Academic medicine into the millennium: the UK scene

Clinical academic medicine has a vital role to play in the introduction and development of new therapies. The clinical scientist is essential in asking for answers to questions that arise from clinical practice. However, clinical academics should not be overburdened with clinical service or teaching commitments as these functions are shared by National Health Service staff. The exciting developments in molecular genetics and the study of the interaction between environmental and genetic factors emphasize the importance of clinical academic medicine and the clinician scientist into the millennium.