Impact of Improved Facilities on Medical Education Outcome: Lessons from the United States

Biomedical Science departments are usually physically and functionally located in medical schools where the focus is generally on medical education. Recent trends in academic medical centers (AMCs) in the United States of America have led to structural changes in academic departments. There is lack of research on the outcomes such changes in medical education oriented AMCs have on basic science education and research. This review focuses on some changes in academic medical centers that may have had impact on structure and therefore functioning of basic medical science departments. Real or virtual driving forces are considered: structural adjustments in academic medical centers and academic politics; penetration of business theories into academic medical centers; power shifts in basic science departments; conversion of universities into research and financial institutions; acquiring famous faculty; multidisciplinary science replacing single disciplines; and devaluation of scientists. The author opines, in conclusion, that African academic leadership needs to do research on existing academic processes in order to guide decision making and to help African academia reach full potential.