Guidelines for Developing Successful Short Advanced Courses in Systems Medicine and Systems Biology

David Gomez-Cabrero; Francesco Marabita; Sonia Tarazona; Isaac Cano; Josep Roca; Ana Conesa; Philippe Sabatier; Jesper Tegnér

doi:10.1016/j.cels.2017.05.013

Guidelines for Developing Successful Short Advanced Courses in Systems Medicine and Systems Biology

Cell Syst. 2017 Sep 27;5(3):168-175. doi: 10.1016/j.cels.2017.05.013. Epub 2017 Aug 23.

Authors

David Gomez-Cabrero¹, Francesco Marabita², Sonia Tarazona³, Isaac Cano⁴, Josep Roca⁴, Ana Conesa⁵, Philippe Sabatier⁶, Jesper Tegnér⁷

Affiliations

¹ Unit of Computational Medicine, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden; Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden; Unit of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, L8, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden; Science for Life Laboratory, 17121 Solna, Sweden; Mucosal and Salivary Biology Division, King's College London Dental Institute, London SE1 9RT, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Unit of Computational Medicine, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden; Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden; Unit of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, L8, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden; Science for Life Laboratory, 17121 Solna, Sweden.
³ Centro de Investigacion Principe Felipe, 46012 Valencia, Spain; Department of Applied Statistics, Operations Research and Quality, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camí de Vera, 46022 Valencia, Spain.
⁴ Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Universitat de Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, Spain; Center for Biomedical Network Research in Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), 28029 Madrid, Spain.
⁵ Centro de Investigacion Principe Felipe, 46012 Valencia, Spain; Microbiology and Cell Science Department, Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32603, USA.
⁶ TIMC-IMAG Laboratory, UMR 5525, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Vetagro Sup, Université Grenoble-Alpes, 38400 Saint-Martin-d'Hères, France.
⁷ Unit of Computational Medicine, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden; Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden; Unit of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, L8, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden; Science for Life Laboratory, 17121 Solna, Sweden; Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division (BESE), Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division (CEMSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 28843483
DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2017.05.013

Abstract

Systems medicine and systems biology have inherent educational challenges. These have largely been addressed either by providing new masters programs or by redesigning undergraduate programs. In contrast, short courses can respond to a different need: they can provide condensed updates for professionals across academia, the clinic, and industry. These courses have received less attention. Here, we share our experiences in developing and providing such courses to current and future leaders in systems biology and systems medicine. We present guidelines for how to reproduce our courses, and we offer suggestions for how to select students who will nurture an interdisciplinary learning environment and thrive there.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Curriculum / standards
Education / methods*
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Interdisciplinary Studies
Research Personnel / education*
Students
Systems Analysis
Systems Biology / education*