The future of basic and translational research in health care depends on the ability of large, complex health science centers to educate, discover new answers to complex problems, and operate in the service of the public good. So what ingredients are required for successful research in academic health science centers (AHSCs)? This volume presents a number of compelling, international stories about personal and professional investments in research activities as well as the challenges, opportunities, and satisfactions. Each chapter explores concepts for successful research with a focus on the ways communities of practice form and sustain themselves in this complex environment. They explore questions such as creating and sustaining community, promoting innovation, transitions in leadership, and cross-generation collaboration from a personal perspective. They also present a series of portraits of scientists at work: building relationships, supporting one another, and contributing to their fields of study in unique ways. Enhancing the Professional Culture of Academic Health Science Centers offers enlightening reading for researchers, administrators, and policy makers interested in present and future research activities in AHSCs, who will be inspired by narratives of perseverance, passion, generosity, and generativity that fuel research in the centers.