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During the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, what exactly was Dr. Beverly Crusher's position within Starfleet Medical and what do we know regarding her accomplishments or chosen area of medical research/application during this time?

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From "The Child":

WESLEY: It's going to be hard leaving the Enterprise.

PICARD: Mixed feelings for all of us. It's always difficult leaving any ship, just as it was for your mother when she left to become head of Starfleet Medical.

She left to become head of Starfleet Medical. We don't know much about how she spent her time there, what research she pursued, or anything of that sort, but one can presume it was mainly administrative duties. We do know that she at least briefly worked with Commander Hutchinson:

From "Starship Mine":

HUTCH: Beverly. Lovely as ever. How do you manage it?
CRUSHER: It's good to see you again.
HUTCH: It's been far too long. What is it, four years? Now I want to hear everything that happened after you left Starfleet Medical.

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  • Thx. I always felt a little lack of closure with regard to her absence S2. Like a plot hole regarding a fav character. But those excerpts really help. I agree with you that she was most prob stuck with administrative stuff, but thanks especially for the 2nd exerpt. I had no recollection of that exchange, but it does give room to assume that she created and enjoyed professional relationships that, in part, most prob made for a fruitful year.
    – Mike LeBoeuf
    Oct 17, 2017 at 6:54
  • Isn't head of Starfleet Medical an Admiral's position?
    – Lord Praxis
    Oct 17, 2017 at 20:15
  • That depends on what your definition of 'is', is, @LordPraxis. Seeing as 1) Beverly isn't an admiral, and 2) Beverly as the head of Starfleet Medical, clearly it's not requisite.
    – Daniel B
    Oct 18, 2017 at 3:53
  • Daniel B - If Beverly was the head of Starfleet's entire medical department, as the plain phrase "Starfleet Medical" indicates, she must have been an admiral during the period that she was head of Starfleet Medical. I find it much more normal for a commander to be a temporary admiral while having a job that is an admiral's position, than for the head of Starfleet's entire medical branch to have a lower rank than admiral.
    – M. A. Golding
    Dec 19, 2017 at 23:52

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