Full-time Medical School Faculty Research Articles

Factors Influencing Retirement Decisions of Senior Faculty at U.S. Medical Schools: Are There Gender-Based Differences?

Purpose: Women comprise almost one-third of academic medicine faculty 60 years of age and older. Gender disparities have been documented across many measures in medicine, including salary, promotion rates, and leadership positions and may impact long-term career and retirement decisions. The authors sought to describe gender differences in retirement decisions among late-career, full-time medical school faculty. Materials and Methods: The authors conducted a secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data from a 2017 survey of faculty 55 years of age and older at 14 U.S. Medical Schools. Responses were compared for differences by gender using bivariate and multivariable analyses. Results: Among the 2,126 respondents (41% response rate), the majority were male (67%) and the average age was 62. Less than half (45%) had current plans to retire and 50% reported that they would consider working part time. Women faculty were less likely to be professors or on a tenure track and more likely to be single and report past and current caregiving responsibilities. Women differed from men in the personal and professional factors influencing retirement decisions with women more likely to identify health insurance, sense of burnout, lack of access to career advancing resources and opportunities, feeling devalued at work, and caregiving responsibilities as important issues. Conclusions: Women late-career faculty report unique and salient factors influencing retirement plans that may reflect cumulative gender-based career differences and disparities. Institutions should be aware of these differences and work to support women during late career and retirement transitions, including creating opportunities for faculty to remain engaged in meaningful work during retirement transitions if they desire to do so.

Prevalence of caregiving and high caregiving strain among late-career medical school faculty members: workforce, policy, and faculty development implications

BackgroundNearly one-third of medical school faculty members are age 55 + . As our population ages, the prevalence of family caregiving is increasing, yet we know very little about the caregiving experiences of aging faculty members in academic medicine. Faculty caregiving responsibilities coupled with projected physician shortages will likely impact the future academic medical workforce. We examined the prevalence of caregiving, concomitant caregiving strain, general well-being, and thoughts about retirement for medical school faculty members age 55 and older.MethodsWe analyzed data from a survey of 2,126 full-time medical school faculty 55 + years of age conducted in 2017. Chi-square tests of independence and independent samples t-tests were used to examine statistical differences between subgroups.ResultsOf the 5,204 faculty members invited to complete the parent survey, 40.8% participated (N = 2126). Most were male (1425; 67.2%), White (1841; 88.3%), and married/partnered (1803; 85.5%). The mean age was 62.3 years. Of this sample, 19.0% (n = 396) reported providing care on an on-going basis to a family member, friend, or neighbor with a chronic illness or disability, including 22.4% (n = 154) of the female respondents and 17.3% (n = 242) of the male respondents. Among the caregiving faculty members, 90.2% reported experiencing some or a lot of mental or emotional strain from caregiving. Caregivers gave lower ratings of health, social and emotional support, and quality of life, but greater comfort in religion or spirituality than non-caregivers. Both caregiving and non-caregiving faculty members estimated retiring from full-time employment at age 67.8, on average.ConclusionThese data highlight caregiving responsibilities and significant concomitant mental or emotional strain of a significant proportion of U.S. medical schools’ rapidly aging workforce. Human resource and faculty development leaders in academia should strategically invest in policies, programs, and resources to meet these growing workforce needs.

Compensation and advancement of women in academic medicine: Is there equity?

The number of women entering academic medicine is at least equal to their male colleagues. Most studies have found that women do not advance in academic rank as fast as men and that their salaries are not as great. These studies, however, have typically not had the data to examine equity, that is, do women receive similar rewards for similar achievement? This study examined equity in promotion and salary for female vs male medical school faculty nationally. A survey questionnaire was mailed to 24 randomly selected medical schools in the contiguous United States, and 1814 full-time medical school faculty members in 1995 to 1996 participated. They were stratified by gender, specialty, and graduation cohort. Promotion and compensation of academic medical school faculty were measured. Among the 1814 faculty respondents (response rate, 60%), female faculty were less likely to be full professors than were men with similar professional roles and achievement. Large deficits in rank for senior faculty women were confirmed in logistic models that accounted for a wide range of other professional characteristics and achievements, including total career publications, years of seniority, hours worked per week, department type, minority status, medical vs non-medical final degree, and school. Similar multivariate modeling also confirmed gender inequity in compensation. Although base salaries of nonphysician faculty are gender comparable, female physician faculty have a noticeable deficit (−$11,691; P = .01). Furthermore, both physician and nonphysician women with greater seniority have larger salary deficits (−$485 per year of seniority; P = .01). Female medical school faculty members neither advance as rapidly nor compensated as well as professionally similar male colleagues. Deficits for female physicians are greater than those for nonphysician female faculty, and for both physicians and non-physicians, women's deficits are greater for faculty with more seniority. Limitations include self-reported data, the 60% response rate, and the survey is almost a decade old. Strengths include its national scope, detailed data on factors that are likely to drive compensation and promotion, and careful analyses that adjust for diverse confounders. Recommendations include an increase in institutional transparency of promotion and compensation practices.—Hans E. Grossniklaus

Educational programs in US medical schools, 2003-2004.

