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Systems education can train the next generation of scientists and clinicians

In recent years, there has been growing concern about waning interest in science, as despite advances in research and technology, fewer young people seem to be pursuing careers in these fields1. This decline can be attributed to various factors, including a lack of early engagement, inadequate integration of practical experience and insufficient alignment between educational stages. To address this issue, the National Academy of Scientist Education (NASE) and Academia Europaea (AE) propose the concept of ‘multigenerational systems education’, a comprehensive approach that draws inspiration from systems biology and systems medicine.

The traditional methods of teaching science have failed to keep pace with the rapid advancements of the twenty-first century. Evidence of declining interest is reflected in the decreasing number of students enrolling in science courses at both the high school level and the university level1. According to recent studies, fewer students are choosing to specialize in life sciences, with many perceiving these fields as inaccessible or irrelevant to real-world applications2,3.

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Fig. 1: Multigenerational systems education.

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Acknowledgements

We thank B. Sakmann (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1991), who has served as the educational director of NASE since 2016 and whose invaluable contributions have greatly advanced the program’s development and success.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Academy of Scientist Education, Szeged, Hungary

    Péter Hegyi & András Varró

  2. Centre for Translational Medicine and Institute of Pancreatic Diseases, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary

    Péter Hegyi

  3. Institute for Translational Medicine, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary

    Péter Hegyi

  4. Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary

    András Varró

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  1. Péter Hegyi
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  2. András Varró
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Péter Hegyi.

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Hegyi, P., Varró, A. Systems education can train the next generation of scientists and clinicians.
Nat Med (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-03315-w

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  • Published: 17 October 2024

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-03315-w

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