Basic Science Departments Research Articles

In Remembrance of Dr. Mary Ellen Avery

Dear Mel, People the world over know about your academic and medical accomplishments. I would like to share with your colleagues, the Mel that in the 1980s I got to know and spend time with outside the laboratory (although science and how science can benefit “your” babies was just a breath away in anything we did). The time I really got to talk with Mel outside the Harvard confines was when I first roomed with you in DC, USA. It was a last minute decision to attend the meeting and you so graciously offered to let me room with you. That was a great experience for a young academician to have the exclusive attention of a “giant” like you. The most memorable incident was when you locked me out one evening. What a surprise when the door did not open. Do I risk waking up the “giant” or do I make alternate plans – of course if I didn’t show up all night what would you have thought? You were very kind and apologetic for not thinking when you pulled the lock on. The subsequent evenings I made sure to be the first in the room. Also not to be forgotten on that trip was when you suggested we all stop and play pinball, much to the amusement of some teenagers on a nearby machine. The trips to “Echo” Lake – what unforgettable memories these were for the entire family. The fish experiment you had planned so carefully. The hypothesis you wanted to test was that application of surfactant (TA surfactant) between the gills of freshly caught and still jumping fish will allow them to breath and survive longer out of the water than their untreated counterparts. Andreas and Nikos (the youngest science helpers you probably ever had) kept track of the timing until the fish stopped kicking. You had them also participate in the actual experiment, holding the fish and opening the gills to apply surfactant while we kept timing. As a good scientist you collected the data. You wrote the manuscript, naming my two young sons, then 8 and 4 years old, as coauthors. The experiment was fun, the hypothesis did not prove correct (if I recall correctly). Unfortunately, this valuable manuscript got lost somewhere between a move to Pennsylvania and a house flood a few years ago. Not to mention the lobster dinners and the boat rides on Echo Lake with the best captain I ever had who knew all the nesting trees for the ospreys and the best fishing spots. Echo Lake getaways with Mel and family were amazing. It was the first for me to hear the calling of the loons and to see the Aurora Borealis. Traveling with you whether in Nigeria, Greece, or USA was always a lot of laughs. I miss that! In the midst of laughing and joy you coached me to go where I belonged – to a basic science department. In the ever candid Mel way, you said, “If you stay, we will take advantage of you.” I did move to a basic science department, but now I am back in the Department of Pediatrics. There was something about that early “imprinting” being in Peds. But guess what? It “ain’t” the same without Mel. Thanks for all you did. You are never far from our thoughts! Yana

Continuous Curricular Feedback

Curriculum evaluations are used to plan future revisions and other improvements in curriculum design. Most models are summative and occur at the end of a course, so improvements in instruction may be delayed. In this article, the authors describe the formative curriculum evaluation model adopted at the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. In their model, representative student feedback is gathered in real time and used to modify courses and improve instruction. The central features of their continuous feedback model include developing a small cadre of preclinical and clinical student evaluators who are trained to obtain classwide input regarding all aspects of the curriculum, including teacher effectiveness, and meet regularly (weekly or monthly) with relevant faculty and administrators. The authors show how this curriculum evaluation approach maximizes student involvement in course development and provides opportunities for rapid improvements in course content and instruction as well as for the identification of barriers to effective clinical and preclinical educational experiences.

Experiences of Academic Members About their Professional Challenges: a Content Analysis Qualitative study.

Background:University faculty members of different disciplines in any country, by giving better quality services, will further accelerate the development of their respective countries. This study aims to explore the experiences of faculty members about their professional challenges.Aim:In this qualitative study, which was conducted in 2013, fifteen faculty members in the departments of clinical and basic sciences of Mazandaran university of Medical Sciences in northern Iran were chosen for semi-structured in-depth interviews by purposive sampling method. All tape-recorded data were fully transcribed and content analysis was performed.Results:After immersion and data analysis, three main themes were emerged including: “Imbalances in academic members’ tasks in different areas”, “Weakness of evaluation and promotion system” and “Failure to provide the infrastructure educational facilities”. The main themes and sub-themes are explained by the help of participants’ direct quotations.Conclusions:This study suggested that it is better to take effective measures to improve the faculty members’ situation and therefore increase their efficiency, effectiveness and productivity.

