Interdisciplinarity: Paving the Future of Medicine
by Maegan Noche
The world is evolving at a rapid rate and so too are the complex problems in healthcare. With the emergence of new diseases and the slow progress in treatment for existing illnesses, these problems are demanding an increased number of solutions. Therefore, what the scientific community desperately needs is the ability to keep up with this demand. I believe the ability to formulate new or improved solutions lies in a more interdisciplinary approach to medicine.
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Medicine has long been advanced by interdisciplinary research evident in clinical breakthroughs brought about by the combination of fields like physics, chemistry, engineering, and others with medicine. From the determination of DNA’s structure centuries ago to the utilization of clinical imaging now, interdisciplinarity in medicine has truly allowed the field of medicine to progress. Now, more than ever, significant contributors are finding more ways to accelerate this progression through scientific and technological advances. This makes the presence of interdisciplinarity in medicine even more essential for success, as these fields are going to intertwine with one another more frequently. Moreover, beyond advancing the discipline of medicine by creating more breakthroughs, interdisciplinarity is also a key factor in improving the efficacy of current medical breakthroughs. Interdisciplinary approaches in medicine are incredibly relevant in various applications, particularly in the enhancement of biomedical research and clinical training.
Biomedical Research
Biomedical research has moved forward thanks to interdisciplinary approaches in medicine. A great example of this is cancer research which has benefited from the optimization of information from genomics, mathematics, physics, and other fields. A major aspect of cancer research, cancer treatment, has inherently involved contributions from multiple disciplines beyond just biology and medicine. Radiotherapy, for instance, which uses radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors employs physics principles.
Additionally, molecular technology has been used to gain a deeper understanding of the biology of cancer. However, the slow progress in reducing the intensity of cancer signals the need for more interdisciplinary collaboration to really grasp the complexity of cancer. Many researchers have suggested this pertains more specifically to metastasis which is the spread of cancer cells to different parts of the body. (Smye & Gatenby, 2022) Experts specializing in the fields of mathematics, soft matter and quantum physics, as well as molecular and cellular biology must all merge their knowledge in their specific fields to propose efficient responses to significantly lessen its severity. This research is extremely relevant to those diagnosed with cancer as the activation of metastasis is one of the main characteristics of tumor behavior. Moreover, interdisciplinarity has also propelled advancements in cancer detection. A promising area of research is the creation of biosensors which are developed with expertise in electrical, chemical, and mechanical engineering. On the other hand, research in terms of the healing process is also possible because of interdisciplinarity.
Regenerative medicine, which has been defined as a branch of translational research focusing on the “process of replacing, regenerating or engineering human cells, tissues, or organs to restore or establish normal function” in the Encyclopedia of Biomedical Engineering, combines various approaches to improve the healing process. Although it is a fairly new field, it presents a number of advantages made possible by information from biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, genetics, robotics, and more. Currently, lots of vulnerable patients have benefited from applications of regenerative medicine such as tissue engineering, cellular therapies, and artificially made organs. In all of these breakthroughs, fields like physics and mathematics have played a big role in the development and improvement of clinical treatments. By continuing to pursue interdisciplinary approaches and techniques to medical problems, we are only destined to receive the answers to all these difficult questions.
Clinical Training
Along with shaping clinical research, interdisciplinarity is also shaping the future of healthcare services and providers. This fosters an environment of cooperation and discourse to address these long-standing challenges. Clinicians will not only be limited to discussions with those of the same expertise, instead they can expose themselves to fresh perspectives that will introduce novel interdisciplinary approaches. Furthermore, these researchers themselves can be pushed to look past their own fields to evaluate current solutions and devise strategies which strengthen their efficiency. In addition to finding new answers, key actors in healthcare must also be able to find these answers in the variety of STEM disciplines. The Moffitt Cancer Center even indicated that the healthcare workforce is likely to expand as interdisciplinary research develops, with possible careers as clinical mathematicians or computational doctors arising.
The intersection with fields in the humanities such as sociology and indigenous studies have a great impact on the practices of healthcare providers. The integration of sociology into medical education allows health practitioners to consider the social aspects of illness in addition to its scientific aspects. With this, doctors, nurses, and researchers can gain a deeper understanding of various social circumstances that affect their health. This will lead to solutions tackling the social, economic, and political barriers that prevent marginalized communities from attaining quality healthcare. Additionally, medical education and training in particular could become more inclusive and diverse. White-centric content in textbooks (Louie and Wilkes 2018) and biological conceptualizations of race rampant (Braun and Sanders 2017) could be further eradicated. Less heteronormative education and training could also be possible with the presence of sociology in medical education. Through this, physicians would be better equipped in working with LGBTQ patients, especially transgender patients. (Beagan, Fredericks, & Bryson, 2015) Beyond diversifying medical education, reducing the barrier to entry for underrepresented individuals in healthcare. Sociology exposes a lot of class and race inequalities that hinder those belonging to POC and underresourced communities from becoming medical providers. Having more clinicians from diverse backgrounds will also increase the diversity present in clinical education and training. When healthcare becomes more intersectional, everyone will be granted the fundamental right of health care.
Another field that can improve clinical training is ethnic and indigenous studies. Indigenous peoples are more vulnerable to health risks, poorer health outcomes, and unmet needs in terms of health services (WHO, 2022). Medical education and training have a strong influence on the lack of adequate healthcare services for indigenous populations. (Jones et al., 2019) Most institutions fail to give students the skills they need to address this inadequacy. Therefore, with the development of a curriculum with more emphasis on indigenous knowledge, the medical community can serve indigenous patients more effectively. Indigenous knowledge can introduce approaches that specifically apply social, cultural, and historical backgrounds of these populations. More importantly, medical institutions will also realize their role in furthering racist and colonist ideas that perpetuate health inequities. This is truly a step forward in empowering indigenous patients who have been disenfranchised by the healthcare systems. With the continuous utilization of interdisciplinarity, we can finally revolutionize healthcare.
Conclusion
The future of medicine is certainly unpredictable as the world continues to undergo drastic changes. However, one thing is surely certain — interdisciplinary is now more than ever a tool we need. Why do we need it? Well, because it will pave the way for a better future in medicine.
Bibliography
- Goldman, M. (2016). Education in Medicine: Moving the Boundaries to Foster Interdisciplinarity. Frontiers in Medicine, 3(15). https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2016.00015
- Smye, S. W. & Frangi, A. F. (2021). Interdisciplinary research: shaping the healthcare of the future. Future Healthcare Journal, 8(2), 218–223. https://doi.org/10.7861%2Ffhj.2021-0025
- What is Regenerative Medicine?. (n.d). McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine. Retrieved November 14, 2022, from https://mirm-pitt.net/about-us/what-is-regenerative-medicine/#:~:text=The%20promising%20field%20of%20Regenerative,organs%20that%20become%20permanently%20damaged.
- Smye, S. W. & Gatenby, R. A. (2022). Interdisciplinary approaches to metastasis. iScience, 25(9). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2022.105015
- Bellah, M. (2018). The Emergence of Interdisciplinary Research in Cancer Diagnostics. Journal of Nanomedicine Research, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.15406/jnmr.2017.06.00161
- Jenkins, T. M., Underman, K., Vinson, A. H., Olsen, L. D., & Hirshfield, L. E. (2021). The Resurgence of Medical Education in Sociology: A Return to Our Roots and an Agenda for the Future. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 62(3), 255–270. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0022146521996275
- Jones, R., Crowshoe, L, Reid, P., Calam, B., Curtis, E., Green, M., Huria, T., Jacklin, K., Kamaka, M., Lacey, C., Milroy, J., Paul, D., Pitama, S., Walker, L., Webb, G., & Ewen, S. (2019). Educating for Indigenous Health Equity: An International Consensus Statement. Academic Medicine, 94(4), 512–519. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000002476
- Indigenous peoples and tackling health inequities: WHO side event at the 21st session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. (2022, May 3). World Health Organization. Retrieved November 22, 2022, from https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2022/05/03/default-calendar/indigenous-peoples-and-tackling-health-inequities--who-side-event-at-the-2022-session-of-the-un-permanent-forum-on-indigenous-issues
