Department Chairpersons Research Articles

What's preventing more prevention? Barriers to development at academic medical centers.

To determine the views of leaders in academic medicine concerning the need for programs in preventive medicine (PM) and the prevailing barriers to program development. Structured interviews. Medical schools of the United States. 90% of deans and chairpersons of departments of medicine and preventive medicine. None. 91% considered academic PM underdeveloped and 100% considered their own programs average or worse. Identified barriers to development included funding constraints, academic partiality to biomedicine, inadequate quality of preventive medicine research and faculty, public preferences for technologic care, and organization of academic medical centers (AMCs). While 80% perceived a shortage of able PM faculty and 60% considered PM research quality to be inadequate, only 12% of PM units gave research training high priority. While 95% of respondents held that AMCs should develop community programs and 75% identified social problems as a cause of chronic diseases, 65% agreed that community programs are not considered scholarly. Only 23% of PM units gave community service high priority. A policy contradiction exists: academic leadership agreed on the problems and needed changes in PM, yet the problems were often attributed to nonacademic sources, particularly finding and public preferences, and current academic practices commonly fail to address recognized developmental barriers within academic institutions. A chain of barriers is apparent. Breaking the chain may require a change in our understanding of the role of prevention.

Recruitment of minority physicians into careers in internal medicine.

Despite some initial success in the early 1970s, the important goal of increasing the numbers of underrepresented minorities in medical school and on medical faculties has stalled short of proportionate representation. To further the current efforts of the Association of Professors in Medicine (APM) and other national medical groups that are devoted to improving the numbers of minorities in medicine, ideas and program information must be shared among institutions. In this spirit, we review our experience at Massachusetts General Hospital. We found that the first step toward this goal must be an institutional commitment based on increased awareness and on special effort focused on housestaff recruitment. Once the numbers of minorities increase, the department chairperson, training program directors, and other involved faculty can work with younger minority physicians; the cooperative relationship thus created can guide the development of a strong minority recruitment program without requiring an undue time commitment from minority trainees and faculty. The APM has a combined goal: to achieve early practical results in individual departments, to play a catalytic role with the community and other national medical organizations, and to increase the number of minorities entering medical school and careers in medicine generally.

How Chairpersons Enhance Faculty Research: A Grounded Theory Study

This study examined how academic department chairpersons enhance the research performance of college and university faculty. Applying grounded theory methods to a national data base of thirty-three interviews with academic department chairpersons, the authors developed a typology of chair roles (administrative, advocacy, and interpersonal), then assessed the process of assistance for faculty at four career stages. The article includes a conceptual model and propositions for future testing.

The Supply of Primary Care Physicians

To the Editor. —The article by Politzer et al1makes a number of excellent points regarding increased output of primary care physicians by US medical schools. In particular, the recommendation to increase funding for training research and initiatives deserves careful analysis. Two related phenomena that were not mentioned warrant examination. They illustrate how perverse incentives within the funding mechanisms for medical schools can lead to the shortage of primary care physicians. First, students are actively dissuaded from primary care careers during medical school.2Second, medical schools in this country have become very expensive enterprises. Deans and department chairpersons have come to depend heavily on overhead from research grants to operate the institutions.3,4 The 8% overhead allowed for training and faculty development grants is not likely to capture the attention of deans to the same extent as the near 50% overhead for basic research. Unless the benefit to

Evaluating Responsibilities of the Department Chairperson

We describe an instrument and process for evaluating responsibilities of the department chairperson. The instrument is based on Knight and Holen s (1985) study that related responsibilities to two dimensions of effective leadership—initiating structure and consideration.

Adolescent suicide in orthodontics: Results of a survey

Suicide among adolescents is a psychosocial problem that confronts today's teenagers and society in alarming proportions. The wounds from this tragedy scar adolescents and their families both physically and emotionally. By virtue of a tradition for early treatment and the periodic nature of orthodontic care during critical psychologic development, the orthodontist is in a position to recognize early warning signs of adolescent suicide. A survey of 1000 practicing orthodontists and 54 department chairpersons of orthodontic postgraduate programs assessed the relevance of this issue to the profession, the nature of educational information previously and currently available in orthodontic curricula, and the frequency with which suicidal behavior is noted in orthodontic practice. Guidelines for recognition and intervention are provided. The results indicate that (1) adolescent suicide is of concern to orthodontists, (2) academic information has focused on the general aspects of psychology but not on the recognition and intervention, and (3) 50% of those surveyed have had at least one patient attempt suicide, whereas 25% have had a young patient actually commit suicide.

The Leadership of Department Chairpersons: Time/Resource Management, Rewards, Frustrations, and Role Satisfaction

This study identified modal patterns of time/resource management, rewards, frustrations, and job satisfaction among 109 department chairpersons. A Multiple R = .64 was attained for predicting satisfaction level. The complex role of chairperson requires new selection, training, and support systems in higher education.

