10 How to Write a Grant Proposal

The engine of America’s clinical investigation enterprise is fueled by grants. In fact, so is some of medical education, by virtue of government and foundation grant funding for educational programs. One of the big surprises I encountered upon leaving rural practice and entering academic medicine in 1978 was the discovery that there was no pool of money to fund my salary. Is short, I was expected to bring in almost all my ­support. Although there were other sources, such as private philanthropy and endowments, for most of us in the United States, funding the salary that supports our teaching efforts meant seeing patients or writing successful grant proposals. Things have not changed over the past 3+ decades. An academic appointment is not a meal ticket; it is a hunting license.