| Anatomy of the Issue The Physician Scholar: First Cut By TPS Editors
Therefore, it is our responsibility to be careful thinkers of the complex world within which we hope to practice medicine and effect change. In response to the changing healthcare environment, medical students are redefining the role of the physician as not only a clinician but also a scholar. This trend is evidenced by the increasing numbers of formalized dual-degree programs offered by U.S. medical schools. For example, the number of non-M.D./Ph.D. formalized dual degree tracks1 offered by U.S. medical schools is over 140.2 Furthermore, M.D./Ph.D. programs are no longer limited to the biomedical sciences but rather have expanded to include degrees in economics, history of medicine, engineering and other academic disciplines. This trend represents a paradigm shift in medicine with physicians as multidisciplinary experts. Bruce E. Ellerin M.D., J.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at NYU Medical Center, notes:
Medical students must become efficient and effective communicators due to the increasing complexity and interdisciplinary nature of medicine. In navigating the complex modern healthcare system, the future physician should be able to communicate and comprehend across disciplines. As medical students we are responsible for preparing ourselves for this task by working with and learning from one another. Thus, it is out of this spirit of effective communication, multidisciplinary experitization and interdisciplinary collaboration that The Physician Scholar (TPS) was born. Our four-fold aim with The Physician Scholar is to 1) provide a medium for medical students to share diverse interests with the undergraduate medical community; 2) encourage medical students to explore the interconnections between medicine and other healthcare-related disciplines; 3) help medical students improve their writing and communication skills and 4) foster collaborative efforts between medical students, physicians and other healthcare professionals. The journal will appear online at www.physicianscholar.org in monthly installments. Each editorial will be accompanied with a feedback mechanism to stimulate peer reflection and dialogue among the readership. On a regular basis, selected pieces will be compiled into a print edition. The motto of The Physician Scholar is pro nobis, a nobis (For the medical student community, by the medical student community). As such, the agenda of The Physician Scholar is dictated by the diverse interests of medical students. Therefore, the journal will include but is not limited to writings, interviews, photo essays, original research articles, debates and lectures. In this inaugural issue of The Physician Scholar, we bring to you a perspective on transparency in the objectives of medical education, a review of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) in the political arena, a photo editorial challenging the concept of pharmacy by juxtaposition, an examination of the public health crisis that existed among the plebs urbana, Rome's urban poor, during the 2nd through 1st centuries BCE, a delineation of approaches to world doctoring and an in-depth interview with Mayo Clinic President and CEO Denis Cortese on American healthcare reform. The diversity of topics within this first issue is but a glimpse of the burgeoning ideas and interests within the medical school community. Sincerely, REFERENCES: 1 Such as M.D./J.D., M.D./M.P.H, M.D./M.B.A., M.D./M.H.A, M.D./M.Ed.
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