Is the Research Project Worthwhile?
Does the hypothesis have clinical relevance? Any scientific evaluation of efficacy in neuroimaging should first address important questions of common diseases. This is important for two reasons. First, time spent in academic pursuits is at a premium in most university centers, and is thus better spent addressing common health issues rather than obscure diseases. Second, and equally important in the academic process, it is easier to get funding if you are pursuing important questions of prevalent disorders. Studying efficacy of neuroimaging in common disorders is also likely to have greater beneficial economic impact and to affect a larger population with respect to health care. That is not to say that the evaluation of neuroimaging in obscure disorders should not follow the same process, just not as a first step in this developing field. A first step is often to identify teams in your institution that are currently working on various aspects of common disorders. By piggybacking an imag
