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A few universities have started programs that require
researchers to understand
the basics of translational
medicine. “We’re starting an M.D.-Ph.D. program in the
fall
and looking for mentors and role models; we’re
specifically
looking for people with M.D. and Ph.D. degrees,” the
University of South Dakota’s Miskimins says. Finding
those
individuals presents one unique problem. “They see the
winter here and don’t come back,” Miskimins says. “But
it’s
getting easier to attract them.”
Students have shown more enthusiasm. “They are quite
academically diverse, including chemistry majors,
biology
majors, a psychology major, and some who have bummed
around
a while before deciding what they want to do next,”
Miskimins says. “All had a strong interest in medicine
and
then got hooked on research. They decided that making a
contribution to the patients they would see as
physicians
would be an exciting way to go.”
Harris’s program, started at Northwestern two years ago
and
funded largely by philanthropic donations, aims to
develop
practical links between the lab and the clinic. “The
program already has three principal investigators (PIs)
who
are working on genetic aspects of neurological disease –
projects that tie in clearly with clinical issues that
the
neurologists and psychologists at Children’s Memorial
Hospital are dealing with,” Harris says. “All three are
basic
scientists, but they are very much crossing the
boundary between the molecular advances at the bench
and
their use in developing new treatments.”
Harris’s requirements for qualified individuals
resemble
those of Miskimins. “The big recruitment of the moment
is
for PIs, but we have openings for postdocs also,” she
says. “The most important thing is that candidates have
to
be outstanding basic scientists who are creative and
innovative. They also have to be able to see the bigger
picture – the application of their research to clinical
problems.”
At the University of North Carolina, meanwhile, Narayan
wants scientists with practical experience. “I’m
looking
for people who can translate a lot of our research in
novel
materials into practical devices,” he says. “We want
multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary skills in
processing, characterizing, and modeling devices, as
well
as preclinical testing, animal modeling, and the
clinical
end of testing on human subjects. We want people who
can
take a device and interact with a clinical subject for
testing and evaluation.”...