Solving real-world health challenges by advancing science

Letter from the Dean

“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” 
— Albert Einstein 

Most biomedical breakthroughs don’t begin with a plan. They begin with someone being curious about something — and deciding to follow it.

How does a cell decide when to repair itself, when to adapt and when to fail? Research driven by questions like this has reshaped our understanding of cancer, immune disease, neurodegeneration and aging, often in ways that were impossible to predict at the outset.

At Stanford Medicine scientists and clinicians pursue fundamental questions about biology, sometimes without knowing where they will lead. Over time, the insights they’ve gained have informed new approaches to prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Many of the advances patients rely on today — vaccines, medical imaging, complex therapies — grew from research conducted decades earlier that was once considered exploratory or even impractical. These outcomes underscore the value of basic inquiry and the scientific process and highlight the vital importance of academic medical centers that enable them to flourish.

While some research outcomes may be serendipitous, scientific discovery at Stanford Medicine does not happen by chance. The move of the medical school from San Francisco to the Stanford University campus in 1959 marked a turning point for Stanford Medicine’s biomedical preeminence. This co-location of patients, data and laboratories brought researchers, engineers and clinicians into closer proximity to test ideas for addressing real-world clinical challenges. Combined with Stanford’s culture of collaboration, investment in research infrastructure and forward-thinking programming, this connection accelerates discovery that is grounded in human need.

Today, many of the most promising biomedical advances are emerging at what have traditionally been considered the boundaries between fields, where biology meets data science, engineering and computation. Progress in these areas depends on even deeper collaboration, sustained investment and the freedom to pursue ideas whose value may take time to become clear.

Yet this prolific age of biomedical research presents a conundrum: an abundance of promising ideas and too few resources to investigate them all. Academic medicine often produces early discoveries that are deemed high-risk or have unclear financial upside for industry to commercialize.

For this reason, Stanford Medicine has developed programs to accelerate the development of its own high-potential, early discoveries. Our Innovative Medicines Accelerator is one such example. This interdisciplinary program acts as both an incubator and accelerator for ideas, regardless of their commercial potential.

Since 2020, the program has helped numerous faculty projects reach maturity and match them with pharmaceutical companies, venture capital investors or nonprofits best suited to develop therapies for conditions such as infectious diseases, cancers and metabolic disorders.

The accelerator is just one of many entities at Stanford designed to encourage researchers to embrace their entrepreneurial spirit across the research spectrum.

Supporting basic, translational and clinical research is more important than ever. By championing curiosity and enabling rigorous, exploratory science, we create the conditions that allow seemingly impractical discoveries to not only continue surprising us but to also improve lives.

Sincerely,

Lloyd Minor, MD

Carl and Elizabeth Naumann Dean of Stanford School of Medicine
Vice President for Medical Affairs at Stanford University
Professor of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery