What I Learned from Hepatology

Abstract

The gap between clinical and basic medicine has long been discussed, and much effort has been made to fill it in various terms, such as “translational medicine,” “bench to bedside,” or “bedside to bench.” It is no doubt that physician-scientists play an essential role as the bridge between clinicians and basic scientists. In the United States, however, physician-scientists have been ironically called an “endangered species” for 40 years. Since the social and medical backgrounds are different between the countries, it doesn't seem easy to apply the term physician-scientist to Japanese medicine directly. Although the objective of the present article is not to discuss the future of physician-scientists, it is concerned that the number of an MD who is going to obtain PhD also declines in Japan. With the rapid progress of biomedical science, it is impossible for physicians to fully understand cutting-edge basic science. At the same time, it is becoming hard to provide medical care without understanding basic medicine. Not all physicians need to aim for physician-scientist, but for physicians, the bridge between clinical and basic science will be more crucial than ever.