An old problem that may be getting worse.

摘要

In their manuscript, "National Institutes of Health Funding for Surgical Research," published in this issue of Annals of Surgery, Drs. Mann, Tendulkar, Birger, Howard, and Ratcliffe revisit a longstanding concern of academic surgeons-that "surgeon-scientists are disadvantaged" when it comes to competing for funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Mann and his colleagues reviewed NIH data on applications for research project grants (RPGs) over the past 2 decades and then applied that information to an American Association of Medical Colleges database pertaining to faculty positions. The authors concluded that, when compared with other medical disciplines, there is a significant (and worrisome) decline in the number of applications for RPGs submitted to the NIH by MD surgeon faculty. The issues the authors cite have been a great worry for many years, not just for academic surgeons and their department chairs, but for the deans of medical schools who must weigh decisions concerning resource allocation and indirect cost income. Young people considering career options in academic medicine are often deterred by the prospect of a long and arduous surgical training program added to the time it takes to complete their MD or MD/PhD. These students also express serious reservations as to the true commitment of today's surgery department to the support of laboratory research.