title: The writing on the wall.
abstract: The biomedical research enterprise in the US has become unsustainable and urgent action is needed to address a variety of problems, including a lack of innovation, an over-reliance on soft money for faculty salaries, the use of graduate students as a source of cheap labour, and a 'holding tank' full of talented postdocs with limited career opportunities.
authors.affiliation: is professor emeritus in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology , University of California at San Francisco , United States . He blogs about the challenges and opportunities associated with biomedical research at biomedwatch.wordpress.com . His research was supported by the NIH from 1969 to 2008, and he served as a reviewer of grant applications at intervals during this period. henry.bourne@ucsf.edu.
authors.forename: Henry R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Bourne
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research; D005178:Faculty; D012109:Research Support as Topic; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits; D014481:United States
keywords: NIH; careers in science; grad school; point of view; postdocs; science policy and funding
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