Translational research in health sciences: Educational implications and challenges

Abstract

The article provides a conceptual approximation to Translational Research (TrR) in the health sciences. A historical review of recent years was performed, as well as the study of its relationships with applied research, evidence-based research, implementation sciences and innovation-transference of knowledge and technology. TrR in medicine and education are strongly linked because of their mutual feedback and the fertile common ground in medical education. A pedagogical guide (template) was developed for the analysis of studies that aim to articulate basic research with different translational research phases, including: 1) Introduction to study, 2) Analysis of the problem, 3) Basic research, 4) Translational research, 5) Translational mechanisms and 6) Evaluation and dissemination of results. The use of these sort of tools, like other resources or pedagogical strategies, may contribute to updating and innovating the educational aspects of health and other sciences, such as curricular innovation, research, evaluation or academic/professional trajectories in higher education institutions. TrR has strengthened several academic and institutional initiatives in different countries such as the creation of partnerships, research centers and publications that promote interdisciplinary collaboration and the integration of quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods. Some of its challenges are to develop and link models and instruments to enhance collaborative work among researchers and members of the community, the appropriate prevention and management of fraudulent data, and the training and assessment of graduates with a clear vision for connecting science with professional practice. TrR highlights the need for an articulated dialogue between different disciplines’ advances in the search for society’s benefit.