KEY INITIATIVE:
RECRUITMENT OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATORS

Organizational Priority #1

Improve infrastructure and develop new services for intramural clinical research program to support growth in clinical activity.

Leader(s)

Michael Gottesman, John Gallin

Collaborators

Medical Executive Committee, Clinical Research Revitalization Committee (Stephen Straus), NIH Office of Medical Education

Description

A key component to developing a strong clinical research program is the ability to maintain a healthy pipeline of clinical investigators. The intramural clinical research program must create an environment that attracts talented clinician scientists to seek career opportunities at NIH, including adequate space in which to conduct studies. Attracting clinical investigators has received heightened attention in the last few years including the Advisory Committee to the Director, NIH (co-chaired by Drs. Gail Cassell and Paul Marks) "Report on the Intramural Research Program" in April 1994 and the intramural program committee (chaired by Dr. Stephen Straus) "Report on Recruitment and Career Development of Clinical Investigators" in March 1997. The Clinical Center must partner with the efforts of the intramural programs to make the infrastructure improvements needed to directly support recruitment of the best clinical investigators.

Accomplishments-to-Date

• Straus committee identified recruitment of clinical investigators as a key target area for improvement
• Pace for tenuring clinical investigators has been accelerated
• Current volume of NIH advertisements for clinical investigators has risen (about 35% of the most recent 50 ads were NIH recruitments)
• CC Advisory Council and others identified space as rate-limiting factor in investigator recruitment
• CC Board of Governors invited the Deputy Director for Intramural Research to address space concerns in the intramural program at January 29, 1999 meeting

FY2000 Goals

• Foster enhanced collaboration in the intramural program to address this issue
• Identify additional space to support clinical research functions