As science and technology advance, the healthcare services offered and expectations also change. Highlighting that physicians must enhance their digital skills to become physicians of the new world, Üsküdar University Faculty of Medicine Dean Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur noted that they have launched the 'Artificial Intelligence and Data Science Course' for innovation in healthcare. Sur stated that they believe artificial intelligence and big data-focused courses will provide students with integral skills in the development and diversification of their basic and clinical competencies, adding that they also support medical education with different engineering fields.
The average human lifespan in the world has increased by almost 25 years in the last 30 years. On the other hand, the world population is aging, and as it ages, the incidence of chronic diseases in society and the demand for healthcare services increase. As a result, people are paying more attention to their health. Despite this, Üsküdar University Faculty of Medicine Dean Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur stated that the health awareness of billions of people is still far from desired, emphasizing the importance of medical education designed for current conditions, as the world of medicine and science is taking precautions in this regard.
Urban life threatens our health
Sur stated that while it is true that human health is shaped by certain genetic hereditary determinants, that is not all there is to it. He said, “Our diet, habits, whether we exercise, our stress levels, our addictions such as smoking, alcohol, gambling, and internet addiction, and whether we have a good sleep pattern are other factors that determine our health level. On the other hand, people have to work alongside health-threatening factors while performing their jobs. Certain occupational risks, such as workers in high-heat ovens, people working outdoors, those exposed to certain chemicals, and jobs performed under stress like police security forces, are inevitably part of our lives. The increasing population, people concentrating in cities and consuming artificial foods, their inability to produce their own food, insufficient access to air, oxygen, sun, forest, and sea, and some negativities brought by city life are among the factors threatening our health. It should also be noted that access to healthy food is becoming increasingly difficult day by day.”
There are precautions to be taken before and after becoming ill
“The world of medicine and science is trying to take two types of precautions for this. There are precautions to be taken before becoming ill and after becoming ill. The first is to remove risk factors from human life through protective measures. We can call these primary prevention measures. The second is to take secondary prevention measures that will enable people to live with diseases such as heart, kidney, liver, lung diseases, cancers, diabetes, and hypertension, which may appear with age, for a long time without causing destructive effects, even if their existence cannot be prevented. There is no cure for these chronic diseases we have listed. We need to know that the super blood pressure medications, diabetes medications, or blood fat and sugar-lowering medications used by patients are not a real cure. These are secondary prevention mechanisms. These are measures taken to enable people to live with these diseases for a long time.”
We clearly show our students the framework of medical practice and scientific research
Sur stated that within the scope of the Transgenic Cell Technologies and Epigenetic Application and Research Center of Üsküdar University, studies are carried out, particularly on the genes of bacteria and viruses. He added, “We have several ongoing studies in genetics concerning vaccine development and taking precautions against viruses. We have projects funded by TÜBİTAK and the European Union in this field. Our Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics also conducts effective research. We support Medical Education with our research centers in genetics and the R&D studies of our Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, striving to clearly place the framework of medical practice and scientific research within our students' perspectives. The world and science are changing. Naturally, the healthcare services provided must also change accordingly.” Thus, he underlined the synergy between medicine and genetic science.
“Artificial Intelligence and Data Science Course for Innovation in Healthcare” is starting…
Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur stated that when listing the characteristics of 21st-century healthcare services, the concept of “remote healthcare service” stands out. He said, “Artificial intelligence has, of course, recently become integrated into healthcare technologies and services. We have prioritized artificial intelligence applications in Health Sciences in our practice and academic studies since our establishment in 2011. So much so that, as Üsküdar University, we have opened a course titled “Artificial Intelligence and Data Science for Innovation in Healthcare” for our Faculty of Medicine students starting from the 2023-2024 academic year. Thus, Faculty of Medicine students will be able to see modeling approaches used in big data analysis, especially with project applications. We believe that artificial intelligence and big data-focused courses will provide students with integral skills in the development and diversification of their basic and clinical competencies.”
Physicians must enhance their digital skills to become physicians of the new world
Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur stated that we can now diagnose with fewer errors, saying, “This is an achievement for humanity. Individuals can now connect with their doctor online from home and state their complaints, hold the camera to their wound or lesion, and show it to their doctor from home. This means they can receive treatment without going anywhere and get their medications with an electronic prescription. We are talking about a world where analyses and images for consultation purposes are instantly shared among doctors domestically or internationally, which we call “Telemedicine” or remote healthcare services. We are in a world where many things are done more perfectly and automatically by machines through artificial intelligence technologies. Physicians must enhance their digital skills to become physicians of the new world. We have directed our education in that direction. As these digital opportunities develop, our necessity to train doctors who are more proficient in the digital world increases.” He emphasized that as machines enter healthcare services, the need for physicians will increase, stating the necessity of putting equipped individuals in charge of managing those machines and pointing out that the human factor is paramount in medical science.
Shining and rising branches in medicine
Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur stated that they observe the rising star of the “Medical Genetics” department due to genetic factors underlying many diseases, adding that departments of radiology and similar imaging techniques dominated by technology can also be counted. Sur said, “In addition to these, the Public Health branch is also coming to the forefront as the effects of environmental influences and work environments on health are better understood. Considering that people are starting to pay more attention to their body aesthetics, frequently undergoing operations, and getting silicone and similar enhancements, we also see ‘Dermatology’ and ‘Plastic Surgery’ standing out.”
In our 'Humanities in Medicine' course, we teach the spiritual and ethical side of health
Noting that Üsküdar University Faculty of Medicine education takes place in a hybrid format, with some courses designed as core professional board courses of medicine and offered in packages, Sur stated: “We have some courses coded as semester courses in medicine. These courses aim for our students to graduate with a broad perspective as contemporary physicians; they cover not only professional skills but also the philosophy of the profession and knowledge about the healthcare industry. Examples of such courses include health informatics and technologies, health economics, health anthropology, and sociology. Beyond this, we take great care to ensure that every physician is a conscientious and humane professional who practices their profession with both science and conscience. To develop skills such as spiritual health, the influence of fine arts on the physician's soul, understanding the patient and empathy skills, comprehending the social dimensions of diseases and ailments, and discerning what the patient implies but doesn't explicitly say, we have introduced the ‘Humanities in Medicine’ course. We also have a book published by Üsküdar University, which is unique in this field in Turkish. This demonstrates one of our distinctive features.”
Our students intern in both private and public hospitals
Concluding his remarks by stating that practical application is the most important part of medical education, Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur said, “We attach great importance to practical application. Our laboratories are very extensive, and we allow our students to learn the human body in its true form by performing anatomy practices on real cadavers. Additionally, we have two affiliated hospitals: NPİSTANBUL Hastanesi and Ataşehir Memorial Hospital. To strengthen our practical training areas, we sign protocols with two training and research hospitals affiliated with the Ministry of Health every year. As in previous years, this year we signed agreements with Ümraniye Training and Research Hospital and Sancaktepe Training and Research Hospital. Therefore, our students complete their internships by both familiarizing themselves with the private hospital side and observing patient behaviors in public hospitals, enabling them to compare treatments and approaches.”