Training PhD researchers to translate science to clinical medicine: Closing the gap from the other side
Martha L. Gray1
& Joseph V. Bonventre2
1
Division of Health Sciences and Technology and Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Boston, Massachusetts, USA
mgray@mit.edu
2
Division of Health Sciences and Technology and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, Massachusetts, USA
joseph_bonventre@hms.harvard.edu
It is widely anticipated that the sequencing of the human genome, the characterization of the human proteomic map and the underlying advance in technological know-how will give rise to an unprecedented leap in biomedical science over the next half century. It may be that the bottleneck in the equation is the availability of staff trained to understand the scientific data generated and transform it successfully into something with medical value. Such people must have detailed knowledge both of medicine and the practice of scientific investigation. Here, we present three commentaries that endeavor to explain how such hybrid researchers can be recruited, trained and retained.
