Speaker
Description
Introduction:
Regenerative Medicine is a relatively new field found at the intersection of science, engineering and medicine. Researchers in this field are traditionally biologists, chemists, materials scientists, data scientists, engineers or physicians who have acquired skills and knowledge beyond their basic training and stepped into the rapidly evolving field of TERM. Many of them, however, still find themselves approaching their research questions from the perspective of their own traditional discipline finding it difficult to adopt the much needed multidisciplinary approaches. Having recognized the need for a new researcher profile that would receive basic training in multiple disciplines, at Maastricht University we have taken the initiative of designing and developing an undergraduate program focusing on Regenerative Medicine and Technology. Within this program we aim to educate a new generation of researchers that will be able to swiftly adapt to any area of TERM, and contribute to the design and development of medical therapies, products and devices for research and clinical use.
Methodology:
A multidisciplinary Curriculum Committee and a broader Consultative Committee were assembled with the goal of developing an outline of a possible curriculum for the envisaged program using the principles of backward chaining. A total of nine Developing Groups have been installed to develop and constructively align the first two years of education keeping the CCCS (Constructive, Contextual, Collaborative, Self-Directed) learning principles in mind.
Results:
Applying the principles of problem- and research-based learning our program intends to offer a solid science and engineering foundation which would be strongly integrated with the relevant aspects of medicine. To this end, the desired competencies have been defined and in turn translated to year intended learning outcomes and a three-year curriculum. The first year offers a strong foundation in science, engineering and regenerative medicine. The second year is intended to focus on application of the acquired foundation in TERM. An example of this is a real-world student research project defined by clinicians within the MUMC+ university hospital. In addition, special attention will be paid to the development of translational science skills necessary to bring new therapies and products onto the market. We also envisage a close collaboration with the industry to bring in real-life success and fail stories. The third year would offer a minor and a semester-long research graduation project in TERM. The program aims to integrate the perspectives and input of the TERMIS-EU community and holds the ambition to catalyze the creation of an international network in education.
Conclusions:
The design and development of a new undergraduate program with the focus on TERM has been initiated at Maastricht University. The first ideas on the competencies and final qualifications have been translated into a curriculum outline draft. The education will be developed in further detail keeping the principles of constructive alignment and the CCCS learning principles in mind. The subsequent steps to be taken are the preparation of a macro-efficiency file and, in case of a positive evaluation, also an initial accreditation procedure. The program’s envisioned start date would then be September 2023.
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