The Importance of Physician-Scientists In Today's Medicine
Since physician-scientists are dually trained in both medicine and scientific investigation, they have a unique role in advancing medical knowledge of human biology and disease to improve patient care outcomes through the application of biomedical science or research. The work of physician-scientists includes basic science processes of disease, translating preclinical results, clinical trial design and healthcare disparities research.
Based on hypotheses of how diseases are formed, physician-scientists conduct clinical trials or experiments to test treatments for diseases on patients who have agreed to participate in studies. Through these studies, physician-scientists can analyze data and determine the effectiveness of treatments, for which they have conducted trials or experiments. Hence, physician-scientists are a critical component in helping the public understand diseases and treatment.
Since osteopathic physicians receive specialized training that focuses on the “whole person” approach through the body’s interconnectedness of mind, body and spirit with an emphasis on preventative healthcare, osteopathic physician-scientists have a keen ability to understand the root causes of diseases or disorders and determine not only viable treatments through clinical trials or experiments, but also prevention methods from a holistic approach.
Although physician-scientists are a valuable resource to the physician and biomedical workforce, there has been a critical shortage of physician-scientists actively engaged in research for several decades. With a recent surge in High Consequence Infectious Diseases (HCIDs), such as COVID-19, posing imminent risks to both global and public health, it becomes even clearer that more research is direly needed to advance the understanding, treatment and prevention of diseases, especially HCIDs.
These occurrences emphasize the vital need for more physician-scientists, as they are the leading voice for approval of drug therapies for a wide range of medical diseases and are a key asset to medical research and scholarly activity in academia, often training the next generation of physician-scientists. Hence, physician-scientists are a significant part of the physician workforce that protects both global and human health.
The Development of the Osteopathic Physician-Scientists Engagement Network (OPEN)
To address the critical shortage of physician-scientists, the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) has developed a special interest group, the Osteopathic Physician-Scientists Engagement Network (OPEN) composed of administrators, physician-scientists, DO/PhD program directors and trainees.
OPEN supports and promotes the development and nurturing of physician-scientists by representing the interests of DO/PhD programs and research-focused osteopathic physicians and trainees throughout the continuum of their research careers. Therefore, OPEN aspires to advance the education, training and career development of osteopathic physician-scientists and physician-scientist trainees.