare quantitative data by self-designated gender and country of origin. Qualitative data were described using content analysis.