Are Medical Schools equipped to train students for positions that may not exist yet? New specialty areas developing?

Not too many years ago I remembered hearing the term “hospitalist” and asked what’s that? The hospitalist has evolved and is now one of the top growing professions. With Pharmacogenomics, we might be on the verge of a new specialty, a “Longevity Doctor”. We already have a dwindling force of primary practice physicians who are seeing more patients today in a time limited environment, so how does personalized medicine impact the already over worked family practice physician?

This could in fact be opening up a new field of specialists who can work with a family practice physician with treatment plans. There are a limited amount of MDs currently with knowledge in this area and as the study of drugs with research and development continues it may be just more than a on person task, something to think about.

With Life Extension growing with big investments from venture capitalists, it only stands to continue to be one rapidly growing field and patients are going to want answers and quickly, especially in the areas of cancer, not to mention other disease research areas. It also comes around to once again being the “informed patient” and taking on a little time to “read up” yourself as a patient, as there is no way you can possibly get all the medical information you need today in the 15 minute consult.

How are the future medical students being educated in this new emerging field and will there be new specialists in this area? I would almost guess help from a specialist for the family practice physician will be not only needed soon, but in demand and welcomed. A new level of specialty care and community of peers could just very well be what the doctor will order. BD

Longevity Docs Needed
It is not clear that traditional physicians will be those prescribing longevity remedies. Specialist longevity docs are needed and will likely arise and market themselves as such, there are a few examples of this today. Most traditional physicians do not currently have expertise in new areas such as longevity and personalized genomics, or the enhancement and prevention vs. cure mindset.