The blistering pace of technological change means that skills gaps are opening up in almost every sector. And as technological know-how such as data analytics and artificial intelligence now feeds into all industries, those with unique combinations of skill sets will be in major demand.
Added to that, precision medicine is an exciting new discipline that involves optimising therapeutic benefits by personalising treatment for patients. This is achieved through genetic investigation which helps to enhance diagnosis across various disease types.
A new master’s degree on offer at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences will allow participants to combine precision medicine, computational biology and digital health to tailor treatments for a multitude of diseases and position graduates in cutting-edge roles such as biological data scientists. Developed in response to a wider unmet need in healthcare, as well as bio pharmaceutical industry demand, the MSc in technologies and analytics in precision medicine offers candidates the opportunity to upskill in this burgeoning area, as well as avail of the growing number of job opportunities in this space.
Dr Sudipto Das, programme director at the school of pharmacy and biomolecular sciences at RCSI and lead on the master’s degree programme, explains that the course was devised and funded in response to a call from the Higher Education Authority’s (HEA) Human Capital initiative, which aims to upskill the Irish workforce in specific areas of unmet need. RCSI carried out its own research, and collaborated with industry leaders who confirmed what the university had thought – the inevitable convergence of technology and healthcare had created a skills gap, and opportunities for people proficient in both.
Why an SSE Airtricity energy audit was a game changer for Aran Woollen Mills on its net-zero journey
Getting solid legal advice early in your company’s journey is invaluable
Water pollution has no one cause but many small steps and working together can bring great change
Empowering women in pharma: MSD Ireland’s commitment to supporting diverse leadership
It became apparent very quickly that there is not only demand within the pharmaceutical industry, Das explains, but healthcare as a whole. With an estimated growth rate of 11.5 per cent, the precision medicine market is expected to be worth US$175.64 billion by 2030. “It’s already worth $91 billion right now,” he says, “so that shows how astronomically quickly this field is growing.”
According to Das, this exponential growth merely reflects the broader move away from the traditional one-size-fits-all approach within healthcare and the increasing personalisation of treatment, in particular for diseases such as cancer. As we begin to mine and analyse the vast quantities of data that are generated within healthcare – whether via personal wearables or within clinical trials – knowledge of what this means will become critical. This will ultimately improve patient outcomes and reduce global healthcare burden.
The so-called data tsunami is already upon us, says Das. “Huge swathes of data are generated every day but often there is a lack of skilled expertise to analyse and interpret the clinical implications of this data – that’s where the gap emerges.”
Digital health and precision medicine are increasingly intertwined, says Das. “The smart watches we wear that collect our health data every day, what happens to that data? Our students will need to understand and analyse this data and, importantly, communicate that to a doctor who wants to understand what specific treatment to give a patient or whether to alter their current treatment. We bring students to that level.”
The course programme, which is one year in length full-time or two-years if studied part-time, covers a wide array of topics, including human genetics and genomics, precision medicine, bioinformatics and biostatistics, and connected healthcare.
Unlike other courses in RCSI this Masters in completely computer based and its aim is to improve healthcare and patient outcomes right from your desk
Crucially, Das says, the course also incorporates power skills such as leadership and innovation. “We do not just want graduates to emerge with skills focused on precision medicine and data analytics, we want them to be all-rounders and to make them workplace ready,” he explains.
Indeed, the course enjoys strong industry links, with both pharma and tech leaders heavily involved in programme design and delivery. Industry experts deliver lectures, and each student is paired not just with an academic mentor but also with an industry mentor. “This allows them to begin engaging with industry from day one,” explains Das.
We are now beginning to see an increased focus in healthcare within large tech organisations, adds Das. “These are the types of organisations that are also seeking graduates like those coming out of our programme.”
RCSI also prides itself on its track record in innovation, with a large and growing number of successful spin-out companies already under its belt. “Entrepreneurial skills are also key in this space of precision medicine and so they are part of the programme,” he adds. There are also modules focusing on more general issues in contemporary healthcare, such as health equity and sustainability.
The MSc is targeted at a diverse range of graduates and professionals from an array of backgrounds – Das notes that science graduates, computer scientists, and healthcare professionals have applied and successfully completed the course in recent years.
Details of the new Master’s course
“We get lots of people with the computer know-how but not the biological know-how who are seeking to be upskilled in this aspect and merge it with their IT skills,” he says. “But we start from scratch, so even those with zero knowledge of coding or data analytics and a purely science background will become a biological data scientist by the end of the course.
“Our most recent graduates were highly impressed by how much they had learnt and the new capabilities they had acquired by the time they graduated,” he adds.
Das also points out that it’s one of the first master’s degrees RCSI has offered where “no one even goes into a science lab. They won’t be wearing a white coat, rather they will be at their computer and helping to improve healthcare and patient outcomes from there.”
Demand for the course is growing but Das stresses that smaller classes ensure an intimate experience and allow students to develop personal relationships with the course directors, lecturers and their peers. “The teacher-student ratio is maintained at a very healthy level.”
The course comes when we are at a tipping point, where the convergence of technology and health is “unavoidable”, says Das. This means that graduates of the master’s programme will be highly sought after as industry – both tech and pharma – begins to meet this demand in precision medicine and connected health.
“These roles didn’t even exist five years ago but organisations are now having to make space for them because this is the future.”
To find out more and to sign up for the Masters in technologies and analytics in precision medicine Dublin campus open day on 10 February go to www.rcsi.com/mtapm