Rescuing US biomedical research from its systemic flaws
- PMID: 24733905
- PMCID: PMC4000813
- DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1404402111
Rescuing US biomedical research from its systemic flaws
Abstract
The long-held but erroneous assumption of never-ending rapid growth in biomedical science has created an unsustainable hypercompetitive system that is discouraging even the most outstanding prospective students from entering our profession--and making it difficult for seasoned investigators to produce their best work. This is a recipe for long-term decline, and the problems cannot be solved with simplistic approaches. Instead, it is time to confront the dangers at hand and rethink some fundamental features of the US biomedical research ecosystem.
Keywords: federal funding; graduate education; peer review; postdoctoral education.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Comment in
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Rescuing US biomedical research: some comments on Alberts, Kirschner, Tilghman, and Varmus.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Jul 1;111(26):E2632-3. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1408267111. Epub 2014 Jun 11. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014. PMID: 24920595 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
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Systemic addiction to research funding.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Jul 1;111(26):E2634. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1407369111. Epub 2014 Jun 11. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014. PMID: 24920596 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
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Systemic flaws cannot be fixed with minor tweaks.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Jul 1;111(26):E2635. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1407402111. Epub 2014 Jun 11. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014. PMID: 24920597 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
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