US medical schools continue to change their organizational structures, staffing patterns, and educational programs. To review the status of US medical school educational programs in the 2003-2004 academic year, compared with 1993-1994. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) Annual Medical School Questionnaire for 2003-2004 and the Association of American Medical Colleges Directory of American Medical Education for the years 1983-1984, 1993-1994, and 2003-2004. The number of full-time faculty members in the 126 LCME-accredited medical schools increased from 90 975 in 1993-1994 to 114 549 in 2003-2004 (+26%), whereas the number of enrolled students remained essentially unchanged (66 453 in 1993-1994 and 67 166 in 2003-2004). In 2003-2004, 48% of medical school deans held another title at the medical center or university level, such as vice president for health affairs. There are 94 medical schools that have a comprehensive clinical examination using the standardized patient/objective structured clinical examination format; 59 schools require students to pass this examination for graduation. As of spring 2004, 58 schools will require students in the class of 2005 to pass the new US Medical Licensing Examination Step 2 Clinical Skills examination. The role of the medical school dean has expanded over time and is associated with the creation of a discrete administrative structure for the educational program. The number of full-time medical school faculty continues to increase, whereas the number of enrolled students remains steady. Considerable variability exists among medical schools in their use of standardized clinical evaluations.

History of Research Activities at Baylor University Medical Center

By the early years of the 21st century, Baylor Health Care System (BHCS) and Baylor University Medical Center (BUMC) had a well-developed research center-Baylor Research Institute (BRI)—that was able to sponsor significant basic and clinical research, with an emphasis on immunology. Even absent a large, full-time medical school faculty, Baylor had by the 1980s earned high standing in research—standing comparable to that of large, well-regarded community medical centers elsewhere in America. This article documents early research efforts, the founding of BRI and the Baylor Institute for Immunology Research (BIIR), administrative activities of BRI, and current research activities.

Educational programs in US medical schools, 2001-2002.

We used data mainly from the 2001-2002 Liaison Committee on Medical Education Annual Medical School Questionnaire, which had a 100% response rate, to describe the status of US medical education programs. In 2001-2002, the number of full-time medical school faculty members was 104 949, a 2.4% increase from 1999-2000. The 34,859 applicants for the class entering in 2001 represented a 9.5% decrease from the number of applicants in 1999-2000. There were 2 applicants for every acceptance, and the academic qualifications of medical students entering in 2001 were unchanged from 1999. Women comprised 47.8% of entering students in 2001, and 13.1% were members of underrepresented minority groups. Of all first-year students, 67% were in-state residents. Most medical schools had mandatory required night call during at least some required clinical clerkships, but only 17 had formal policies on medical student work hours. In 74 schools (60%), medical students were required to pass Steps 1 and 2 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination to advance or graduate.

Educational programs in US medical schools, 2000-2001.

We used data from the 2000-2001 Liaison Committee on Medical Education Annual Medical School Questionnaire, which had a 100% response rate, and other sources to describe the status of medical education programs in the United States. In 2000-2001, the number of full-time medical school faculty members was 103, 553, a 1.1% increase from 1999-2000. The 37, 092 applicants for the class entering in 2000 represented a 3.7% decrease from the number of applicants in 1999. The majority of medical schools (58%) were in the process of major curriculum review and change during 2000-2001. In 72 schools (58%), students were required to pass both Steps 1 and 2 of the United States Medical Licensing Examinations to advance or graduate. The availability of patients to participate in clinical teaching during 2000-2001 decreased in almost half of schools compared with 1999-2000. Many schools reported difficulty in recruiting or retaining volunteer faculty members to provide clinical education in the community. Forty medical schools provided monetary payment to some or all community volunteer faculty members.

