Collaboration between specialties: a US and European experience

Inter-departmental experiences in endocrinology at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, and the National University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark are described. These co-operative units maximize specialty resources for patient care, teaching and research, and constitute an organizational format now appearing in inter-disciplinary centres of excellence. Many perceived threats to academic-based endeavours may be aided by greater collaboration between traditional specialty groupings, particularly the primary care oriented departments of medicine and paediatrics.