Suit By 23 Tenured Faculty Members Against USC Illustrates Changes In Biomedical Research Culture

Sidebar: "The Financing of Medical Schools" - For Further Information A DEMOTION? The plaintiffs’ attorney, Jeffrey Kramer, notes that the reduction in their contract term was not accompanied by a reduction in their duties. Twenty-three tenured members of the basic science faculty at the University of Southern California (USC) School of Medicine have sued the Los Angeles-based university for $54 million, alleging that USC has breached their contracts and is violating established princip

Written byRobert Finn

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Sidebar: "The Financing of Medical Schools" - For Further Information

In June 1995, the USC administration, citing financial difficulties at the medical school, switched all 108 members of the basic science faculty from 12-month appointments to nine-month appointments, reducing their salaries by 25 percent. Members of the basic science faculty teach preclinical courses such as anatomy, biochemistry, and endocrinology to medical students. The basic science faculty is distinct from the clinical faculty, whose 12-month appointments will remain unaffected by the new policy.

MEGATRENDS: AAMC’s David Blake says "what’s at stake is the health of the biomedical research enterprise."

"In other schools, like arts and science schools, nine-month appointments are the rule, not the exception," notes David A. Blake, senior vice president for research of the Washington, D.C.-based AAMC. Indeed, faculty members at USC's other schools have long been on academic-year contracts.

"The economic megatrends running through the world, one of ...

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