School of Medical Science & Technology
The Century will belong to biomedicine
The society is in the midst of a major revolution in biomedicine with stunning discoveries being made in biological sciences and path making inventions in the areas of physical sciences and technology. It is expected that the practice of Medicine will undergo a sea change.
The human genome project has opened up new vistas in prevention, detection and cure of human diseases with molecular precision.
If we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and internationally, we must be second to none in the application of advanced technologies to the real problems of man and society. It is well realized that, for the benefits of modern medicine and healthcare to reach the deprived community, who have been denied the critical healthcare services due to various socioeconomic and geographical reasons, connectivity through telemedicine is an efficient and effective method.
Synergy between Medicine and Technology
The core health care science and research in medical sciences will have ever increasing interface with technology areas. The future will not only be dominated by advances in life sciences but will witness the merging of frontier technologies and medicine. This synergy is already happening and we should not be caught unawares. To meet these challenges, a new breed of medical professionals is required which will be conversant with the medical profession as well as the engineering profession, and who will be able to fuse together the medical sciences with the high -end technologies. On a number of occasions, this need to bring closer the scientists/ engineers and medical professionals, has arisen for specific problems and for further advances in medical research and more effective health care.
Scope of Medical research in India
Most of the medical research in India has been predominantly of clinical nature-dealing with treatment methods. Research in fundamental areas and frontier areas of medical science has not been stimulated due to lack of funds, facilities, ambience and integration between doctors and technologists.
The research done through this kind of collaboration between doctors and technologists will ultimately meet the requirements of the medical profession, and determine the progress in the field of medicine with a long term perspective. This will allow the country to remain at the frontier of global advances in medicine.
Such innovative research in the long run will reduce imports, lead to development of new drugs, and will be geared towards making the country self-sufficient, and attaining a leading role in the world. But facilities for such kind of research are woefully inadequate in our country, if not non-existent. Further, the need for trained manpower in this area was also felt for quite some time.
Role of IIT Kharagpur in this Scenario
IIT Kharagpur is well aware of the role that it has to play to keep it at the frontier of technology and lead the nation in this aspect in the larger sense. IIT Kharagpur has always reoriented itself to meet the technological challenges and lead the nation.
Accordingly, in this year of its Golden Jubilee, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur has achieved another first by establishing an interdisciplinary School of Medical Science and Technology to foster teaching as well as R & D activities in the areas of Medical Science and Technology.
This pioneering school has the potential to become the watershed event in the history of the education system with the coming together of two disciplines, the life & medical sciences and the physical & engineering Sciences. The School is expected to train manpower through degree courses, continuing education and support R & D Activities. To begin with, an interdisciplinary Master’s Programme in Medical Science and Technology has been introduced from July 2001.
It is expected that the students thus trained will act as an interface between medical and technology groups, who will be in a better position to appreciate the interdisciplinary medico-techno nature of the problems, and develop products through innovative research and at the same time carry out quality research in the frontier areas.
This programme, to start with, is open to only the medical graduates. Once IIT develops the required infrastructure and collaboration with neighboring hospitals to train the students in medical sciences, the students with engineering background will also be admitted to this programme.