[caption id="attachment_68380" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Image source: Unsplash[/caption] Surgeon-scientists represent a critical intersection between clinical practice and scientific innovations. Their unique dual roles allow them to identify pressing clinical challenges and pursue evidence-based solutions through research. However, external pressures in academic medicine have introduced additional obstacles, from institutional shifts in priorities to dwindling time for research. Dr. Melina Kibbe MD  notes how these challenges are compounded by mounting clinical demands, financial pressures, and insufficient support structures, all of which threaten the sustainability of this vital career pathway. Dr. Kibbe is Dean, UVA School of Medicine; Chief Health Affairs Officer, UVA Health; Editor-in-Chief, JAMA Surgery. As academic centers reassess their values, there's growing recognition of the need to better support these professionals.