Identifying population health faculty in U.S. medical schools

Context: An Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) panel has proposed the components of a population health (PH) curriculum for U.S. medical schools. Do schools have the trained faculty to teach these subjects well? Objective: Determine the number and location of full-time medical school faculty formally trained in the population health sciences through an MPH degree, a public health (PH)–related doctoral degree, a residency in preventive medicine, or board certification in preventive medicine in 1990 and 1998. Design: This is a descriptive study based on the AAMC Faculty Roster System that includes information about all full-time U.S. medical school faculty. Results: In 1998, 2007 out of a total of 88,782 full-time medical school faculty had MPH degrees and 1214 had a PH-related doctoral degree. A total of 484 faculty had residency training in preventive medicine while 279 had passed the preventive medicine board examination. Faculty with these various degrees are distributed among multiple departments. Since 1990, most growth in new faculty formally trained in the population health sciences has been in family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics rather than preventive medicine. Conclusions: Full-time medical school faculty with MPH degrees and PH-related doctoral degrees have grown faster than total faculty since 1990. Faculty with residency training or board certification in preventive medicine have grown much more slowly. Faculty formally trained in the PH sciences are distributed among departments of preventive medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics, among others. Unfortunately, a significant number of medical schools have very few faculty formally trained in the PH sciences. The implications of this distribution for the education of medical students are discussed.

Educational programs in US medical schools, 1997-1998.

To describe the current status of medical education programs in the United States, we used data from the 1997-1998 Liaison Committee on Medical Education Annual Medical School Questionnaire, which had a 100% response rate, and from other sources. There were 96733 full-time medical school faculty members, a 1.2% increase from 1996-1997. The 43020 applicants for the class entering in 1997 represents an 8.4% decrease from 1996. The number of 1997 applicants who were members of underrepresented minority groups decreased 11.1 % from 1996, and the number of entering underrepresented minority group students decreased 8.4%. More than half of medical schools reported that the number of inpatients available for medical student education had decreased in at least some of their clinical sites or in some disciplines during the past 2 years. Thirty-nine medical schools (31.2%) reported having more difficulty recruiting or retaining volunteer clinical faculty to participate in medical student teaching in 1997 than in 1995.

Educational Programs in US Medical Schools, 1996-1997

We use data from the 1996-1997 Liaison Committee on Medical Education Annual Medical School Questionnaire, which had a 100% response rate, to describe medical education programs in the United States. In the 1996-1997 academic year, there were 95 568 full-time medical school faculty members, a 4.5% increase from 1995-1996. In clinical departments, the largest increases were in emergency medicine (a 29% increase from 1995-1996) and family medicine (a 13% increase). Of all full-time faculty members in clinical departments, 76.9% have an MD or DO as the highest degree, 4.5% have both an MD and PhD, 13.9% have a PhD, and 4.7% have an academic or professional bachelor's or master's degree as their final degree. The total number of applicants for the class entering in 1996 was 46968 (0.8% increase from 1995), while the number of first-time applicants decreased 1% from 1995. First-year medical students who were members of underrepresented minority groups numbered 2236, a 4% decrease from 1995. In 1996-1997, the total number of medical students was 66712 (0.3% less than in 1995-1996). For students graduating during the 1995-1996 academic year, 13% took longer than 4 years to complete the program. There were 47 medical schools that reported that 1 or more hospitals used for required clinical clerkships had changed ownership, merged, or closed during 1996. Medical schools used an average of 6 (range, 1-36) hospitals for core clinical clerkship. Ninety-five schools required a passing grade on Step 1 of the US Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) for promotion or graduation; 54 schools required a passing grade on Step 2 of the USMLE.

The art of mentoring

While the golden era of mentoring may have been the age of apprentice ships in medicine, the birth of the clinical clerkship in the late 1800s provided the structure for the relationship between faculty and medical student. The last few decades, however, have seen a dramatic change in the availability of faculty to mentor students in clinical teaching settings despite a 600% increase in the number of clinical full-time medical school faculty. This work explores some of the reasons for this deterioration in mentoring and looks at the role of the mentor in professional development, specifically in the area of medical education. Recommendations for implementing structured mentoring programs within a department of surgery are provided. The article concludes with discussion of individual characteristics of the effective mentor in surgical education.

Women in Academic Medicine

Women now constitute 43% of US medical students, 37% of residents, and 27% of full-time medical school faculty. Less than 11% of women faculty are full professors, however, compared to 31% of men, and these proportions haven't changed in more than 15 years. Since the proportion of women reaching the top ranks remains relatively low, the pool of women available for leadership positions in academic medicine is still small. This review article first summarizes recent data on women's representation in academic medicine and then discusses why they are not succeeding at the same pace as men. Reasons include a complex combination of women's choices, sexism, cultural stereotypes, constraints in combining family responsibilities with professional opportunities, and lack of effective mentoring. Multiple approaches are required to overcome these "cumulative disadvantages," among them improving the gender climate at academic medical centers; the mentoring of women faculty, residents, and students; and skill-building opportunities for women.

