Gundula Bosch, director of the R3 Graduate Science Initiative at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, emphasizes the need for PhD programs to foster critical thinking and broader intellectual skills rather than producing narrowly focused specialists. Bosch highlights that current PhD curricula in biomedical sciences often prioritize detailed knowledge of specific topics, over a comprehensive understanding of the scientific process, including its limitations and potential errors.
The R3 program at Johns Hopkins aims to integrate rigor in experimental design, social responsibility, and critical thinking into the PhD training. Bosch argues that this approach can lead to more thoughtful, innovative, and ethically aware scientists. The program includes interdisciplinary courses on ethics, epistemology, and quantitative skills, and encourages students to engage with broader societal implications of scientific research.
Initial reactions from faculty were mixed, with some concerned about the potential impact on specialized training and productivity. However, Bosch and her team believe that better critical thinking skills will ultimately lead to more productive and reliable scientific work. The R3 initiative is still in its early stages, with ongoing assessments to measure its impact on graduates’ careers and achievements.
Gundula Bosch’s efforts reflect a growing recognition of the need for a more holistic approach to PhD training, preparing scientists to tackle complex problems with a well-rounded, critical perspective.
This perspective was published in February 2018 in Nature (Volume 554, Issue 7692, Page 277) under DOI: 10.1038/d41586-018-01853-1.
