Clinican Scientists? Medical Scientists? Clinician and Medical Science Educators!

The university medicine in Germany is indispensable. There is no doubt about that. In its statement on the “Perspective of University Medicine” [1] published on October 21, 2016, the Science Council (“Wissenschaftsrat”) rightly stated that university medicine is the interface between the science and health system "with its singular task of research, teaching and healthcare ( p. 17). Patients should be treated as best as possible according to the most up-to-date rules of medical practice. To this end, innovation is needed, which results from research only. But what is also needed and indispensable is teaching to pass on the new knowledge. And to create a common foundation of knowledge, skills and attitudes, so that relevant research questions can arise to improve health care. Translational research from the bench to the bedside and back. An important cycle that runs the risk of stagnation since basic medical researchers are generally no physicians anymore and clinicians are no longer doing enough research. Without a translational research that connects basic medicine with clinical medicine, the central functions of the university medicine cannot be sustained, according to the scientific council: “Scientifically and clinically active university physicians need reliable scope for development and conditions, that allows them to work on specific subject-related as well as interdisciplinary research questions within the clinical context. Only these prerequisites allow to unlock the specific potentials of university medicine for translation, i.e. the necessary interactions needed to transfer basic research into clinical application and the health care system”(p. 16) [1]. However, as academic career paths seem to become increasingly unattractive for organizational and financial reasons, the development of differentiated research-oriented career paths seems inevitable. Thus, the Scientific Council calls for the establishment of a “Clinician-Scientist” career path for 5% to 8% of the residents working at university hospitals, as has also been demanded by the DFG's permanent Senate Commission for a long time [2]. In addition, better and more sustainable career options in university medicine should be offered for the nonmedical researchers in the basic science departments as “medical scientists”. Besides the vague career perspectives other than a professorship, the inferior compensation in comparison to doctors is a problem here. These are clear proposals for a secure academic future which will not be easy to implement in light of the high financial pressure under which university hospitals operate but which are well-founded and reasonable. Without research there are no improvements in patient care. Without young scientists who are motivated by research, with appropriate career perspectives, there is no sustainable university medicine. And what about teaching in this regard?Where do educational innovations come from that correspond to the stateof-the-art not only with regard to the content but also with