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April
2002
Volume 66 |
Number
4
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| A
Strong Foundation for Research Starts Here |
Myer
Rosenthal, M.D., President
Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research
Over the past
several decades, ASA has provided ample evidence of its commitment
to the development and support of academic anesthesiology and
its research and educational objectives. Through its Committee
on Research and the subsequent establishment in 1986 of the Foundation
for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER), ASA has provided
economic and logistical support for the continued growth of our
academic effort. It should be recognized that if the practice
of anesthesiology is to continue as a physician-led specialty
of medicine, we must provide whatever means possible to facilitate
the essential contributions of our training programs, including
the scholarly productivity of its faculty. All anesthesiologists,
whether in private or university practice, were dependent on these
anesthesiology departments and their faculties for our training
and education. If physicians are to continue to lead our specialty,
we must persist in the further training of its faculty and fellows
in both research and education to advance the practice of anesthesiology
to the benefit of our patients and to increase our influence in
perioperative medical care.
ASA and FAER
have provided more than $10 million in support for education and
research to more than 400 individuals since these programs began.
An extensive survey taken by FAER five years ago assessed the
impact of this program and revealed that FAER awardees had successfully
attained competitive funding following the FAER grants at a level
exceeding 11 times the amount of the FAER awards. Additionally,
the survey showed that more than 80 percent of FAER awardees had
remained in academic practice, continuing their involvement in
training and mentoring the future of our specialty.
Over the next
year, FAER will be conducting a second similar survey to update
this information. The downturn in the number of anesthesiology
residents due to concerns for postgraduate opportunities has reversed,
and the attractiveness of anesthesiology among graduating medical
students has nearly returned to earlier levels. Some of the best
and brightest medical graduates are once again joining our training
programs with the opportunity for continued growth in both our
private and academic sectors. Coupled with that is the increase
in funding available for research from government agencies such
as the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Over the past few
years, the budget for NIH has increased about 15.5 percent annually.
The mission statement for NIH is to "expand fundamental knowledge
about the nature and behavior of living systems and to improve
and develop new strategies for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention
of disease and communicate the results of research with the goal
of improving health."
Anesthesiologists
have a greater opportunity than ever before to avail themselves
of this funding. The 2003 budget calls for more than $27 billion
for NIH of which $2,356,805,000 is designated for new grants.
Within the $27 billion for all NIH activities, some of those related
to anesthesiology with designated amounts in billions of dollars
include cardiovascular ($2.064), neuroscience ($8.037), bioengineering
($0.960), pediatrics ($3.053) and clinical research ($8.037).
Although we can be proud of the research accomplishments of many
of our colleagues, we remain far from our potential for successfully
competing for these funds. NIH is only one of a multitude of funding
opportunities that include foundations, societies, industry and
other government agencies.
If we are
to advance and grow, we must provide the opportunities both economically
and environmentally for young, enthusiastic faculty/investigators
to gain the training and experience to successfully compete for
these dollars. The ability to vie for competitive funding is directly
related to demonstrated success in related fields of investigation
and the recognized potential for accomplishment. This brings us
to the role of FAER to provide the economic support for the development
of anesthesiologists as successful contenders in the research
marketplace. FAER's mission statement defines its objective: "to
raise the standards of the specialty by fostering and encouraging
education, research and scientific programs in anesthesiology."
FAER awards
have increased in amount over the years from $3,000 to a current
high of as much as $100,000 annually. The research awards are
structured into three categories: Research Fellowship Grant, Research
Starter Grant and Research Training Grant. They each differ as
to eligibility, time commitment and amount of funding. The one-year
$50,000 Fellowship Grant is offered to anesthesiology trainees
who also take the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA)-allowed
opportunity for six months of research activity during their clinical
residency and do so in continuity with the one-year FAER grant.
The two-year Starter Grant funds $35,000 the first year and $50,000
the second year and is available to assistant professor-level
appointees who will spend 40 percent of their time in the funded
research activity. The two-year Training Grant also is awarded
to assistant professors spending 80 percent of their time in the
designated research, with $75,000 support for the first year and
$100,000 for the second.
It is important
to recognize that the award submissions are subjected to a very
rigorous review process and scoring system not dissimilar to other
granting agencies, which is provided by the ASA Committee on Research.
The cut scores for funding are determined by FAER, and every effort
has and will continue to be made to fund all successful applicants.
Furthermore, FAER has recently increased its emphasis on the role
of mentoring of awardees. Mentor designation with continued direct
and meaningful involvement throughout the entire scope of the
funded project is a requirement assessed by FAER on a continuing
basis. FAER does not accomplish this on its own. The partnership
provided by respective anesthesiology departments is critical
to this effort. The costs related to time commitment, facilities,
personnel and mentoring far exceed the financial support provided
by FAER, yet the willingness of many teaching departments to unhesitatingly
provide these necessities is a testament to their commitment along
with FAER to enhance the research contributions of anesthesiologists.
The FAER Board
of Directors is made up of both academic and private-practice
anesthesiologists who serve at their own expense, including attendance
at meetings and time commitment, to accomplish its goals. Each
member also directly contributes a dollar amount to FAER. The
directors find this effort to be extraordinarily rewarding due
to the knowledge that their contributions are playing a major
role in the continuing growth of such an essential component of
our specialty. Funding for FAER is derived from direct ASA contribution
as well as from corporate industry, anesthesiology subspecialty
societies, anesthesiology component societies and individual anesthesiologists.
As a primary
specialty board of medicine established in 1941, we are in our
adolescent years within the fields of American medicine, and we
have the opportunity to influence the future as never before.
Now more than ever, we must create an environment that fosters
scholarly activity as a major necessity to ensure the future success
of our specialty.
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Myer
H. Rosenthal, M.D., is Professor of Anesthesiology, Stanford
University, Stanford, California. |
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