To the Editor: In an insightful article discussing the research and scholarship experience at Duke and Stanford, Laskowitz et al1 highlight the challenge of ensuring that students have adequate time for scholarly concentrations (SCs), given multiple competing demands within the already dense medical school curriculum. For example, at Duke the time dedicated to research during year 3 has shortened from 10 to 12 months to less than 4 months. However, the consequences of abbreviating the SC experience are not discussed. Likewise absent from Bierer and Chen's2 otherwise excellent review is a discussion of the relationship between SC time and meaningful outcomes. Such information could help guide educators faced with the challenge of implementing or maintaining SCs. In a 2008 study,3 we evaluated the relationship between time allotted for an SC (in this case, a required medical school research experience) and research productivity, as determined by peer-reviewed full-length articles (retrieved from Medline) related to the student's required research experience, published abstracts, and extramural research presentations. Over the course of the study, the duration of the SC progressively shortened from 21 to 17 or 18 and then to 13 weeks. We found no differences across these varying durations in the proportion of students publishing an article or abstract or presenting at a scientific meeting. Our results suggest that shorter SCs may facilitate research productivity similar to that facilitated by longer SCs. As Bierer and Chen2 suggested, more rigorous research designs and greater use of conceptual frameworks will deepen our understanding of how SCs affect learners' behaviors. In addition, we must clarify how SC features such as duration, structure (e.g., focused blocks versus a longitudinal experience), and mentoring influence meaningful outcomes. Liselotte N. Dyrbye, MD, MHPE Associate professor of medicine, College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota; [email protected]. David Cook, MD, MHPE Professor of medicine and director, Office of Education Research, College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.