One Pathway to Academic Success: Autobiography of Dr Ronald G. Strauss

Often, I have been asked by “junior faculty”—who are usually burdened by substantial responsibilities in service and teaching—how they can launch their career in research as a means to succeed in academic medicine. Obviously, the answers/solutions are as diverse as are the circumstances of each questioner. In the following article, I offer the approach that I applied to my career—acknowledging that “one shoe doesn't fit all” and that others will advise differently. However, one truism exists whenever one seeks excellence in anything—the opportunity must be present to commit uninterrupted time for thought/concentration, organization, training/mentoring/study, and effort/hard work. Without such an opportunity, success in research will be elusive.