Memoria sobre el papel de Liouville en la historia de las funciones elípticas

This paper collects the main conclusions of a research on the contributions of J. Liouville to the contemporary theory of the elliptic functions. It covers most of the results of a collaboration between the SUMMA group from the Universidad de Medellin Basic Sciences Department and the Mat group from the Universidad del Tolima Department of Mathematics and Statistics. The project has been partially funded by the Universidad de Medellin Research Vice-Principal’s Office and the Universidad del Tolima School of Sciences. It begins with a description of Liouville’s historic background after the emergence of the elliptic function modern concept in the work of Abel and Jacobi. Subsequently, certain details of the Lecons chaired by the famous French mathematician in 1847 are discussed. Such details cover the so-called Liouville-Borchardt theorem, the fundamental propositions about the number of zeros of the meromorphic doubly periodic functions, and the results of the relation between the zeros and the poles. The end of the article outlines important conclusions regarding the Liouville’s legacy to the current theory of the elliptic functions.

Some aspects of the state‐of‐the‐arts in biomedical science research: a guide for the aspiring African

To guide Africans to success in biomedical science (BS) research, the author presents some aspects of the state‐of‐the‐arts of BS research in advanced countries using the USA. Thirty three peer reviewed scientific research articles in the April 2012 issue of the FASEB Journal (Volume 26(4)) were studied using the following parameters: a) number of authors; b) number of academic departments; c) number of academic institutions; d) funding of research. Results showed the articles were written by 7.97±0.61 authors from 3.46±0.3 departments of 2.79±0.29 institutions. The contributors were classified into four categories: basic sciences, clinical sciences, institutions and centres, and programs and labs. Amongst the publications, 21.2% were single disciplinary. Two tier collaboration amongst any two of the four categories were observed in 16/33 (48.5%) of the articles. Three tier and four tier collaborations were observed amongst 7/33 (21.2%) and 3/33 (9%) respectively. Thus 26/33 (78.7%) of the articles were multidisciplinary. Collaborative efforts between basic science and clinical science departments were observed in 9/33 (27.3%). Public funding through government agencies provided 85 out of a total of 143 (59.5%) grants. The collaborative and multidisciplinary nature is characteristic of BS research in the USA, where research tends to result in solutions to problems and economic benefits.

An Interprofessional Learning Module on Bone Marrow Biopsy within the Preclinical Undergraduate Medical Curriculum

We have developed a module in which 2nd year medical students are taught about bone marrow biopsies. In this activity, integration of pelvic anatomy and bone marrow pathology is provided in the context of a clinical procedure on cadaveric specimens. The activity is guided and coordinated by a physician assistant from a bone marrow transplant service, an anatomist, a histologist and a pathologist from a basic science department. Demonstration of the bone marrow biopsy procedure on cadavers is preceded by student viewing of an online video of the technique and an orientation to pelvic anatomy and is followed by evaluation of microscopic images of normal and pathological bone marrow biopsy specimens. This integrated contextual interprofessional activity benefits both students and faculty through: increased motivation and satisfaction; enhanced self‐appraisal and self‐efficacy; professional socialization; and enhanced reflection by health professionals on preparing students for deliberatively working together with the common goal of creating a safer and better patient‐centered and community‐oriented health care system. Effectiveness of the interprofessional activity will be evaluated in 3 ways: 1) an end of year student focus group; 2) a student satisfaction survey; and 3) long‐term longitudinal evaluation of student course and board performance.

Jumpstarting STEM Careers

A successful career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) requires great education and research experiences as well as extensive training and preparation with dedicated mentors. Recent statistics show women received over 40% of all BA/BS degrees awarded by U.S. 4‐year colleges and universities in the life sciences and the proportion of women with doctorates has exceeded 40–60% in some fields. However, the proportion of women associate professors in the basic science departments of most universities is still below 30%, and the proportion with rank of full professor is only 20%. Therefore, the Central Arizona Chapter of the Association for Women in Science at ASU, in collaboration with colleagues from George Washington, Gallaudet and Ottawa Universities, has developed a program to help prepare graduate students, post docs and early faculty for careers in STEM. This NSF advance funded program tackles the problem of low career advancement of women and minorities by hosting career development seminars and workshops to provide training, mentoring and networking opportunities for graduate students and post docs. Such career training programs will help address the complex problem encountered by women and minorities and thus will aid in restoring a pipeline of diverse STEM professionals.

Diterpene Alkaloid Karacoline from Taxus baccata Growing in Georgia

The plant Taxus baccata L. (Taxaceae) is known as a source of the alkaloid taxol, which exhibits antitumor properties [1]. It is broadly distributed in the western regions of Georgia. The in vitro pharmacological activity of the alkaloid fraction enriched in taxol that was obtained by us from the aerial parts of T. baccata was studied in various dilutions for cultured tumor cells A-549 (lung carcinoma), DLD-1 (rectal adenocarcinoma), and WS-1 (fibroblastoma) in the Basic Sciences Department, University of Quebec in Chicoutimi, Canada. Inhibition by 50% was demonstrated for cultured tumor cells A-549, DLD-1, and WS-1 at dilutions 18.5 ± 0.8 g/mL and 8 ± 1 g/mL (A-549), 58 ± 10 g/mL and 15 ± 2 g/mL (DLD-1), and 36 ± 7 g/mL (WS-1) [2]. The goal of our investigation was to study further the chemistry of the alkaloid-containing fraction isolated by us. Analysis of this fraction showed that taxol was accompanied by an alkaloid that had the same mobility as an analogous component in the commercial preparation. Separation over a column of silica gel with elution by CHCl3 and CHCl3:MeOH (1–20%) isolated crystalline base A3, mp 185–187°C (CHCl3:MeOH). The base isolated by us was identified based on spectral data (PMR and 13C NMR) and comparison with the literature as the known alkaloid karacoline, which was obtained previously from Aconitum karacolicum [3, 4]. PMR spectrum (CDCl3, , ppm): 0.85 (3H, s, N–CH2–CH3), 1.055 (3H, m, N–CH2–CH3), 3.5 (3H, s, 16-OCH3), 4.0 (1H, m, H-14). 13C NMR spectrum (CDCl3, , ppm): 71.480 (C-1), 29.373 (C-2), 31.298 (C-3), 32.317 (C-4), 46.072 (C-5), 24.950 (C-6), 44.539 (C-7), 73.385 (C-8), 46.109 (C-9), 39.993 (C-10), 48.475 (C-11), 29.445 (C-12), 43.828 (C-13), 74.485 (C-14), 41.789 (C-15), 82.388 (C-16), 61.955 (C-17), 27.099 (C-18), 59.650 (C-19), 12.595 (N–CH2–CH3). The diterpene alkaloid karacoline was isolated for the first time from T. baccata. We also studied the accumulation dynamics of the taxol fraction according to vegetation phases of T. baccata collected in various habitats:

Association between leptin and delirium in elderly inpatients

Leptin is a hormone with significant effects on the brain, both at the cellular level and cognitive level. This study aimed to establish the association between leptin levels and delirium in a Colombian elderly population. 115 patients older than 60 years were included. Leptin was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay after overnight fasting and Mini-Mental State Examination and Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) tests were employed. Delirium was diagnosed using CAM in 23.48% of patients, being most frequent in men. There were no significant differences in hematology and renal test values between patients with delirium and those without delirium, but cerebrovascular diagnoses were more frequent in patients with delirium. No correlation with any specific medication was found, but patients with delirium had a higher number of comorbidities and medications. Leptin levels were significantly lower in patients with delirium and correlated negatively with the number of diagnoses and medications, but not with age, gender, body mass index, or hematology and renal test results. Leptin levels may have a role in the pathophysiological process of delirium and low leptin could be a useful clinical biomarker to establish risk in elderly patients given the association with delirium.

For Prolonged Computer Users: Laptop Screen Position and Sitting Style cause more Cervical Musculoskeletal Dysfunction Compared to Desktop,Ergonomic Evaluation

Background: There is a recent trend to replace desktop with laptop computers. Laptops are portable, light weight and space saving, enabling the users to work anywhere and at anytime. But most laptops are designed with the screen joined to the keyboard, making it impossible to adjust separately in terms of screen height & distance, and keyboard height & distance. We proposed that computer type and user sitting style affect differently the craniocervical angle and the load over specific muscles in the back and neck. Subjects and methods: Thirty volunteer computer workers were studied at the Basic Sciences Department, Faculty of Physiotherapy, Cairo University from November 2012 to April, 2013. They first assumed the desktop then laptop sitting styles each for 20 minutes. Electromyography was done for the semispinalis cervicis, capitis and upper trapezius muscles, and subject’s posture was captured by an infrared camera. Results: There was a statistically significant increase in the craniocervical angle in desktop than in laptop sitting styles at p = 0.0001. There was significant decrease in semispinalis cervicis and capitis activities for desktop than for laptop on both sides at p = 0.0002. Conclusion: Contrary to laptop, sitting in front of desktop computer increases the craniocervical angle and lessens the muscular load on the semispinalis cervicis and capitis of both arms. Upper trapezius muscles are not affected.

