Research Centers and Institutes in U.S. Medical Schools: A Descriptive Analysis

Abstract

Research centers and institutes are a common mechanism to organize and facilitate biomedical research at medical schools and universities. The authors report the results of a study on the size, scope, and range of activities of 604 research centers and institutes at research-intensive U.S. medical schools and their parent universities. Centers and institutes with primary missions of patient care, education, or outreach were not included. The findings indicate that, in addition to research, centers and institutes are involved in a range of activities, including education, service, and technology transfer. The centers and institutes the authors studied were more interdisciplinary than those included in previous studies on this topic. Most research centers and institutes did not have authority comparable to academic departments. Only 22% of centers directly appointed faculty members, and most center directors reported to a medical school dean or a department chair. A small group of centers and institutes ("power centers"), however, reported to a university president or provost, and may have considerable power and influence in academic decision making and resource allocation. Two main types of centers and institutes emerge from this research. The first type, which includes the vast of majority of centers, is modest in its scope and marginal in its influence. The second type--with greater amounts of funding, larger staffs, and direct access to institutional decisionmakers--may have a more significant role in the organization and governance of the medical school and university and in the ways that researchers interact within and across academic divisions.

Commentary: Advancing the Research Mission in an Academic Department: The Creation of a Center for Translational Medicine

“…In the largest analysis to date of centers and institutes in US medical schools, Mallon and Bunton found that only 15% of the 600 centers that were studied were based in only a single department. 4 Th ey described two primary types of centers. Th e fi rst, comprising the vast majority of centers, was described as being "modest" or "marginal. "…”

“…Th is was based on the fi nding that small centers "must work collaboratively with academic departments and other centers to achieve their goals and mission because they had no control of faculty appointment and compensation and did not have substantial resources." 4 Representing only 10-15% of centers, the second type of center was characterized as having a signifi cant role in the organization and governance of the medical school and university, researchers who crossed departmental lines, direct reporting to a university president or provost, large staff s, substantial fi nancial resources, and a high level of institutional prestige and visibility. 4 Th ree quarters of all centers had 20 or fewer faculty members and 10 or fewer professional research staff , postdoctoral appointees, and graduate students.…”

“…4 Th ey described two primary types of centers. Th e fi rst, comprising the vast majority of centers, was described as being "modest" or "marginal. "…”

“…In 2005, Mallon and Burt reported the results of a survey of 604 such centers and institutes at 57 researchintensive universities. 4 No studies have addressed the value of creating a research center (much less a center for translational research) within the structure of a single department.A department of medicine can be viewed as a microcosm of a medical school, which is made up of between 10 and 15 diff erent divisions; an individual divison may be bigger than many if not most medical school departments. Historically, department chairs have attempted to build research programs in each division of the department and oft en these individual programs have had little intellectual or scientifi c crosstalk.…”

“…In 2005, Mallon and Burt reported the results of a survey of 604 such centers and institutes at 57 researchintensive universities. 4 No studies have addressed the value of creating a research center (much less a center for translational research) within the structure of a single department.…”