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Anesthesiology research focus of lecture  Academic anesthesiologists performing important research do exist, but they are far too few in number, according to Emery A. Rovenstine Memorial Lecturer Jerry Reves, M.D.   Reves, vice president for Medical Affairs and dean of the College of Medicine at MUSC, shared some hard facts with his standing-room only American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) audience Oct. 16 in Chicago.   “We are a proud group … but it is time to look at transforming the research mission of our specialty,” Reves said.   As a specialty, anesthesiology is way down on the current National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) list of grantees, tied for last place with orthopaedic surgery.   “This is a list of NIH awards per faculty member in each specialty, and, as you can see, anesthesiology is … at the bottom of the 25 specialties,” Reves said. “Of the NIH funding anesthesiologists receive, half of that is found in only 10 departments. A majority of our departments are not players in the NIH arena at all, and this is a very serious problem for our profession.”   Reves called research “the lifeblood of today’s universities” and said anesthesiologists cannot hide from the fact that the specialty, as a whole, has allowed its research arm to atrophy to a dangerous state.   “Our research problem is not one of poor quality, but insufficient quantity,” he said. “We have good researchers in our departments, but there just aren’t enough of them. Other specialties are getting out there in the basic sciences and making discoveries, but there is a reason for that.”   Reves said the disparity in the number of full professors in anesthesiology is far below the percentages found in other areas of medicine. The root cause  for this problem starts with the lack of resident anesthesiologists choosing research for a career.   “Academic research is not required by deans, chairs, faculty or the American Board of Anesthesiology,”  Reves said. “Were these (individuals and organizations) to require research during residency, we would certainly have it in our programs. One thing is for sure—residents do what is expected of them.”   This issue is exacerbated by the fact that it has existed for some time, thinning the ranks of experienced researchers and creating an environment that feeds into the downward spiral anesthesiology is now experiencing from a research standpoint, Reves said.   “I think we need to ask ourselves whether we run trade schools or professional ones,” he said.   Of course, financial issues are also tied into the picture. According to Reves, the average income for the average anesthesiologist in private practice is roughly $75,000 above the NIH cap.   “So even if these guys are fully funded, an anesthesiologist would make significantly more in private practice,” he said. “That leads to some tough choices.”   But however bleak a picture it is, Reves said the problems can be addressed with hard work and a palpable paradigm shift.   “For the good of our patients, we need to be explorers in this exciting new world,” he said. “We have done too little for too long, but the good news is that it is not too late.” Reprinted from the Oct. 16 2006 “ASA Daily News” Annual Meeting newsletter with permission of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, 520 N. Northwest Highway, Park Ridge, Ill., 60068-2573.    The Emery A. Rovenstine Memorial Lecture has long been considered a feature of the ASA Annual Meeting. It honors Dr. Rovenstine, founding member and former president of the American Board of Anesthesiology and distinguished past chair of Anesthesiology at New York University Medical Center and director of anesthesiology at Bellvue Hospital in New York City.   Friday, Oct. 27, 2006 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.