The reincarnation of a biomedical researcher: from bench science to medical education.

After 33 years as a biomedical research scientist, I embarked on a new career in medical education. The transformation was awkward, difficult and exciting. Although I had assumed that previous experience in research and scholarship would stand me in good stead, such was hardly the case.

In utero exposure to tributyltin chloride differentially alters male and female fetal gonad morphology and gene expression profiles in the Sprague-Dawley rat.

Tributyltin (TBT) is an environmental contaminant commonly used in anti-fouling agents for boats, as well as a by-product from several industrial processes. It has been shown to accumulate in organisms living in areas with heavy maritime traffic thereby entering the food chain. Here, we determined the consequences of in utero exposure to TBT on the developing fetal gonads in the Sprague-Dawley rat.

The value of a philosophical perspective in teaching the basic medical sciences.

A major challenge for medical education is the cultivation of practitioners capable of embracing both the physico-chemical and transcendent dimensions of human life. A widely accepted approach to this dilemma has been the introduction of the humanities, and more specifically philosophy, into the medical curriculum. The integration of philosophical thinking into the educational process is, however, hampered by its apparent incompatibility with the scientific/reductionist mindset preeminent in modern medicine.