FIMA Year Book 2009 - Federation of Islamic Medical Associations

Clinicians As Effective ResearchersIntroductionIn December 2006, I was asked to helpdevelop the research program at KingFahd Medical City (KFMC), a newtertiary care hospital in Riyadh, SaudiArabia, consisting of four hospitals— general, rehabilitation, women’s,children’s — staffed by professionalsfrom all parts of the world. As I beganto establish the institutional reviewboard (IRB) and plant the seeds fora research enterprise, some of thefrequently heard responses were: “Whybother doing research in a clinicallyoriented hospital devoted to patientcare?” “We are clinically oriented anddo not have the expertise or know-howto do meaningful research.” “We donot have the time.” “We already have ajob.” “Give me the space and staff and Iwill do the research.” I could add manymore comments to the ones listed.As I began to ponder the strategy todevelop and answer some of thesereal concerns, I reflected on my ownexperience in the United States, whereafter basic medical training in Kashmir,with no experience in research, I endedup, unplanned I might add, doing a fairamount of clinical research. Over a twodecade period, the research resultedin substantial grants and publications,including some original observations.I reflected on the studies that resultedin grants totaling more than U.S. $2.5million from the National Institutesof Health (NIH), World HealthOrganization (WHO), AmericanLung Association, and pharmaceuticalsponsors. Additionally, as chair ofmedicine at Nassau County MedicalCenter in New York, my departmentreceived an additional $4 million ingrants for the state’s primary careupweighting program and the HIV/AIDS Designated Center.As I shared my experience with theinterested staff at KFMC, the interestslowly started to blossom. One of themost popular presentations I madeat KFMC and other institutions was“Clinicians as Effective Researchers.” Inthis article, I will briefly outline the keycharacteristics of a successful clinicalresearcher, relying heavily upon mypersonal experience. Clinicians needa supportive environment within theinstitution and also a country thatunderstands and invests in research anddevelopment with the anticipation oflong-term benefits for the community.The institutional and national prioritieswill not be addressed in detail in thisarticle.Individual’s RoleThe key element needed in a researcheris curiosity. The researcher should notbe afraid to ask questions and shouldbe willing to follow through and takechances. A few historical examples willbring home this point:Werner ForssmannIn 1929, Werner Forssmann, 25-yearoldintern from Germany, had beendeeply impressed by a sketch in hisphysiology textbook showing a FrenchFIMA YearBook 2009128