Are scientifically detached professors referred to as ‘clinical’? I have come across this term fairly often, where full/associate/assistant professors are referred to by the term ‘clinical’. Given that their departments had nothing to do with medicine, I thought the term referred to the second meaning of clinical:


  scientifically detached; strictly objective


Is this interpretation correct? If yes, isn’t such a branding offensive?
There can be clinical professors in fields other than medicine, though they may be labeled something else.  The definition of a "clinical professor" is not limited to medicine:  


  "The prefix Clinical identifies appointments that primarily provide practical instruction and application of practical knowledge. On the Medical Campus, the title describes faculty whose primary activity is limited to clinical or public health practice and associated teaching. The duties, terms of appointment, and salaries (if any) of such persons are specified in the letter of appointment. In general, the applicable rank and any subsequent promotions should be determined by the relevant academic achievements, professional accomplishments, and demonstrated effectiveness of the appointee."  (Boston University faculty handbook)


So, though I don't know much about engineering, I imagine that a professional from an engineering firm that specializes in a particular process could be hired as a clinical professor.  S/he would teach about the particular niche they occupy in the industry.