title: Effect of the experience of surgical chairpersons on departmental National Institutes of Health funding.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Experience and application of recruitment packages can be critical in leadership efforts of surgical chairpersons in promoting research, although attrition of these efforts can happen over time due to lack of new resources. We aimed to examine the impact of experience of surgical chairpersons on departmental National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding.
  
  
  METHODS
  Experience as a chairperson defined as the number of years spent as an interim or permanent chair was abstracted from the department Web site (US medical schools only). The NIH funding (US dollars) of the departments were obtained from the Blue Ridge Medical Institute (www.brimr.org). The change in NIH funding from the immediate previous financial year (2010-2009 and 2011-2010) was used to classify chairpersons into four groups: group 1 (-/-), group 2 (-/+), group 3 (+/+), and group 4 (+/-) for analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median NIH funding were $1.9 (0.7-6) million, $1.8 (0.6-5) million, and $1.7 (0.7-5) million for 2009, 2010, and 2011, respectively, and the median experience as a surgical chairperson was 6 y (3-10). Recent chairpersons (<1 y) inherited departments that usually lost NIH funding (62%) and were frequently unable to develop a positive trend for growth over the next fiscal year ([-/-] n = 4 and [+/-] n = 2, 75%). Chairpersons who held their positions for 4-6 y were most likely to be associated with trends of positive funding growth, whereas chairpersons >10 y were most likely to have lost funding (66%, P = 0.07).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Provision of new development dollars later in their tenure and retention of chairpersons might lead to more positive trends in increase in NIH funding.
authors.affiliation: Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Thejus T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Jayakrishnan
authors.affiliation: Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Danielle E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Green
authors.affiliation: Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Anthony J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Zacharias
authors.affiliation: Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Avishkar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Fabian M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.affiliation: Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Thomas Clark
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Gamblin
authors.affiliation: Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Electronic address: kturaga@mcw.edu.
authors.forename: Kiran K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Turaga
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000191:economics* / Q000458:organization & administration; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D006801:Humans; D009316:National Institutes of Health (U.S.); D008486:Physician Executives / Q000191:economics* / Q000458:organization & administration; D011643:Publishing; D012109:Research Support as Topic / Q000191:economics* / Q000458:organization & administration; D012577:Schools, Medical / Q000191:economics* / Q000458:organization & administration; D066231:Surgeons / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration; D014481:United States
keywords: Academic Medical Centers; Financial support; Medical faculty; Medical schools; National Institutes of Health (U.S.); Organizational efficiency; Physician executives; Research