graduate programs in translational research gaining in popularity
The draw of translational research and the desire of many graduate students to gain some clinical exposure and to have opportunities to do research with tangible clinical impact has caused academic institutions around the country to address these objectives by designing graduate programs with a focus on translational research. I’ve known a number of people who have gone through these programs and all have been very satisfied with their training. The primary differences between these programs and more specific, traditional Ph.D. graduate training programs (e.g. “the graduate program in biochemistry”) are the faculty comprising available mentors as well as program-specific course requirements and offerings. Whereas in more traditional graduate programs there are more opportunities to research the biological sciences at a more basic level (e.g. studying the structure and function of a specialized protein), translational research-focused graduate programs tend to include faculty members whose work has greater immediate clinical impact (e.g. studying biomarkers or pharmacology). Moreover, course offerings through translational research-focused graduate programs have specific focus on exposing students to clinical problems and disease processes, for example through pathophysiology, pathology and pharmacology courses. Even more unique are some courses offered by a few programs that give graduate students the opportunity to go out into the wards and see patients firsthand. I personally think that the clinical exposure in these programs should really be extended to all graduate programs in the biological sciences. Maybe it’s my own personal bias, but I think all research in the biological sciences, whether in the short term or long term, should offer some benefit to patient care. And at the very least, I think clinical exposure for graduate students (or anyone) just offers more motivation and inspiration for doing research.
Anyway, for those who are interested in translational research, these programs go far in fostering that interest through many opportunities that don’t otherwise exist in full at the more traditional graduate training programs in the biological sciences. For some personal stories of people who have gone through these programs and a list of translational research-focused graduate programs across the country, check out this article on Science online.