The Effects of the Educational Reform Movement on Departments of Educational Leadership

This article reviews the types of revisions that preparation programs in educational leadership have begun to make in response to three related sets of pressures brought on by the reform movement of the 1980s: pressures bearing on school administrators from the larger reform agenda—that is, improving education across the board, general critiques of and calls for improvement in educational leadership, and specific analyses and demands for change in administrator preparation programs. The results are based on questionnaires completed by 74 chairpersons in departments of educational leadership. The emerging picture is mixed. On the one hand, departments of educational administration have begun to respond to the pressures for change. In addition, for better or worse, discernible patterns in these revisions are generally consistent with the implicit demands for improvement that lace the critical reviews of the field and with the more explicit recommendations contained in the reform reports of the National Policy Board for Educational Administration and the National Commission on Excellence in Educational Administration. On the other hand, the response has been moderate (at best) in intensity and mixed in focus.

First-line nurse administrators in academe: How are they prepared, what do they do, and will they stay in their jobs?

This article examines the role characteristics, responsibilities, and anticipated career patterns of first-line nurse administrators employed in university-based nursing education programs throughout the nation. First-line administration is the first level on the administrative ladder, and these administrators are most frequently entitled department chairpersons; division, program, and level directors; or coordinators. This was an exploratory and descriptive research project, and the questions addressed were (1) How are first-line nurse administrators in academe formally educated and informally prepared for their administrative role? (2) What are the administrative competencies important for this administrative role? (3) What strains, conflicts, and work overload are associated with the first-line administrative role, and what strategies are used to cope? (4) What do these administrators anticipate as a career pattern in administration based on their experiences as first-line administrators? Fifty-six first-line nurse administrators were interviewed from 42 schools of nursing that offer both bachelor's degree and graduate nursing programs. Data indicated that one third of the study participants completed graduate level courses in administration, and the majority had worked with administrative mentors. They ranked having character and integrity as their most important competency, which was defined as being trusted by faculty, other administrators, and students. Settling priorities for their administrative work caused them their greatest strain, and work overload was most predominant. Role conflict was present consistently as they attempted to meet the traditional triad of faculty responsibilities (research and scholarship, teaching, service) plus administrative duties. Numerous time-management strategies were used to cope, but nonetheless, one half will not continue in an administration career pathway. Implications for academic nurse administrators are cited.

The Effects of the Educational Reform Movement on Departments of Educational Leadership

This article reviews the types of revisions that preparation programs in educational leadership have begun to make in response to three related sets of pressures brought on by the reform movement of the 1980s: pressures bearing on school administrators from the larger reform agenda—that is, improving education across the board, general critiques of and calls for improvement in educational leadership, and specific analyses and demands for change in administrator preparation programs. The results are based on questionnaires completed by 74 chairpersons in departments of educational leadership. The emerging picture is mixed. On the one hand, departments of educational administration have begun to respond to the pressures for change. In addition, for better or worse, discernible patterns in these revisions are generally consistent with the implicit demands for improvement that lace the critical reviews of the field and with the more explicit recommendations contained in the reform reports of the National Policy Board for Educational Administration and the National Commission on Excellence in Educational Administration. On the other hand, the response has been moderate (at best) in intensity and mixed in focus.

Vision Research in Departments of Ophthalmology

A research committee of the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology disseminated a survey questionnaire to determine the state of research in departments of ophthalmology across the United States. The questionnaire contained 71 questions that were designed to assess attitudes and trends within members' departments and to solicit suggestions from the membership. Of the 145 members and affiliates queried, 140 responded. While the results of the survey indicate significant diversity among departments, departmental chairpersons view research as a major priority in the goals of their departments, and they envision maintenance or expansion of research over the next decade. The survey results have been collated and serve now as the basis for this Association of University Professors position article.

THE LEADERSHIP OF DEPARTMENT CHAIRPERSONS: TIME/RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, REWARDS, FRUSTRATIONS, AND ROLE SATISFACTION

This study identified modal patterns of time/resource management, rewards, frustrations, and job satisfaction among 109 department chairpersons. A Multiple R = .64 was attained for predicting satisfaction level. The complex role of chairperson requires new selection, training, and support systems in higher education.

APPOINTMENT VS ANOINTMENT

In recent years there has been difficulty in filling a large number of vacant positions for pediatrie department chairpersons. Coincidentally, the number of medical students interested in pursuing careers in pediatrics has decreased. While neither issue has received wide spread discussion or analysis, it occurs to me that they may be related. In most departments of pediatrics, one individual, the department chairperson, is charged with the responsibility of maintaining the quality of its major activities: training, acquiring new knowledge, and providingdirect medical care. Not having a chairperson can lead to suboptimal program development and low faculty morale. The perceptions of the students that we are trying to attract may be adversely affected by such conditions. The process of selecting a new department chairperson has changed very little over the last few decades despite dramatic changes in academic medicine. Some ofthese changes have led administrators to express

Book Reviews

Abstract Right Subtext, Wrong Sermon The Department Chairperson's Role in Enhancing College Teaching By Ann F. Lucas San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 1989, Number 37, 113 pages, $12.95 paperback Reviewed by Janet McNew Challenging “Academic Fundamentalism” and Other Dogmas Killing the Spirit: Higher Education in America By Page Smith NY: Viking, 1990, 315 pages, $19.95 Reviewed by John C. Chalberg A Valuable Resource Improving College Teaching By Maryellen Weimer San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1990, xix + 232 pages, index, $23.95 Reviewed by W. Lee Humphreys

