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Physiologist a Publication of the American Physiological Society Volume 45, Number 4 Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism August 2002

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Physiologist a Publication of the American Physiological Society Volume 45, Number 4 Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism August 2002 The Physiologist A Publication of The American Physiological Society Volume 45, Number 4 Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism August 2002 The Power of Comparative Physiology: Evolution, Integration, and Application San Diego, California August 24-28, 2002 A Publication of The American Physiological Society Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism THE Volume 45, Number 4 Physiologist August 2002 The Status of Physiologists and Physiology at US Medical Schools Martin Frank and Marsha Lakes Matyas The status of physiology in academic medical schools has areas, increases in the numbers of graduate students enrolled been a concern of the American Physiological Society for over 50 in physiology degree programs and PhDs awarded in physiolo- years, starting in 1945 with a study chaired by E. F. Adolph (1) gy would be evident. Is this the case? If not, what would lead to and followed in 1958 by a study chaired by R. W. Gerard (11). a disparity between physiology and many other life sciences The APS has undertaken similar studies in the last two decades fields? Furthermore, numerous discussions and reports have as part of its efforts to define the future of the Society and the focused on the status of postdoctoral fellows in the US. What discipline. The most compelling was the study developed by the are the trends for postdoctoral fellows in physiology? Are they Long Range Planning Committee chaired by Ernst Knobil and comparable to other fields? What implications does the status of published by the Society in 1990 (10). It explored the status of postdoctoral fellows in physiology have for the field as a whole? the science of physiology, departments of physiology, and the American Physiological Society. The recommendations made in Faculty at US medical schools. What is the status of physiology the “White Paper” ultimately contributed to the development of PhDs at US medical schools? During the last decade, the the Society’s 1992 Strategic Plan (16) that helped shape the finances of academic medical centers have been challenged by current APS. the diminishing recovery of patient care dollars. To balance this In 1996, the Society published another Long Rang Planning decrease in income, there has been an increased emphasis on Committee Report that was chaired by Shu Chien (8). As in the the acquisition of research grant dollars, taking advantage of 1990 report, the Chien report made a series of recommenda- the expanding NIH budget. Concerns have been raised that, in tions related to physiology as a discipline, physiology education, order to attract research dollars in more highly funded fields, physiological research, departments of physiology, and the role changes have occurred in the hiring patterns of basic science of the APS. The observations and issues raised in the Chien departments, espe- report served as the basis for the Society’s development of a cially physiology de- new Strategic Plan in 2000 (5). In subsequent years, the incom- partments. That is, it Inside this issue... ing APS Presidents revisited these reports to comment on the has been suggested status of the Society and the discipline (9, 12, 13). Through that physiology de- Impact Factors: these reports and subsequent discussions, a number of ques- partments are in- Arbiter of Excellence? tions have been raised about the status of physiology in aca- creasingly hiring fac- p. 181 demic medicine in four key areas. ulty trained in research areas out- Role of physiology in the medical curriculum. Concerns have side of physiology 155th Business Meeting been raised that physiology is being de-emphasized in the med- with the expectation p. 193 ical curriculum, with potentially critical consequences for both that they are more medical students and the larger physiology teaching and likely to generate Experimental Biology 2003 research communities. Is the perceived de-emphasis real? If so, support from NIH. Is Preview what is its impact on the preparation of medical students in there evidence that p. 213 terms of coverage of key concepts and of skills development? this is the case? If so, What is its impact on the structure of the medical school facul- is the strategy suc- Find Full-Text Articles, ty and on the depth of knowledge available to guide future cessful, that is, are Free and Fast course development and implementation? those faculty mem- bers raising a dispro- p. 217 Education and training of PhD physiologists. Life sciences has portionately high enjoyed exceptional growth in the awarding of doctoral degrees, amount of funding for 2002 Undergraduate Research particularly in the late 1980s and 1990s, paralleled only by their departments? Fellows engineering, and far above mathematics, computer science, Have the changes in p. 221 physical sciences, and geosciences (17). Similarly, the availabil- faculty