Human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research has sparked incredible scientific and public excitement, as well as significant controversy. hESCs are pluripotent, which means, in theory, that they can be differentiated into any type of cell found in the human body. Thus, they evoke great enthusiasm about potential clinical applications. They are…

This conceptual paper considers the role of culture in shaping family, professional, and community understanding of developmental disabilities and their treatments. The meanings of health, illness, and disability vary greatly across cultures and across time. We use Bronfenbrenner's ecological model to provide a theoretical framework for examining…

This paper is a contribution to the debate on the phenomenon of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). It explores how and why the discourses surrounding the aetiology and interventions are dominated by a bio-medical understanding of ADHD. Competing discourses are examined, particularly those marginalised because they do not support the…

Traditional medical school curricula have made a clear demarcation between the basic biomedical sciences and the clinical years. It is our view that a comprehensive medical education necessarily involves an increased correlation between basic science knowledge and its clinical applications. A basic anatomy course should have two main objectives:…

In this essay, the author, a Biomedical Sciences student at the University of Sheffield, presents an atypical way of addressing the question "What advice would you give to students starting your course?" by transcribing the much-evoked and revered Ten Commandments, the original guide to life, into advice for new and bewildered Biomedical…

Physiology as a discipline is uniquely positioned to engage undergraduate students in interdisciplinary research in response to the 2006-2011 National Science Foundation Strategic Plan call for innovative transformational research, which emphasizes multidisciplinary projects. To prepare undergraduates for careers that cross disciplinary…

Under previous copyright legislation and jurisprudence, medical, and to a lesser extent, educational professionals, were afforded broad discretion under the judicially created fair use doctrine. The Copyright Act of 1976 creates a statutory definition of fair use and prescribes a test to be used in determining when a use is "fair" and…

A federally funded research project, Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS), provided opportunities for Native Americans to participate in and gain experience with a research project. MBRS programs can provide a model and means for nurse researchers to conduct worthwhile investigations and provide research training for minority students.…

The impact of the new biology on what, how, and why persons learn in medicine is discussed. The transformation of medical education is reflected in the radical changes in views of man as organism that are arising from new discoveries in molecular and cellular biology. (MLW)

Expresses concern that the dramatic increase in federal support of biomedical research, specifically the doubling of the National Institutes of Health budget, is producing an excess of Ph.D. graduates in biomedical sciences. Suggests that continual increases in program enrollment are primarily driven by personnel needs of the academic research…

The emergence of bioactive peptides and proteins as new drug species poses formidable problems for the pharmaceutical scientist. Implications for revision or change in undergraduate and graduate pharmaceutics curricula derive from the biopharmaceutical, pharmacokinetic, and physiochemical aspects of the new drug species, which differ from…

Entrepreneurship efforts by faculty are needed to overcome dwindling external support and criticism of the preparation of graduates. The biomedical model of clinical practice could be emulated by other departments, with clear benefits for students, faculty, and institutions. (SK)

Primary source peer reviewed journals are the gold standard for biomedical science. Relationships between journal owners, who have total business authority, and editors, who have total intellectual authority, are often strained. Adherence to "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals" of the International…

Nursing education and theory lean toward behavioral sciences, but practice focuses on biomedical problems. Bioscience should be reintroduced to nursing theory through reflective practice. This may also rectify the symbol-object dichotomy in natural sciences, which inhabits the relationship of theory and practice. (SK)

Relying upon grant-supported salaries, many medical schools have greatly expanded their faculties; but if new funding devices are not discovered, retrenchment will occur. Physicians, who are trained to look at the big picture, must continue to be an essential element in the biomedical research team. (MLW)