Regenerative medicine curriculum for next-generation physicians

Abstract

Regenerative sciences are poised to transform clinical practice. The quest for regenerative solutions has, however, exposed a major gap in current healthcare education. A call for evidence-based adoption has underscored the necessity to establish rigorous regenerative medicine educational programs early in training. Here, we present a patient-centric regenerative medicine curriculum embedded into medical school core learning. Launched as a dedicated portal of new knowledge, learner proficiency was instilled by means of a discovery–translation–application blueprint. Using the “from the patient to the patient” paradigm, student experience recognized unmet patient needs, evolving regenerative technologies, and ensuing patient management solutions. Targeted on the deployment of a regenerative model of care, complementary subject matter included ethics, regulatory affairs, quality control, supply chain, and biobusiness. Completion of learning objectives was monitored by online tests, group teaching, simulated clinical examinations along with longitudinal continuity across medical school training and residency. Success was documented by increased awareness and proficiency in domain-relevant content, as well as specialty identification through practice exposure, research engagement, clinical acumen, and education-driven practice advancement. Early incorporation into mainstream medical education offers a tool to train next-generation healthcare providers equipped to adopt and deliver validated regenerative medicine solutions.

Stem cell preservation for regenerative therapies: ethical and governance considerations for the health care sector

“…In the future, academic medical centers may consider creating adult stem cell preservation platforms if regenerative medicine applications become more common. To this, a highly educated workforce proficient in regenerative medicine will be needed 49 . There is a substantive amount of evidence suggesting that a commercialization ethos can impact the level of trust in biorepositories 50 , 51 .…”

Digital Regenerative Medicine and Surgery Pedagogy for Virtual Learning in the Time of COVID-19

“…Increasingly, adoption into practice has driven a prompt incorporation of regenerative medicine educational programs into mainstream medical training, deployed to school next-generation healthcare providers [ 4 ]. The ‘Regenerative Medicine and Surgery Course’ at Mayo Clinic, now in its seventh year of formal existence, is one such example [ 2 ]. This curriculum for medical students offers a comprehensive educational experience that encompasses discovery, development and delivery of next-generation patient care modalities aimed to address root cause of disease.…”

“…Indeed, educating a specialized workforce that can distinguish safe and validated regenerative options is necessary to transform standard-of-care practices in a responsible manner [ 14 , 15 ]. Based on the ‘from the patient to the patient’ paradigm, a regenerative medicine and surgery curriculum has been established with new competencies in disruptive regenerative innovation using the preclinical discovery, clinical translation and practice application model, while ensuring that best practices are implemented [ 2 ]. Under the COVID-19 restrictions, the Mayo Clinic ‘Regenerative Medicine and Surgery Course’, composed of multifaceted course content across medical and surgical specialties, was rapidly adopted and implemented in the ‘new way’ 2020 digital format, comprehensive of clinical trial highlights and patient experiences, digital didactic lectures, virtual human anatomy laboratory sessions, live-broadcasted video tours of clinical-grade manufacturing facilities, trainee career panels and social networking sessions ( Figure 1 ).…”

“…Today, regenerative therapies, primed to transform clinical practice, have transitioned from the orbit of conceptual learning into core medical curricula for next-generation healthcare providers. Inaugural courses have been deployed to introduce regenerative medicine concepts and practices early in medical education training [ 2 ]. However, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has abruptly disrupted traditional modes of on-site medical education, mandating new solutions.…”

The Regenerative Horizon: Opportunities for Nursing Research and Practice

“…Implementation of targeted initiatives, such as the state-legislated California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (Trounson et al, 2012 ) or Minnesota Regenerative Medicine Act (Tolar & Terzic, 2017 ), contributes to the need for strengthening nursing practice competencies. Similarly, on a more global scale, the translational alliance for regenerative therapies underscores international endeavors for the comprehensive application of regenerative medicinal products (Fernandez-Aviles et al, 2017 ) and the development of targeted educational curricula to ensure profi ciency of the next-generation workforce (Wyles, Hayden, Meyer, & Terzic, 2019 ).…”