Hospital observation placements for scientists: "Of mice and men" program

The Center for Translational Science is committed to giving scientists an introduction to medical practice, with the aim of facilitating dialog between physicians and researchers. This strategy is already under way with the regular "Pasteur Medicine Quarter-Hour" sessions. The Center is now giving scientists the opportunity to complete one- or two-week observation placements in hospitals.

The program is currently open to Institut Pasteur staff. Guided by the Center for Translational Science, scientists identify a "hospital tutor" in line with their research interests, either at a hospital in the Paris Public Hospital Network (AP-HP) or at Sainte-Anne Hospital. The tutor devises a schedule with the scientists and is responsible for introducing them to the activities that take place at the hospital (the clinical department, the biology departments it works with, the clinical investigation center, etc.).

A simple procedure has been set up between the HR departments at the two institutions to facilitate these placements.

A pilot placement

Christophe Beloin, Director of Research in the Genetics of Biofilms Unit directed by Jean-Marc Ghigo, was the first to try out this scheme at the Georges-Pompidou European hospital in the mobile clinical microbiology unit directed by Professor Jean-Luc Mainardi. He was supervised by Dr. David Lebeaux, a former PhD student in the Genetics of Biofilms Unit, who devised his placement program.

"This placement was a very rewarding experience as it gave me the opportunity to discover another environment, one that is in closer contact with infected patients and has other priorities and other ways of organizing its work. It will facilitate my working relationship with hospitals and will undoubtedly have an impact on the focus of my future research projects."