Burnout is increasingly recognized as a problem in the workplace--30% to 50% of physicians experience burnout, but no assessment of burnout has been done among healthcare research faculty. A cross-sectional survey of burnout, quality of life, and related factors was sent to all doctoral-level faculty in a large department of healthcare research. Of 54 respondents, 40% were categorized as burned-out using standard measurement. No differences in reported burnout were observed across genders, age, time with the institution, relationship status, or parental status. Those who were burned out were more likely to report: poor quality of life (57% vs. 22%, p = 0.02); a feeling that work was done in crisis mode (80% vs. 50%, p = 0.04); a sense that getting work done was more important than quality (53% vs. 3%, p<0.01); and lower overall job satisfaction (53% vs. 85%, p = 0.02). Burnout was prevalent among healthcare research faculty and was associated with poor quality of life and a reduction in the perceived quality of work. Our results suggest addressing burnout may be an opportunity for research administrators to improve performance, job satisfaction, and retention.