The Future of Medicine

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 13, 2009
Contact: Ellen Beth Levitt eblevitt@umm.edu 410-328-8919

NEW BOOK BY FORMER UMMC LEADER EXPLORES MEDICAL FRONTIER

Advances in vaccines, robot-assisted surgeries, and treatments customized to your genetic makeup are among the medical advances will not only improve health care but may also lower costs, according to a book on the emerging megatrends on the medical frontier. “The Future of Medicine: Megatrends in Health Care That Will Improve Your Quality of Life,” was written by Stephen Schimpff, M.D.

Dr. Schimpff is a medical oncologist who was a leader in infectious diseases at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center. He also served as CEO of the University of Maryland Medical Center before retiring in 2004. He continues to serve on the faculty of the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Dr. Schimpff’s book is a resource for the general public—not just health professionals—to understand upcoming medical developments. He interviewed about 150 medical leaders from across the country, asking them what each thought the major advances in medicine would be in the coming years. He took this data and distilled it down into a few megatrends, each representing a chapter in his book. Topics include genomics, stem cells, vaccines, medical devices, imaging, the operating room, the electronic medical record and complementary medicine.

“Genomic medicine is one of the most promising areas,” says Dr. Schimpff. “In the coming years, we will see an improved ability to diagnose a disease and even to predict diseases to come later in life. Physicians will be able to select a drug based upon an individual patient’s personal way of responding to that drug, both in terms of greater effectiveness and in terms of reduced side effects.”

Other medical megatrends explored in the book include:

Vaccines to prevent cancer, heart disease and arthritis
Increased use of robots for minimally invasive surgeries
Drugs to attack specific, targeted areas of the body
Stem cells to regenerate tissue lost to trauma or disease

The book is also an ideal primer on how information technology will be used to change the practice of medicine, and help people lead healthier lives.

Dr. Schimpff is working on a new book, which will be called, “Hospital of the Future,” and he also is a consultant for the Army on new facilities and technology.

“The Future of Medicine: Megatrends in Health Care That Will Improve Your Quality of Life” is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and leading book stores. For more information, go to: www.medicalmegatrends.com.

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This page was last updated on: April 15, 2009.