Abuse of Medical Students

To the Editor. — The recent articles and editorial on medical student abuse induced feelings of anxiety and deja vu in me. 1-3 These studies, whatever their shortcomings, highlight an issue, recently addressed by Kanner in his book Becoming a Doctor , 4 that has been repressed too long. Unfortunately, the studies and editorial stopped short in recommending ways medical schools can change this environment. I would propose that the solution to this problem can be found in adopting and implementing sound educational principles in our medical schools. Historically, medical student abuse has been part of an educational tradition that dates back to apprenticeships before the establishment of medical schools in this country. To change this system is a monumental task that will require systematic, long-range, innovative planning and commitment initiated by our deans and influential department chairpersons. The power to suggest and help implement change rests at this level and

The Department Chairperson's Role in Enhancing College Teaching

The Department Chairperson's Role in Enhancing College Teaching

Evaluating the Evaluators: Accrediting Knowledge and the Ranking of Political Science Journals

The nature of the scientific enterprise requires that we, as professionals in the discipline of political science, do all we can to improve the quality of our collective endeavors. This means that we must give serious attention to practical concerns about how to evaluate our departments, our scholars in the field, and our individual research. As Christenson and Sigelman (1985, 964) note, all ideas win equal acceptance, and neither do all the scholars who generate these ideas or all the institutions that house these scholars. Giles, Mizel, and Patterson (1989, 613) state, publication in refereed journals is taken as a sine qua non for success in the discipline. It is generally accepted that tenure and promotion decisions, as well as merit salary increases, are heavily influenced by the quantity and quality of articles published in social science journals (Kawar, 1983; Giles, Patterson and Mizell, 1989). In addition, many library professionals are interested in the accreditation of knowledge for practical reasons. They assume that the quality of a journal affects user demand (Christenson and Sigelman, 1985). This recognition has stimulated recent attempts to rank political science journals to assist decisionmakers in evaluating faculty (see, for example, Giles, Mizel, and Patterson 1989) and presumably to assist library personnel in journal selection. In the first generation of research on this issue, two approaches have been used: the approach by Giles (1975; 1989) and his colleagues; and the approach used by Christenson and Sigelman (1985). The reputational approach surveys a representative sample of political scientists and asks them to evaluate selected journals. Respondents are typically asked to rate each journal in terms of the quality of its articles on a scale from 0 to 10 (i.e., poor to outstanding). The impact approach relies on assessing political science journals by ranking them by the number of citations of articles published in a particular year, divided by the total number of articles published (i.e., the ratio of citations to citable items for a given journal; see Christenson and Sigelman, 1985). Whether or not such attempts assist departmental chairpersons, faculty, and librarians depends, in part, on the credibility of the indices. While both of these approaches have been useful in the initial evaluation of a journal's status, they have limitations: they are based on soft data of rather limited utility or they are based on criteria too restricted for evaluating a journal's total significance.

DeWitt Clinton and the Rise of Urban New York

Journal Article DeWitt Clinton and the Rise of Urban New York Get access David W. Fuchs David W. Fuchs David W. Fuchs is principal and former history department chairperson of DeWitt Clinton High School, Bronx, New York. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar OAH Magazine of History, Volume 5, Issue 2, Fall 1990, Pages 63–67, https://doi.org/10.1093/maghis/5.2.63 Published: 01 September 1990

Postdoctoral Programs in Marketing: An Empirical Investigation of the "Retooling" Process

The recent increase in interest in structural factors contributing to marketing thought development has grown primarily out of the work of the AMA Task Force on Marketing Thought Development. One aspect of marketing thought development briefly discussed but not elaborated on by the task force is the role of "retooling" programs in preparing nonmarketing Ph.D.s for careers in academic marketing. This important topic has received very little empirical investigation. The current study presents the results of an empirical investigation which studied the perception of retooling programs and retooled academics by marketing department heads and chairpersons in the United States. The results bring a clear focus to the role that such programs can play in both marketing education and marketing thought development. They also indicate some of the promise and potential limitations of these programs.

Sport Psychology as Viewed by Chairpersons of APA-Approved Clinical Psychology Programs

Departmental chairpersons of American Psychological Association-approved clinical psychology programs responded to a questionnaire concerned with selected aspects of sport psychology. Of 147 chairs, 102 (69.4%) returned the instrument. The nine questions comprising the instrument were aimed at assessing the current perception of and future predictions for sport psychology. Data analysis is supportive of the viability of sport psychology but also indicates that it is not a major curricular component in selected psychology departments at the present time. Sport psychology appears to be positively perceived by the current respondents, and there is little evidence of an impending turf war between psychology and physical education over who will control the field. However, the use of the term sport psychologist is seen as contentious in view of state/provincial licensing laws, but no clear-cut answer to credentialing is foreseen.