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In Choosing a Research Health Career, Mentoring is Essential

November 13th, 2007 | by David Reiner, M.D. |

                                       

Careers in academic medicine can be very rewarding, particularly if a discovery translates into the design of better health care strategies or clinical treatments.  With so many new diagnostic tests and methods available, this can be viewed as an ideal time to enter a research field.  For example, the mapping of the human chromosome and correlating specific gene patterns to disease may one day be the road to many new medical treatment modalities.  However, this opportunity for discovery may not be adequately utilized if we do not maintain enough young scientists entering these academic tracks in medicine.  Although organizations like the National Institute of Health and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute are very involved in research training, this only accounts for a small percentage of new investigators that are really needed.  Through the guidance of mentors in the medical education process, and exposure to research opportunities during this training process we can stimulate greater interest in scientific research and discovery.  Creative and spirited mentoring remains a very important guiding force in career selection, lending suggestion to the fact that current approaches need to be improved.

Reference: Lung, 2007 Nov 8;

Tags: gene mapping, Medical Training, research