Training for Translation – The Physician Scientist’s Career Path

The “translation” of scientific discovery into clinical outcomes may seem like a fluid process but in reality is met with major stumbling blocks related to challenges faced in science, medicine and public health. Although this process has been a natural part of the advancement of medical and scientific knowledge, since their emergence, it has gained increased focus in the last number of years for a variety of reasons. Major advances in scientific research have been made in many fields at an unprecedented pace in the last decade. One such example in the genomic field has been the human genome project and the subsequent deep sequencing data that continues to emerge from this. This has resulted in a plethora of new data emerging in the life sciences with the knock on effect in the translational field being that high-throughput mechanisms are needed to bring benefits to patients in an effective and timely manner. This translation is, increasingly, being carried out by highly skilled individuals in the translational field who are capable of bridging the gap between science and medicine. Many of those with an interest in these fields in recent years have opted to pursue this path in a coordinated manner through dual training with doctorate degree in medicine and science, often as a formal MD/PhD program.