composition ity of funding for biomedical research has increased in the and expertise had 1990s. One might expect, therefore, that like other life sciences (continued on page 184) 179 Published bimonthly and distributed by THE The American Physiological Society 9650 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Maryland 20814-3991 PhysiologistVolume 45 Number 4 ISSN 0031-9376 August 2002 Barbara A. Horwitz President John E. Hall Past President Contents John A.Williams President-Elect Martin Frank The Status of Physiologists and Public Affairs Editor and Executive Director Physiology at “IACUC 101” at EB ‘02 223 Councillors US Medical Schools President Proposes Homeland Kim E. Barrett, Martin Frank and Security Department 225 Douglas C. Eaton, Joseph R. Haywood, Marsha Matyas 179 Bioterror Protection Bill Signed 225 Steven C. Hebert,Virginia M. Miller, Charles M. Tipton Germany Writes Protection for Impact Factors: Animals Into its Constitution 226 Ex Officio Arbiter of Excellence? Congressional Appropriations Dale J. Benos, A Matter of Opinion 181 Heats Up 226 Mordecai P.Blaustein, Robert G. Carroll, NSF Doubling Effort Gets Boost227 Curt Sigmund, Celia D. Sladek 155th APS Business Meeting 193 Senate Avoids Cloning Vote 227 Publications Committee: Chairman:Dale Membership People & Places 228 J. Benos; Members:Penelope A.Hansen, New Regular Members 204 Ganong Named Distinguished Mark A. Knepper, Richard A. Murphy, Hershel Raff. Director of Publications: New Student Members 205 Educator Awardee 228 Margaret Reich. Design and Copy Editor: Joelle R. Grossnickle. APS Section Awards 208 News From Senior Subscriptions: Distributed to members as Physiologists 230 part of their membership. Nonmembers in Experimental Biology 2003 the USA: individuals $50.00; institutions $75.00. Nonmembers in Canada and Preview 213 Positions Available 234 Mexico: individuals $55.00; institutions Distinguished Lectureships 213 $80.00. Nonmembers elsewhere: individu- Societal Lectures 214 Book Review 238 als $60.00; institutions $85.00.Single copies and back issues when available, $15.00 Section-Sponsored Symposia 214 each; single copies and back issues of Section-Sponsored Books Received 241 Abstracts issues when available, $25.00. Featured Topics 215 Subscribers to The Physiologist also receive Announcements abstracts of the Conferences of the American Physiological Society. Publications APS Establishes Mahesh The American Physiological Society Find Full-Text Articles, Award Fund 241 assumes no responsibility for the state- Free and Fast 217 2003 John P. Hubbard Award 242 ments and opinions advanced by contribu- Marder New Editor of JN 218 tors to The Physiologist. Brown New Editor of AJP-Cell 219 APS Membership Deadline for submission of material for Application 245 publication: Jan. 10, February issue; March 10, April issue; May 10, June issue; July 10, Education August issue; Sept. 10, October issue; Nov. APS Presents Awards at ISEF 220 Scientific Meetings 10, December issue. 2001 Summer Research Fellows and Congresses 247 Please notify the central office as soon as Experience EB 221 possible if you change your address or Physiology Insights: Fellowships for APS Conference Program telephone number. The Power of Comparative Headquarters phone: 301-634-7164 Undergraduate Faculty 222 Physiology: Evolution, APS Archive of Fax: 301-634-7242 Integration, and Application 249 Email: [email protected] Teaching Resources 222 http://www.the-aps.org Printed in the USA 180 The Physiologist A Matter of Opinion Vol. 45, No. 4, 2002 Impact Factors: Arbiter of Excellence? Several years ago, a young faculty ed by the fact that some indi- Table 2. Comparison of Experimental member at a major university viduals actually reshelf the Protocols A and B informed me that her department journal themselves. In a simi- chair had mandated that any faculty lar vein, manuscripts are read Trial Protocol A Protocol B member seeking tenure should make many more times than cited. (2000) sure that they only publish For that reason, APS has been 134 manuscripts in journals with an tracking the number of hits 241 impact factor of 5.0 or greater. As the received by the Society’s online 314 publisher of a large number of scien- journals and correlating the 414 tific journals, I was offended by the information to the actual 5577 effort of the chair to attempt to corre- impact factor measured by ISI. 636 late the impact factor of the journal As noted in Table 1, the num- 721 with the impact, or excellence, of the ber of hits per article online 8441 faculty member’s research. It was does not necessarily correlate 918 apparent that the chair did not realize well with the actual impact 10 1 2 that impact factors, a bibliometric factor of the journal. As expect- Mean± 11.7±20.7 3.3±2.4 indicator developed by ISI, was not a ed, a review journal like Std. Dev. measure of scientific quality. Instead, Physiological Reviews, with an it would have been more relevant to impact factor of 27.677 also had the of the papers published by a given use the actual citation frequency of greatest number of hits/article online journal in the previous two years (that the scientific paper in evaluating the of 2,720.
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