Development of a research program in a community teaching hospital.

Affiliation between community hospitals and university centers has become a prominent trend. St Mary's Hospital, a 298-bed community hospital, affiliated with the University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry, and in five years developed an academic program. The strategies we utilized included the following: (1) definition of the number of specialists needed for the hospital's patient population; (2) development of specific subspecialty units with more than one member with the primary intent of fostering an investigative program; (3) analysis of total projected faculty salary and laboratory renovation and equipment costs to allow staged development of the program; (4) design of a flexible research areas; and (5) joint use of equipment and space with the Clinical Laboratory Service. The program was financed through third-party reimbursement, faculty-generated Department of Medicine funds, gifts by private patrons, and extramural grants. At a time of diminishing investigative support, a medium-sized community hospital can develop a research program.