“...With an enormous amount of conferences and congresses happening world-wide in different specialties there are very few focusing on the younger generation of future leaders in medical and allied sciences.

 

Advancement of medical science and the increasing numbers of sub-specialties (“super specialties” as it is called in India), has led to some healthcare professionals  finding themselves on an “island” of their own specialty and quite often risking isolation from the rest of the medical community.  

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Scientific and technological advances translate into efficient healthcare delivery mostly with the help of researchers and technologists from allied sciences, who in most cases are not doctors but engineers, biologists, physicists, chemists, IT professionals and others, as such, we must encourage interdisciplinary interaction for the betterment of medicine.  

Majority of students, postgraduates and young doctors outside of the UK, Russia, USA and a few other advanced nations, do not always get the opportunity to be involved in research programmes during their training and/or early days of their career due to the fact that research is not prioritized in most of their institutions apart from a few exceptions; postgraduate and subspecialty focused training opportunities are also highly limited in those nations.

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Through FIRMST - Anyone from ANY corner of the world has the opportunity to identify a future mentor or collaborator for pursuing further education, training and research programmes. 

 

FIRMST is an initiative to encourage and support innovative ideas in young minds, thereby reducing the gaps between professionals of various medical specialties amongst themselves, and experts in allied sciences.

 

Taking part in FIRMST provides participants the opportunity to present their work and/or to have a discussion with other participants and experts. Even if not presenting, one can lay the foundation for future educational, training or research programme/s in fields of medical and allied sciences of interest. This will be facilitated not just through the interaction of participants during the forum, within the Meet-the-professor sessions and virtual lounges, but also, after the FIRMST forum; the project will further continue with the establishment of a plethora of opportunities in specialized training and research, including scholarships and grants.

 

I wish you all great success, and I hope that this community flourishes beyond national, cultural, religious, traditional and any other borders or boundaries…’’