Is there a future for academic medicine in the UK?

It has been clear for some years that academic medicine in the UK is under threat, as described in the report from the Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS), Clinical Academic Medicine in Jeopardy: Recommendations for Change (2002). This is perhaps surprising considering the high quality of clinical research in the UK, which is second only to that in the USA. However, the number of clinical academics continues to fall and action is urgently needed if academic medicine is to have a future in the UK. In this article, the authors summarize an initiative taken by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, with support from the AMS.