Forging successful interdisciplinary research collaborations: A nationwide survey of departments of surgery

BackgroundOur aim was to estimate the prevalence of academic surgeons engaged in interdisciplinary collaborations and identify success factors and challenges to establishing these collaborations.MethodsChairs of surgery at US medical schools and selected hospitals and research institutes were surveyed in 2009 to determine the frequency, types, outcomes, and value of interdisciplinary collaborations; National Institutes of Health funding for these collaborations; major barriers and success factors; and departmental and institutional activities to promote collaborations.ResultsEighty-two department chairs (58%) completed the survey. Ninety-three percent answered that their faculty engaged in interdisciplinary collaborations, and 71% stated that it was critical for their research success. On average, 27% of full-time MDs/MD-PhDs were involved in collaborations compared to 81% of PhDs within their departments. The most frequent collaborators included other clinical (43%) and basic science (24%) departments. Only 5% indicated that their most frequent collaborators were with other university programs, primarily with bioengineering or biomedical engineering. Collaborations resulted most often in publications, research opportunities for surgical residents, and National Institutes of Health funding. Pilot funding and active networking were key success factors. Longer chair tenure was statistically significantly associated with more success factors and fewer barriers to collaborations. Surgeons were much less likely to participate in institution-wide efforts than in departmental activities, although these activities were ongoing in more than two-thirds of institutions.ConclusionSurgeons value collaborations as critical for their research success. Our survey indicates the potential for additional collaborations through more involvement with institutional efforts and with other university faculty. Stable, supportive department chairs are critical to establishing these activities.