Education in Medicine: Moving the Boundaries to Foster Interdisciplinarity.

Abstract

Healthcare is at the verge of a revolution. We are entering the era of “precision medicine” in which prevention and treatment of diseases will be tailored according to the characteristics of each patient and the in-depth characterization of the pathologic processes underlying human disorders (1). This novel approach of medical care will include, among others, powerful computational analyses of large sets of biological and clinical data collected via electronic health records and mobile health technologies. Indeed, risk to develop specific disorders, and chance to respond to particular preventive or therapeutic measures, will be determined by individual profiles emerging from the integrated collection of clinical, genetic, environmental, and lifestyle data. This new knowledge will result in novel diagnostic and therapeutic tools, such as genomics-based tests, interventional imaging techniques, innovative medical devices, and cell-based or gene-based therapies, in addition to more efficient and safer (bio)pharmaceuticals. In this context, medicine will converge more and more with other life sciences, physical sciences and engineering sciences, which would require new models of collaborative innovation. Furthermore, innovation in healthcare will necessitate more than scientific and technological advances. In order to fill the gap between lab bench and patient bedside, new approaches for product development, regulation, market access (pricing/reimbursement), and patient access and adoption will become increasingly important. Translational medicine can be defined as the interdisciplinary science that will cover this continuum, from basic research to preclinical and clinical research, development of new medicines and medical devices, and ultimately patient-centric care. Interestingly, this is not a unidirectional path as very often it might be necessary to go back to research when unexpected findings are made after introduction of a new product on the market. The holistic approach inherent to translational medicine is essential to address the major public health challenges that our societies are facing, such as Alzheimer’s dementia, the diabetes’ epidemics, antimicrobial resistance, or the development of novel cancer therapies. Irrespective of their specific role in the healthcare system of the future, physicians and other healthcare providers, scientists, managers, regulators, and policy makers will need knowledge in translational medicine to be able to contribute to interdisciplinary endeavors. They will also have to develop the skills necessary to address organizational, business, and management issues in this complex sector. Academia represents an ideal environment to develop the educational and training programs needed to prepare the next generation of healthcare professionals to this challenge. Indeed, universities and other academic institutions offer advanced expertise in the multiple domains to be considered for the setup of cross-disciplinary research and education. Academic programs should be developed in close collaboration with the industrial sector, which is already investing in continuous professional development and lifelong learning activities relevant to translational medicine. Herein, we underline key elements of precision medicine that need to be considered in the development of interdisciplinary educational programs.