Relatively little is known regarding factors associated with the choice of a research career among practicing physicians, and most investigations of this issue have been conducted in the absence of a theoretical/conceptual model. Therefore we designed a survey to identify the determinants of decisions to pursue a biomedical research career based…

Bridge-funding by tertiary-educational institutions allows researchers to continue their research in times of funding loss. With the ever-declining funding rates for major medical research institutions in North America, and the global economic downturn, it is crucial to critically assess institutional policies surrounding the allocation of…

In 2013, the University of California, Biomedical Research, Acceleration, Integration, and Development (UC BRAID) convened a regional network of contracting directors from the five University of California (UC) health campuses to: (i) increase collaboration, (ii) operationalize and measure common metrics as a basis for performance improvement…

Improving the informed consent process is a common theme in literature regarding biomedical human subjects research. Standards for appropriate language and required information have undergone scrutiny and evolved over time. One response to the call for improvement is the provision and use of informed consent templates (ICTs) to ensure that…

A three-year, National Institutes of Health-funded residential project at a southeastern research university immersed 83 secondary science teachers in a summer institute called "Bench to Bedside." Teachers were provided with knowledge, skills, experiences, and incentives to improve their science teaching skills and increase their…

This exploratory qualitative study investigated how doctoral students reported their personal and professional interaction experiences that they believed might facilitate or impede their academic pursuits in biomedical research. We collected 19 in-depth interviews with doctoral students in biomedical research from eight universities, and we based…

In recent years academic capitalism and a distancing from Mertonian scientific norms have shifted the traditional reward of academic science from peer recognition to the award of grants. With the shrinking of the NIH budget in real terms since 2003, there are increasing numbers of researchers whose careers are at risk from lack of funding. This…

Three aspects of clinical research career decision-making were explored: the timing of the decision to enter a research career, the relationship between research success and the timing of the decision, and the impact of two disincentives to enter research careers. (Author/MLW)

In the 1980s, medical schools may be forced to reduce the size and scope of their institutions. Medical schools will need to identify their core clinical educational programs and the additional clinical activities that best suit their faculty strengths and institutional geography. (MLW)

The Association of Academic Health Centers and the Association of American Medical Colleges approved statements on conflicts of interest. University researchers are asked to disclose any significant personal, professional, or financial relationships, and faculty should not let commercially sponsored research interfere with the education of…

Clinical trials and access to therapeutic drugs pose dilemmas for researchers, physicians, and AIDS patients. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, recognizing the need for greater access to drugs by a broader spectrum of the infected population, is establishing the Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS. (Author/MLW)

This discussion of traditional academic medicine's resistance to changes in practice, technology, and finances looks at three current problems in medical education and two in biomedical research. Solutions are proposed, based on redefinition of the relationship between universities and medical schools and expansion of the conventional narrow focus…

The effects of evolving federal research policies and programs on nongovernmental academic medical centers are examined. Medical schools, teaching hospitals, and research institutes are included. The major problem of analysis in this report is to sort out the effects of federally-supported biomedical research from other influences on academic…

The Penn State Mini Medical School is a high-impact community engagement program created and led by the Office of Continuing Education at the Penn State College of Medicine. The broad goals of the program are to respond to the general public's intense desire for health and medical information, to educate the community about biomedical science and…

The focus of the work of the Commission on Academic Medical Centers and the Economy of New England is the financing competitors strength and future development of academic centers and biomedical companies in New England. Among the findings and recommendations of the Commission are the following: (1) the New England region will require several…