Background: I work in an academic medical center doing clinical research (NIH grants, drug studies, etc). It seems like what we do is not valued at all by the institution. They have moved our offices/lab twice in the past 3 years, and are telling us they want to move us again. We have a bunch of confidential, HIPAA-related work we do, and we are supposed to have a secure room. Now they are wanting me to work in a cubicle next to the nurses/admin support people who take care of the clinical stuff. I've been working to bring in more F&A/indirects to pay for the space we have, but that doesn't seem to matter.

So, my question: for those of you who work in similar situations, how do you stay focused on what you're doing? Does everyone go through the grinder like this? I started out being so passionate about my research - and still am, in some ways - but I'm not sure how I can make any progress if all of my energy is spent fighting these battles! Any advice or personal anecdotes are welcome.

Thanks