Wherefore academe

I have spent my career in academic medicine – a career at 30 years and counting.  Fortunately I have had success on my own terms.

My original reason for taking a job in academic medicine involved teaching.  Readers know that I love teaching internal medicine – to students and residents.  When the light goes on in the learner's eyes, we teachers have ultimate joy.  When former learners seek you out to thank out, our hearts flutter.

Academic medicine, like our sister disciplines, has focused excessively on grant funded research.  Academic medicine has let money define it.

I wish we could return to an ideal academe.  An academe in which knowledge ruled the day.  As I understand academe, we should create knowledge and impart knowledge. 

We should champion those who impart knowledge.  The great educators do much for their learners and thus they do much for society.  We should champion those who truly create knowledge, judging them not on the dollars they attract, but rather the impact of their knowledge creation.

We should champion those who create an atmosphere that stimulates thinking and learning.  The great teachers do this, but too few very good teachers last in the arena.  We need great teachers, but we need very good teachers also, because there are not enough great teachers to do all the work.

We need creative research, and unfortunately much creative research cannot get funded.  We need smart people who can and will think outside the box – people who approach every problem with intellectual skepticism.

As I observe academe at many institutions, I worry.  I worry that we are not building an academy based on ideals, but rather based on dollars.  I have no solutions, but this morning I have uncomfortable questions.