The Southern Society for Clinical Investigation and Internal Medicine Chairs: We Can Do More

In today’s increasingly multilayered, fast-paced world, it is imperative that all departments within this country’s medical schools cognizantly and consistently pay heed to every single aspect of their tripartite missions: education, patient care, and research. Although all of these focuses are of pivotal and equal importance, it is the function of the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation (SSCI) and a handful of other such esteemed organizations to enhance the specific role of research in our training institutions. Strong research programs are exceedingly important in the education of our medical students and residents—the physicians of tomorrow who will care for us and our families. Robust research programs translate into better care for our patients. Programs that foster an enduring and genuine passion for research and discovery are also part of a far broader agenda because all of us at the nation’s academic health sciences centers are in positions to serve as advocates for medical research. We need to do whatever it takes to ensure that our lawmakers understand the critical need for adequate federal funding of our research. The SSCI plays a vital part in helping to achieve that lofty goal through steadfastly encouraging and promoting research throughout the schools and departments of medicine in the southern region and beyond.