Information Literacy among Educational Academic Members of Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran

Introduction: Development of information literacy is considered a required factor for instructors of higher education system due to its impact on educational and research activities, and performance of educational academic members is a main factor that affects the output of system. The aim of this study was to report and compare the information literacy among the academic members of departments of clinical and basic biomedical sciences in 2011. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was performed using a valid and reliable questionnaire distributed among 48 full-time equivalent academic members of Zabol University of Medical Sciences in both clinical (19 members) and basic biomedical departments (29 members). Data were analyzed using Fisher, Mann-Whitney and Chi-square statistics in SPSS 17. Results: Information literacy of the members was at an average level at both knowledge and attitude levels but it was low at the practice. There was a significant difference between two groups in terms of awareness about information resources; however, the difference was not significant for the utilization of information resources. Conclusion: Members of department of basic biomedical sciences were more aware than those of clinical department about the information resources but such awareness has not resulted in more use of resources in the educational and research activities. Despite positive attitude of all members towards the application of electronic information resources in both educational and research activities, their awareness of information literacy skills and practicing were not satisfying in educational and research sections. As a final point, Information literacy is hence suggested as a part of continuing medical education courses.

Approximate Solutions of Schrödinger Equation under Manning-Rosen Potential in Arbitrary Dimension via SUSYQM

Approximate Solutions of Schrodinger Equation under Manning Rosen Potential in Arbitrary Dimension via SUSYQM H. Hassanabadia,∗, L.L. Lu, S. Zarrinkamar, G.H. Liu and H. Rahimov Physics Department, Shahrood University of Technology, Shahrood, Iran Department of Physics, College of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Guangzhou University Guangzhou 510006, China Department of Basic Sciences, Garmsar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Garmsar, Iran Computer Engineering Department, Shahrood University of Technology, Shahrood, Iran

Internal Evaluation of Basic Science Department in Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences in 2010

Background: The increased concern for accountability and quality improvement is inducing universities throughout the world to evaluate and control performance. Hence, this study was conducted to assess basic science department of Sabzevar medical school to improve the quality of the department. Methods: This study is a descriptive cross sectional study. We asked faculty members, managers, internal evaluation committee members and medical students questions in different fields .Data was collected by researcher made questionnaires and analyzed by SPSS 15 using the absolute percentage of patients, the standard deviation, and the arithmetic average tests. Results: The best quality was showed by 1 and the worst quality was showed by 5. The best quality was in mission and goals and the score was 1.31. Conclusions: The results showed that the basic science department is favorable, but a strategic program is advised to improve the quality.

The Utah Center for Clinical and Translational Science: Transformation through Collaboration

