The Mathematics of Medicine: A Public Discussion

医学已经变得越来越依赖数学。正如EPSRC网站所说的那样，数学科学多年来一直是健康研究的重要组成部分。数学正扮演着比以往任何时候都更重要的角色。一直以来，微分方程式和统计学都发挥着作用，但最近的医学进步也依赖于更多种类的数学。为潜在的药物靶点建模、预测心脏颤动、比较不同的大脑、筛选有害的副作用，所有这些都利用了拓扑学和几何学的力量。我们的目标是强调数学--强调这些子学科--如何支持医学研究和治疗，并让更广泛的公众参与这项研究的未来讨论。我们的第二个目标是阐明为什么资助数学研究是重要的，即使它还没有得到应用。利用伦敦国王十字附近新的英国医学研究和创新中心的宣布以及许多庆祝皇家学会350周年的活动在伦敦产生的势头，我们计划举行一系列关于数学和医学的晚间演讲和对话。每一次活动都在科学博物馆的达纳中心举行，并向英国其他场馆和在线直播，将有一名主持人、一名数学家和一名医学专家参加。主持人将介绍活动，并立即与参与者互动。然后，数学和医学专家将进行介绍性的互动聊天，概述数学在熟悉的医疗环境中扮演的角色--或许令人惊讶。在整个过程中，主持人将鼓励与与会者进行讨论。聊天将以一个具有挑衅性的话题结束，参与者将对此进行辩论和探索。(请参见下面的扩展例子。)利用达纳中心的数字设施，每一场活动都将通过网络广播(和推文)向英国各地的场馆进行现场直播，任何人都可以在线或使用手机。此外，专业人员还将创建高质量的视频和音频记录。由此产生的播客和视频集锦将永久托管在达纳中心的网站、帝国理工学院的网站和其他地方，同时还会有一条“这对我有什么影响？”部分和资源以获取更多信息。这些在线资源将为那些认为我们的活动是一个很好的开胃菜的参与者提供进一步思考的食粮，并通知其他错过主要活动的人。

Medicine has become increasingly reliant on mathematics. As the EPSRC website states ``Mathematical sciences have been an important part of health studies for years .... maths is playing a more important role than ever. Differential equations and statistics have long played a role, but recent medical advances also depend on a greater variety of mathematics. Modelling potential drug targets, predicting cardiac afibrillation, comparing different brains, and screening for harmful side effects all harness the power of topology and geometry. Our goal is to highlight how mathematics -- with an emphasis on these subdisciplines -- supports both medical research and treatment, and to involve the broader public in discussions of the future of this research. Our secondary goal is to illustrate why it is important to fund mathematical research, even if it is not (yet) applied.Capitalising on the momentum in London generated by both the announcement of the new UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation near Kings Cross and the many events celebrating the Royal Society's 350th Anniversary, we plan to hold a series of evening talks and dialogues on Mathematics and Medicine. Each event, held at the Science Museum's Dana Centre and broadcast to other venues in the UK and online, will feature a facilitator, a mathematician and a medical specialist. The facilitator will introduce the event and immediately engage the participants. The mathematical and medical experts will then give introductory interactive chats outlining the -- perhaps surprising -- role mathematics plays in a familiar medical setting. Throughout these, the facilitator will encourage discussion with the participants. The chats will end with a provocative topic, which the participants will debate and explore.(Please see below for an extended example.) Using the Dana Centre's digital facilities, each event will be broadcast live through webcasts (and tweets) to venues across the UK, anyone online or with a mobile. Additionally, professionals will also create high-quality video and audio recordings. The resulting podcast and video highlights will be permanently hosted on a the Dana Centre website, the Imperial College website and elsewhere, together with a `How does this affect me?' section and resources for more information. These online resources will serve both as food for further thought for participants who found our event a good appetiser, and inform others who missed the main event.