Women in medical education. A status report.

Women now make up 37 percent of medical school applicants, 34 percent of medical students, 28 percent of residents, and 19 percent of full-time medical school faculty members. These proportions have grown from 26, 25, 19, and 15 percent, respectively, 10 years ago. A comparison of the academic performance of male and female medical students reveals few differences, particularly on standardized measures. However, women trainees experience more stress than men. Traditional differences in the choice of specialty by men and women are not diminishing. Women's accession to senior faculty positions has not kept pace with their increasing representation on the faculty--a cause of continuing concern. The percentage of female faculty members who are professors has changed from 8 to 9 percent in 10 years (as compared with 32 percent of male faculty members in 1988). I conclude that the numbers of women are increasing rapidly at the lower levels of medical education, but not at the upper levels.

American Gastroenterological Association: Results of a membership poll

The Patient Care Committee of the American Gastroenterological Association determined that no data existed on the views or demographics of our rapidly growing membership. A 48-item questionnaire was developed and administered during 1982–1983. A random sample (232 of 2751 active members) was queried; 85% (196) replied and all returns were correctly completed. Respondents rate the American Gastroenterological Association as “somewhat responsive” to practitioners' needs but closer to “extremely responsive” to the needs of academic physicians. Full-time medical school faculty average 33% of their time in direct (digestive disease related) patient care, with 15% spent on endoscopy; non-faculty members spend 56% of their time on such care and 22% on endoscopy. Only 2% of the 22% of members who do some “bench research” are < 35 yr old compared with 7% of the general membership. Most (97.9%) members have attended a Digestive Disease Week in the last 5 yr; they averaged 3.9 meetings and 2.5 courses. Members rank both Digestive Disease Week and GASTROENTEROLOGY a little toward the “research side” of a perfect balance.

Economic Incentives of Faculty Practice

MANY factors influence what medical schools, teaching hospitals, and clinical faculty do. As in every sphere of human activity, however, economic incentives are important determinants.^1-3After World War II, a major economic incentive for medical schools was emerging federal largesse in support of biomedical research. Since the 1960s, however, a growing economic incentive has been revenue from patient care by full-time clinical faculty. Growing public support of medical research has had a profound and mostly positive influence on the financing of medical schools, the number and interests of faculty, and the education and training of young physicians.^4,5While this research support expanded the number of full-time medical school faculty, it also progressively reduced the proportion of physicians in private practice who contributed to patient care and training programs. It changed faculty attitudes toward medical schools by causing them to identify more with extramural funding sources than with their

Women in Pediatric Academia

Over the past decade, the number of women medical students in this country has risen substantially; however, there has not been a parallel rise in the proportion of women faculty members with MD degrees. In 1967 to 1968 women comprised 13.3% of the 17,801 full-time faculty at medical schools in the United States; only 8.9% of these women faculty members had MD degrees. Ten year later in 1977 to 1978, women were 15.2% of the 41,161 full-time medical school faculty with only 10.5% of the women with MD degrees (Table 1). The largest number of female faculty members was found in the following departments: physical medicine, pediatrics, public health, anesthesiology, and psychiatry. The smallest number of women faculty members was found in surgery and orthopedic surgery.1 A national statistical survey by Farrell et al2 from catalogs from 102 medical schools in the United States provides the first comprehensive report of the extent and pattern of underuse of women physicians in medical academia. In this study, women were found to be clustered in the untenured, and/or lower faculty positions. Witte et al,3 in a report of women physicians in the US medical schools in 1976 found that women professors comprised only 2.9% and associate professors 4.4% of the tenured and/or senior faculty positions. Even in the field of pediatrics, where there are a larger number of women faculty, only 11.7% held a tenured faculty appointment. The status and problems of women in medicine and women in academia have been the subject of several recent reports.4-8

The community as preclinical classroom

The required first-year clerkship in family and community medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School is a major curricular innovation which has implications for physician education. Students have lived in communities and worked in health service settings with field sponsors, under full-time faculty guidance, in all regions of Massachusetts. This has been one answer to the school's mandate to address the physician maldistribution problem. The goals and objectives and the teaching methods used to implement the program are described. These lessons were drawn from the program experience: community medicine clerkships belong in the first year of the curriculum; full-time medical school faculty working with the field sponsor promotes an optimal learning environment; long-term evaluation remains an important consideration. The first eight years of experience with the clerkship have demonstrated its value, and it should be considered for inclusion in the curriculum of other medical schools.

