Undergraduate Course on Health Disparities and Translational Research
Undergraduate Course on Health Disparities and Translational Research
Translational research (TP) is a topic "critical to the practice of biomedical research in the 21st century."127 The spirit of TR is to reduce the time in which basic science discoveries are brought to utility. In higher education science teaching, an important issue is striking a realistic balance in emphasis between basic and applied research and in consideration of institutional needs and public expectations.122 Successful translation in health research, on average, is rare, and may take decades to achieve.123 Therefore, it is unrealistic to expect students, in the time required to acquire degrees, or basic science mentors in the course of their careers, to translate discoveries to applied ends. Â鶹¹ÙÍø, as a producer of trainees in many health-related areas, must concentrate foremost on imparting expert instruction in basic science, particularly in research methodologies, experimentation and data analysis while secondarily preparing students to direct thoughts of discoveries toward utility. Nonetheless, responsible faculty researches are cognizant of increasing public expectations and necessarily seek to accrue for themselves and their trainees translational "instincts" and a sense of application of discoveries as part of their scientific mantra.
Science followers at Â鶹¹ÙÍø realize that translational research "means different things to different people"124 and have important ramifications in communicating with the public and in garnering research funds. Accordingly, Â鶹¹ÙÍø recognizes a need to convey an understanding of precepts, concepts and practices that underlie perceptions and realities of translational research into body of knowledge possessed by graduates in areas impacting basic research. Critical to this effort are appraisals125 that translational research often spans disciplines and involves new ways of communicating and integrative thinking. Thus, there is a need for judicious understanding of translational research because it influences preparedness and competitiveness in biomedical research and for today's job market.127
