The Mathematics of Medicine: A Public Discussion

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.

The primary impact of this proposal will be an increased appreciation of contemporary research in Mathematics and Medicine, and their relationship. We anticipate that the participants from both the live and online events will become more informed patients, consumers and citizens. We hope to stimulate interest, excitement and debate about modern medical research and the mathematics underpinning it. Additionally, by emphasising that many of the tools now used in medical research originally arose in a purely mathematical context, participants will gain a better appreciation for the importance of mathematical research, even if it is not (yet) applied. More specifically, we hope that, by the end of this project, a participant of either the live or online event should have greater knowledge about the existence of branches of mathematics (in particular, geometry and topology) perhaps previously unfamiliar to them, greater appreciation of these mathematical areas from a purely intellectual standpoint, greater understanding of how these areas of mathematics are used as tools in contemporary medical research, greater appreciation for how that medical research affects them personally, and society collectively (including moral and ethical issues), and finally greater appreciation of why it is important to fund mathematical research, even if it is (still) pure. Academic Beneficiaries: By working in partnership with the Dana Centre, and professional evaluators and under the guidance of our EPSRC-appointed mentor, we will substantially improve our public engagement skills. This will give us a springboard to apply for future funding (e.g. either from the full-scale EPSRC and/or the Wellcome Trust) to expand our roles as mathematical ambassadors. Additionally, other researchers in the areas of mathematical or medical research should benefit by a better public understanding of their areas of endeavour.