The Intermountain West encompasses a 400,000 square mile area that includes the states of Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana. Within the region the University of Utah Health Sciences Center (UUHSC) is the only academic health center and Intermountain Healthcare (Intermountain), a not-for profit corporation, is the largest healthcare provider. The UUHSC and Intermountain are competitors for clinical market share in most service lines. Both UUHSC and Intermountain have significant research enterprises and each has different strengths. The University of Utah developed the first Biomedical Informatics Department in the nation, is internationally recognized for research in human genetics, and has robust programs in molecular medicine and other laboratory-based sciences. Intermountain is internationally recognized for health services research and programs in quality improvement. The impetus for collaboration in the research enterprise was however, limited before the national initiative to establish a consortium of academic health centers supported through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) clinical and translational science awards (CTSA). Here we describe the transformation of the clinical research environment in the Intermountain West as a result of the collaborative relationships developed between UUHSC and Intermountain following the establishment of the Utah Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) through the CTSA consortium. Founded in 1905, the University of Utah School of Medicine, located in Salt Lake City, houses 16 clinical and 6 basic science departments. In collaboration with UUHSC, the faculty and staff of the University of Utah educate and train healthcare professionals, conduct research, and provide medical care for adults and children in Utah and the surrounding Intermountain states. Intermountain Healthcare (Intermountain), founded in 1975, is a not-for-profit, integrated healthcare delivery system based in Salt Lake City, UT. Intermountain is the largest healthcare provider in the Intermountain West, providing healthcare services in southeastern Idaho plus the entire state of Utah and operating 23 inpatient facilities including one tertiary children’s hospital, Primary Children’s Medical Center [PCMC] in Salt Lake City, UT. Over 500 multi-specialty physicians are employed through the Intermountain Medical Group and hundreds of other affiliated providers practice in Intermountain hospitals and clinics. Within the region, competition related to clinical market share decreased the ability of institutions to collaborate. Exceptions included 1) the delivery of inpatient pediatric care at PCMC which is owned and operated by Intermountain and staffed by both UUHSC and Intermountain physicians and 2) the training of physicians to serve several western states in both urban and rural locations which resulted in a well-developed Affiliation Agreement defining teaching programs operated in several Intermountain hospitals for UUHSC trainees. Intermountain and UUHSC operate integrated residency and fellowship programs in medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, radiation therapy, and surgery. In contrast, the collaboration in the research enterprise for the past three decades had been limited to the efforts of individual investigators and there were no institutional policies or infrastructure to systematically support the research efforts across institutions or to share resources. The national competition to join the CTSA consortium provided an opportunity to re-evaluate the research relationship and to and develop and support research collaboration between both institutions. UUHSC and Intermountain joined forces in order to apply for a CTSA and to represent the Intermountain West in the consortium. The Utah Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) became part of the national CTSA consortium in 2008. Linkages created through the CCTS across both organizations have served to create productive and trusting work relationships, allowing us to provide a shared research infrastructure that takes advantage of our innovative systems and shared intellectual capital of personnel. These linkages have increased collaboration and resulted in significant benefits for both instituions.

Limitations on Diversity in Basic Science Departments

It has been over 30 years since the beginning of efforts to improve diversity in academia. We can identify four major stages: (1) early and continuing efforts to diversify the pipeline by increasing numbers of women and minorities getting advanced degrees, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); (2) requiring academic institutions to develop their own "affirmative action plans" for hiring and promotion; (3) introducing mentoring programs and coping strategies to help women and minorities deal with faculty practices from an earlier era; (4) asking academic institutions to rethink their practices and policies with an eye toward enabling more faculty diversity, a process known as institutional transformation. The thesis of this article is that research-intensive basic science departments of highly ranked U.S. medical schools are stuck at stage 3, resulting in a less diverse tenured and tenure-track faculty than seen in well-funded science departments of major universities. A review of Web-based records of research-intensive departments in universities with both medical school and nonmedical school departments indicates that the proportion of women and Black faculty in science departments of medical schools is lower than the proportion in similarly research-intensive university science departments. Expectations for faculty productivity in research-intensive medical school departments versus university-based departments may lead to these differences in faculty diversity.

Effectiveness of Cooperative Learning Strategies on Nigerian Junior Secondary Students’ Academic Achievement in Basic Science

Aims: This study investigated the effectiveness of cooperative learning strategies on Nigerian Junior Secondary students’ academic achievement in basic science. Study Design: Quasi experimental pretest – posttest – delayed posttest control group design was used by the researchers to carry out the study. Place and Duration of Study: CSIT department, faculty of education, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye and Basic science department, school of science, tai Solarin College of Education, Omu-Ijebu, South-west, Nigeria, between March 2009 and October 2010. Methodology: The treatments were at two levels: cooperative learning strategies (learning together and jigsaw II) and conventional lecture method, which was the control group. The moderating variable was anxiety (high and low). Total number of one hundred and twenty students (120) obtained from the intact classes of the three selected Junior Secondary Schools in South-west Nigeria participated in the study. Achievement Test for Basic Science Students (ATBSS), and Basic Science Anxiety Scale (BSAS) were the main Research Article British Journal of Education, Society & Behavioural Science, 2(3): 307-325, 2012 308 instruments used to collect data from students. Descriptive statistics and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) were used to analyze the data collected. Also Multiple Classification Analysis (MCA) was used to determine the magnitude of the mean achievement scores of students exposed to the different treatment conditions. Results: The results of this study indicated that there were significant main effects of treatment on all the dependent measures. There were also significant main effects of anxiety on the students’ post and delayed-post academic achievement scores in basic science. Furthermore, there were significant interaction effects of treatment and anxiety on the academic achievement of students at the posttest and delayed-posttest levels. Conclusion: This study revealed that students in the two cooperative learning strategy (Learning Together and Jigsaw II) groups had higher immediate and delayed academic achievement mean scores than the students in the conventional-lecture group. Learning together and Jigsaw II cooperative teaching strategies were found to be more effective in enhancing students’ academic achievement and retention in basic science more than the conventional-lecture. When friendliness is established, students are motivated to learn and are more confident to ask questions from one another for better understanding of the tasks being learnt.

