The success of the Vertibrae model is evidenced by its critical validation on three levels.

Academia. Vertibrae communities are maintained in association with divisions of academic institutions such as Columbia University, New York University and Duke University.

Practicing physicians. Vertibrae communities attract large numbers of loyal members who return numerous times monthly, with each community enjoying an audience penetration level ranging from 51% to greater than 90%. Colleague recommendations are responsible for a large proportion of new members, and helped grow Vertibrae's membership by 49.6% in 2001.

Industry. In turn, more and more representatives of the pharmaceutical industry are recognizing the value of Vertibrae's highly credible educational model, and are investing in multiyear sponsorship contracts. Current sponsors include Merck & Co., GlaxoSmithKline, Abbott Laboratories, Amgen and Wyeth-Ayerst/Immunex.