NextGen Editorial: "Special Features - NextGen Considers Current Issues in Medicine"

The goal of The Next Generation's Special Features section is to introduce the aspiring physician to the real world of the practice of medicine, from little-known details of daily life as a physician to the broad scientific, ethical, and policy issues affecting all members of the health care profession. Each issue may have a different selection of Special Features formats to accommodate the variety of topics covered, including but not limited to the following.

Continuing Series: These series of multiple articles appearing over the course of several issues provide a wealth of examples to address a particular topic of interest. For example, the "A Day in the Life of a Physician" series will aim to familiarize readers with the everyday realities of medical practice through the eyes of physicians representing a variety of specialties, backgrounds, and environments.

Perspectives: Influential members of the medical field share their unique views on important issues in medicine, ranging from ethical debates to health care policy to medical education, in NextGen-exclusive Perspectives.

Tutorials: Understanding medical journal articles and current debates in the health sciences often requires some familiarity with research methods, scientific knowledge, and biomedical technologies. Tutorials on topics such as biostatistics and DNA microarrays provide these necessary tools.

Descriptive Articles: Complementing the Tutorials, the Descriptive Articles aim to inform readers about medical specialties, institutions, and other elements of the health care profession in order to permit knowledgeable consideration of the issues that medicine entails.

Suggestions for additional Special Features and specific topics are welcome.

Miya E. Bernson is an Associate Editor of The Next Generation and a member of the Harvard College Class of 2006.