Compensation of full-time medical school faculty, 1979-80.

Log in or Register Subscribe to journalSubscribe Get new issue alertsGet alerts Enter your Email address: Wolters Kluwer Health may email you for journal alerts and information, but is committed to maintaining your privacy and will not share your personal information without your express consent. For more information, please refer to our Privacy Policy. Subscribe to eTOC Secondary Logo Journal Logo All Articles Images Videos Podcasts Blogs Advanced Search Toggle navigation Subscribe Register Login Articles & Issues Current IssuePrevious IssuesPublished Ahead-of-Print Collections Editorials of Laura Weiss Roberts, MD, MAAM Last PageCOVID-19 and Medical EducationAddressing Race and Racism in Medical EducationeBooksView All For Authors Submit a ManuscriptInformation for AuthorsLanguage Editing ServicesAuthor Permissions Journal Info About the JournalAbout the AAMCJournal MastheadSubmit a ManuscriptAdvertising InformationSubscription ServicesReprints and Back IssuesClassified AdsRights and PermissionsFor ReviewersFor MediaFor Trainees All Articles Images Videos Podcasts Blogs Advanced Search

Physician reporting of venereal disease in the USA.

The article summarizes results of a survey of the number of cases of infectious syphilis other syphilis and gonorrhea treated by all medical and osteopathic physicians in private practice in the U.S. from April 1 to June 30 1968. The purpose of the survey was to supplement information gathered by public agencies and to provide more accurate breakdown of incidence by state and major city. The survey utilized mail questionnaires to elicit information from 206283 medical and osteopathic physicians in private practice including fulltime medical school faculty whose names appeared in lists maintained by the American Medical and American Osteopathic Associations covering the U.S. and Puerto Rico. 65.3% of physicians approached responded; 43720 or 32.5% of these respondents had treated 1 or more cases. The survey found that only 12% of infectious syphilis cases 33.1% of other syphilis cases and 10.9% of gonorrhea cases treated by private physicians are reported to the public health authorities. Comparison of the findings of this survey with a similar national survey conducted by the American Social Health Association in 1962 shows improvement in reporting by private physicians. Percentage reporting in 1962 computed by 1962 method was 11.3 for infectious syphilis 37.5 for other syphilis and 10.8 for gonorrhea and went up to 18.7 51.2 and 16.9 respectively 1968. Computation by a different 1968 method shows a similar trend: the percentage reporting in 1962 was 8.1 for infectious syphilis 26.9 for other syphilis and 7.7 for gonorrhea and rose to 12.0 33.1 and 10.9 respectively in 1968. The total number of cases estimated shows a net decline of 31235 for infectious syphilis but a net increase of 378456 for gonorrhea between 1962 and 1968. The findings support the view of public health authorities that vigorous identification and treatment of all sexual contacts of all persons with infectious syphilis will progressively reduce incidence further and that there is urgent need for increased planning and financing of gonorrhea control programs.

Undergraduate Medical Education

The number of applicants to US medical schools continued to decline, while the number of accepted applicants increased slightly. From 1987-1988 to 1988-1989 academic years, the number of first-year medical students (including repeaters) who were white non-Hispanic males decreased 2.5%, the number of black non-Hispanic males decreased 6.3%, and the number of Asians or Pacific Islander males increased 10.3%. During the same period, the number of first-year students who were white non-Hispanic females decreased 0.8%, the number of black non-Hispanic females decreased 4.8%, and the number of Asians or Pacific Islander females increased 13.7%. Women constituted one third of the entering class in the 1988-1989 academic year. During the past 5 years, the ratio of full-time medical school faculty to medical students increased from 0.88 to 1.08. About 4.8% of budgeted full-time faculty positions were unfilled, down from 5% in the 1987-1988 academic year. However, in the 1988-1989 academic year, more than 5% of positions were unfilled in microbiology, anesthesiology, dermatology, family medicine, neurology, obstetrics-gynecology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, pediatrics, and surgery. Many schools are showing signs of adopting new curricular approaches. A majority of medical schools have implemented many recommendations of the GPEP Report, at least at some level. Problem-based learning is present in the curriculum of 82% of schools, mainly as an experience in one or a few courses. In about two-thirds of schools, computer-based instruction is a formal part of one or more courses or laboratories. Thus, the medical schools appear to be addressing the challenges presented by the changing environment of medical education.