Salas I Sofía P, Rigotti R Attilio
Dipartamento Obstetricia y Ginecología, Escuela de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Santiago.
Rev Med Chil. 2005 Jan;133(1):121-8. doi: 10.4067/s0034-98872005000100016. Epub 2005 Mar 10.
Several studies have reported a progressive reduction in the number of grant applications and research projects approved by medical doctors (MD) in the United States. The overall trend and current situation of MDs actively involved in biomedical research in Chile has not been defined. Thus, we analyzed the professional profile of the principal investigators (PI) that have led research grants approved by the Technology and Medical Sciences study groups of the Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico (FONDECYT), during the last 20 years. The results show that the projects led by MDs corresponded to 80% in 1984, decreasing to 50% in 2003, with further reduction projected for the next years. We think that the physician doing biomedical research represents a human resource indispensable to preserve a genuine academic environment within medical schools; thus, it is necessary to design and apply strategies to reverse this worrying trend of less MDs actively involved in research in Chile. Among these, we consider important to stimulate research activities at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels of MD training particularly increasing the flexibility of the postgraduate fellowship programs. In addition, it is necessary to support both in terms of money and spare time those physicians who are beginning an academic career involved in biomedical research. Finally, we consider important that non-academic institutions (e.g., pharmaceutical companies, health medical organizations, and philanthropic foundations) should also support academic development and biomedical research in our medical schools.
多项研究报告称，美国医生提交的科研基金申请数量以及获批的研究项目数量在逐步减少。智利积极参与生物医学研究的医生的总体趋势和现状尚未明确。因此，我们分析了过去20年中领导由智利国家科学技术发展基金（FONDECYT）的技术与医学科学研究小组批准的研究基金的主要研究者（PI）的专业概况。结果显示，1984年由医生主导的项目占80%，到2003年降至50%，预计未来几年还会进一步减少。我们认为，从事生物医学研究的医生是在医学院校维持真正学术环境不可或缺的人力资源；因此，有必要设计并实施策略来扭转智利医生积极参与研究的人数减少这一令人担忧的趋势。其中，我们认为在医学博士培训的本科和研究生阶段刺激研究活动很重要，特别是要提高研究生奖学金项目的灵活性。此外，有必要在资金和业余时间方面支持那些开始从事生物医学研究学术生涯的医生。最后，我们认为非学术机构（如制药公司、健康医疗组织和慈善基金会）也应支持我们医学院校的学术发展和生物医学研究，这一点很重要。
