2009 DOM Annual Report - Department of Medicine - University of ...

Department of MedicineTHE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGHSCHOOL OF MEDICINEThe School of Medicine is one of the six health sciences schools at the University of Pittsburgh, which today stands among thenation’s leading academic centers for biomedical research. One of the few objective benchmarks by which an academic medicalcenter can evaluate its success is NIH support for research. Unlike reputational rankings, the NIH process is the only nationallycompetitive, peer-reviewed metric available. By this criterion, Pitt has thrived, breaking into the top 10 list of funded institutionsin 1997—a shift in rank that occurs only rarely—subsequently maintaining that enviable position. Since 1998, the University as awhole and the School of Medicine have both more than doubled their level of NIH support.Although UPMC and the University are legally separate and distinct entities, they share formal contractual bonds that definetheir relationship. Accompanying this structured association, both sides have an appreciation for mutual interdependence thatenables Pitt to provide opportunities for clinical training, educational experiences, and research in virtually any medical specialtyand that, likewise, enables the medical center to stand at the forefront of translating new scientific findings into innovative clinicalcare and to support the development of new medical technology.Further, in recognizing the SOM’s excellence in research and the importance of the never-ending quest for excellence in theeducation of would-be physicians, the School of Medicine has woven a scholarly project into their curriculum and made itan integral component of every medical student’s experience. Some students select traditional laboratory-based or clinicalresearch experiences, while others opt for less obvious choices. The goal in every case, however, is to enhance their ability tothink independently and critically and, thereby, becomebetter equipped to practice medicine in the 21st century.The scholarly projects represents a novel (and perhapseven prototypical) way to increase the number of medicalstudents who pursue research-based careers or clinical careersgrounded in evidence-based medicine–and those are thekinds of doctors we want.90 Better medicine through research and education.