Advances in biomedical science, data science, engineering, and technology are leading to high-pace innovation with tremendous potential to transform health and medicine.
At the same time, these innovations carry risks that have important implications for society related to access, cost, equity, social norms and ethics, and more. There is a need for society to understand the implications of such advances and to be prepared for them. The National Academy of Medicine’s 5-year strategic plan includes an important goal to provide leadership and engage broad communities in developing a framework to proactively address these impending challenges.
To this end, the NAM has established the Committee on Emerging Science, Technology, and Innovation in health and medicine (CESTI). CESTI brings together experts in diverse fields to assess the landscape of emerging scientific advances and technologies in health and medicine and address the potential societal, ethical, legal, and workforce implications of such technologies, with the goal of developing a cross-sectoral governance framework.
Learn more about CESTI in a new op-ed from the New England Journal of Medicine >>
“A framework for governance of developing technologies should intentionally drive toward societal benefit, instead of simply hoping it emerges from the market.”
Cutting-edge technologies are rapidly outpacing society’s ability to regulate them. A new framework developed by the Committee on Emerging Science, Technology, and Innovation could help governance efforts keep up.
CESTI hosted a virtual workshop on April 14-15 that discussed the landscape of emerging technologies in health and medicine, with the goal of developing a cross-sectoral governance framework. Topics of discussion included lessons learned about emerging technology governance, technology assessment models, public engagement, and overviews of CESTI’s work to date.
Ideas incubated by the Committee on Emerging Science, Technology, and Innovation (CESTI) are being built on by a consensus study committee, the ‘Committee on Creating a Framework for Emerging Science, Technology, and Innovation in Health and Medicine (ESTI),’ which will release its recommendations in 2023. For more information on ESTI, please click here.
Resources
- Governance of Emerging Technologies in Health and Medicine — Creating a New Framework | Op-Ed, New England Journal of Medicine
- Virtual Workshop | Video recordings
- Health and societal implications of medical and technological advances | Op-Ed, Science Translational Medicine
- Related Reports from the National Academies Press
- Related NAM Perspectives
Staff
- Kimber Bogard | Deputy Executive Officer for Programs
- Celynne Balatbat | Associate Program Officer
- Jessica Covington | Program Specialist
- Emma Freiling | Research Assistant
- Talia Lewis | Senior Communications Associate
Contact us at CESTI@nas.edu
