Research Success in Schools of Allied Health Professions

Although the value of research within schools of allied health professions is widely accepted, its practice is limited, and the means of achieving success is poorly understood. This project aimed to characterize schools that have achieved research success, to explore the activities that allow schools to become successful, and to evaluate the metrics by which research success may be monitored. Using data from the 2016 ASAHP Institutional Survey (n=83 schools) and interviews with leadership at top-funded schools, we examined the relationships between external research funding, publications, and program rank for ASAHP member schools and explored the characteristics of well-funded schools. The hallmarks of success include high and clear expectations of faculty, significant levels of institutional investment in research infrastructure, and protected time for faculty research. Institutional support for publishing, including support for pilot studies, statistical analysis, and writing, may be important first steps in achieving research success. While average program rank is higher among schools with research funding than schools without it, program standing alone is not highly correlated with overall research success among ASAHP member institutions.