Canadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgie
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Research is an important mandate for academic surgical divisions. However, there is widespread concern that the current health care climate is leading to a decline in research activity. A University of British Columbia (UBC) academic surgical division attempted to address this concern by strategically recruiting PhD research scientists to prioritize research and develop collaborative research programs. The objective of our study was to determine whether this strategy resulted in increased research productivity. ⋯ Strategic recruitment resulted in increased and sustained research productivity. Interactions between research scientists and clinicians resulted in successful program grant funding support. These results have implications for sustaining the research mission within academic departments of surgery.