Communications Model

Underlying all of life is an incredibly complex set of multilayered interactions that keep all parts functioning together for the good of the whole. The breakdown of these interactions is defined as “disease,” and understanding and directing these complex interactions are at the heart of Molecular Medicine. These complex interactions also require a new way to think about communications.

Therefore, Molecular Medicine communications must be:

• Continuous:  Biomedical advances – and their implications – are changing the healthcare landscape rapidly and profoundly. This fact demands that communications about any single advance are never the last word, but are continuously revised in the context of the changing paradigm of medicine.
• Collaborative:  Just as the advances in post-genomic science are made by eliminating the divisions among traditional silos of academia, government and industry, these advances also have implications for stakeholders across the healthcare continuum. Therefore, communications must take the form of a dialogue that engages all stakeholders to ensure that all advances are fully understood and integrated at multiple levels.
• Counter-intuitive:  “Common sense” is continuously challenged by new understandings of the molecular causes of diseases. These surprising insights present a communications challenge: overturning long-held beliefs and structures while at the same time offering a compelling vision for their replacement.