As a board-certified specialist physician engaged in research, and now starting to teach others how to engage in research, I predict that the road out of this i

As a board-certified specialist physician engaged in research, and now starting to teach others how to engage in research, I predict that the road out of this is going to be very long and hard. As research has lost support (not just financial, but cultural), it has become increasingly difficult to justify to department chairs. In the course of the last 8 years I was kicked off my own project twice while in training. So, what I predict you will see, is it will become progressively harder for a hopeful young researcher to make the transition, not to research, but to adding research to their already full-time+ job. It is quite likely you will be in a department where no one has research experience and few contacts with academics. And if you're doing research and there's even a hint of a perception that it could interfere with any element of your clinical duties, you can bet there are people who will be happy to burn you and your research. The most supportive stance I got from anyone in my department during training "Don't talk to any of us about it." That was my PI and program director. So, the current status quo is "Toil, in addition to your other, formidable responsibilities. Don't ask for anything. Don't ever talk about it, don't even mutter under your breath." That does not align very well with the open-mindedness of research. On the flip side, if you are a PhD, the current state of medical practice in the US is such that many medical centers are ripe for research if you can cultivate a relationship with an MD. I know, I know the perception, which I have been told directly by a biochemist who didn't know I was an MD "MDs aren't knuckle-dragging idiots." But maybe, just maybe, make a friend and see where it takes you. Which may be hard. You will probably have to go to tumor boards and grand rounds and suffer through a bunch of people kibitzing about things you know are 20 years behind the state of the art. Yep, that's true. But the entrances to the mines collapsed. You will have to do the hard work of opening your own shaft. And so it goes.