Characteristics of Physicians Engaged in Basic Science: A Questionnaire Survey of Physicians in Basic Science Departments of a Medical School in Japan

The number of physicians engaged in basic science and teaching is sharply decreasing in Japan. To alleviate this shortage, central government has increased the quota of medical students entering the field. This study aimed to determine the characteristics of physicians who are engaged in basic science in efforts to recruit talent. A questionnaire was distributed to all 30 physicians in the basic science departments of Juntendo University School of Medicine. Question items inquired about sex, years since graduation, years between graduation and time entering basic science, clinical experience, recommending the career to medical students, expected obstacles to students entering basic science, efforts to inspire students in research, increased number of lectures and practical training sessions on research, and career choice satisfaction. Correlations between the variables were examined using χ(2) tests. Overall, 26 physicians, including 7 female physicians, returned the questionnaire (response rate 86.7%). Most physicians were satisfied with their career choice. Medical students were deemed not to choose basic science as their future career, because they aimed to become clinicians and because they were concerned about salary. Women physicians in basic science departments were younger than men. Women physicians also considered themselves to make more efforts in inspiring medical students to be interested in research. Moreover, physicians who became basic scientists earlier in their career wanted more research-related lectures in medical education. Improving physicians' salaries in basic science is important to securing talent. In addition, basic science may be a good career path for women physicians to follow.

The Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania: An Organizational Model for Clinical Research in a School of Medicine

A new model for the conduct of clinical research was established at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) School of Medicine, now the Perelman School of Medicine, through the development of the interdepartmental Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics in 1993 and the basic science Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology in 1994. The authors describe the development and evolution of these novel structures.Five key objectives were achieved with these structures' creation: (1) Clinical faculty have the opportunity to be identified as both clinicians and epidemiologists, (2) nonclinical faculty have an academic "home," (3) clinical trainees are now educated in population medicine, which promotes its incorporation into their clinical practice, (4) population medicine and clinical medicine have become fully integrated, and (5) better epidemiologic research is conducted, informed by clinical insights.Today's center is the primary home for epidemiology and biostatistics at Penn, linking epidemiology, biostatistics, clinical medicine, and the health sciences. The center's core faculty manage their own research programs, conduct primary research in epidemiology and biostatistics, serve as members of collaborative research teams, manage cores and service centers that support research projects, and lead graduate training programs in epidemiology and biostatistics. The department provides an academic home and structure for faculty, provides primary research in epidemiology and biostatistics, supports the center's mission, and provides training in biostatistics. This organizational approach has wide applicability across schools of medicine in the United States and abroad and has been a model for many.

Memories and Dreams

Memories and Dreams

Forging successful interdisciplinary research collaborations: A nationwide survey of departments of surgery

Our aim was to estimate the prevalence of academic surgeons engaged in interdisciplinary collaborations and identify success factors and challenges to establishing these collaborations. Chairs of surgery at US medical schools and selected hospitals and research institutes were surveyed in 2009 to determine the frequency, types, outcomes, and value of interdisciplinary collaborations; National Institutes of Health funding for these collaborations; major barriers and success factors; and departmental and institutional activities to promote collaborations. Eighty-two department chairs (58%) completed the survey. Ninety-three percent answered that their faculty engaged in interdisciplinary collaborations, and 71% stated that it was critical for their research success. On average, 27% of full-time MDs/MD-PhDs were involved in collaborations compared to 81% of PhDs within their departments. The most frequent collaborators included other clinical (43%) and basic science (24%) departments. Only 5% indicated that their most frequent collaborators were with other university programs, primarily with bioengineering or biomedical engineering. Collaborations resulted most often in publications, research opportunities for surgical residents, and National Institutes of Health funding. Pilot funding and active networking were key success factors. Longer chair tenure was statistically significantly associated with more success factors and fewer barriers to collaborations. Surgeons were much less likely to participate in institution-wide efforts than in departmental activities, although these activities were ongoing in more than two-thirds of institutions. Surgeons value collaborations as critical for their research success. Our survey indicates the potential for additional collaborations through more involvement with institutional efforts and with other university faculty. Stable, supportive department chairs are critical to establishing these activities.