Report from the RSNA COVID-19 Task Force: COVID-19 Impact on Academic Radiology Research—A Survey of Vice Chairs of Research

OBJECTIVE: Survey vice chairs of research from academic radiology departments on the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on research activities. METHODS: The survey asked respondents to quantify changes in research performed during the shutdown and ramp-up, relative to pre–COVID-19 levels. Respondents estimated research activity changes by overall research type (wet, instrumentation, or core facilities: prospective non–COVID-19 clinical research and computational laboratories) and then by the research activity type (data analysis, grant or manuscript writing, clinician involvement, summer student participation, and international research fellow appointments).The χ(2) test was used for comparison between shutdown and ramp-up, with Yates correction when necessary. RESULTS: Of 105 vice chairs contacted, 46 (43.8%) responded. For 95.5%, wet, instrumentation, or core facilities research decreased to ≤50% during shutdown and for 83.3% during ramp-up (P < .0001). In addition, 89.2% and 46.5% indicated reduction to ≤25% of non–COVID-19 clinical research during shutdown and ramp-up, respectively (P < .0001). Only computational research increased to 120% during shutdown (39.5%) or ramp-up (50%) (P = .8984). For data analysis from closed laboratories, 75% and 86% showed decreased activity during shutdown and ramp-up, respectively (P = .28). Increased grant writing during shutdown and ramp-up was reported by 45.5% and 23.3% (P = .093). For 52.3% and 23.3%, manuscript writing and submission increased during shutdown and ramp-up, respectively (P < .02). Clinician research involvement trended toward relative decreases during shutdown (84.1% versus 60.5%, P = .05). There was similar drop in summer student participation (shutdown: 86.4%, ramp-up: 83.7%, P = .95) and international researcher appointment (shutdown: 85.7%, ramp-up: 86.1%; P = .96). CONCLUSION: Many radiology research activities diminished during the COVID-19 shutdown and to a lesser extent during the ramp-up. Activities that could be done remotely, such as computational analysis and grant and manuscript writing and submission, increased.