Research productivity profile of allied health faculty

Many allied health faculty are expected to obtain graduate degrees and engage in scholarly activity to advance knowledge in their professions and fulfill the research mission of their academic institution. A national study of ten allied health disciplines was conducted to assess the level of allied health research productivity and to determine the relationship between the amount of research and faculty characteristics. Research productivity included the number of major paper presentations and research publications, number of times served as project principle investigator, and the time devoted to research per week. Faculty characteristics were the type of employing institution, and the academic degree, rank, and tenure status of the faculty member. Data from 2,187 survey respondents indicated that faculty who are employed by four-year research universities, possess earned doctorates, hold the rank of professor, and are tenured had significantly higher levels of research productivity.