The 2007 entering class at US medical schools is the largest ever, according to just-released data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). There are close to 17,800 entering students for 2007, a 2.3% increase over 2006. The applicant pool was up 8.2% from the previous year and included greater numbers of black and Hispanic men. Actual enrollment of black male students rose by 5.3%, while Hispanic enrollment remained at 2006 levels.¹ Proportions of men and women in the entering class are close to equal: 48.3% women, 51.7% men.

These new students are a highly credentialed group: They had the highest Medical College Admission Test scores and cumulative grade point averages on record. Further, applicants in the past 5 years have shown increases in experience they have had in premedical activities, including medical research and community service in both clinical and nonclinical settings.

What sort of atmosphere will these ethnically diverse and highly qualified young men and women find when they get to medical school? According to a recent report in JAMA, these young doctors-in-training will confront a network of academic relationships with industry that has the potential for conflicts of interest.² A survey of 459 medical school department chairs at 125 accredited allopathic medical schools and the 15 largest independent teaching hospitals in the United States conducted in 2006 found that almost two-thirds had a personal relationship with industry. These relationships included serving as a consultant (27%), member of a scientific advisory board (27%), paid speaker (14%), officer (7%), founder (9%), or member of the board of directors (11%).

While more than two-thirds of department chairs believed that a relationship with industry had no effect on their professional activities, 72% thought that when a department chair engaged in more than 1 industry-related activity such as having a substantial role in a start-up, consulting, or serving on a board, there would be a "negative impact" on the department's ability to conduct unbiased independent research. The study's authors conclude that industry-academic relationships "are cause for concern if they have a negative effect on the ability of medical institutions to offer unbiased educational experiences for faculty and trainees."

1. 2007 U.S. medical school entering class is largest ever [press release]. Washington, DC: Association of American Medical Colleges; October 16, 2007. www.aamc.org/newsroom/pressrel/2007/071016.htm. Accessed November 1, 2007.
2. Campbell EG, Weissman JS, Ehringhaus S, et al. Institutional academic industry relationships. JAMA. 2007;298(15):1779-1786.