Abstract
In this essay adapted from his Presidential Address to the AAAS annual meeting, Floyd Bloom makes the case that today9s profound advances in biomedical research may never be effectively transformed into better health care for society, unless steps are taken immediately to restore the American health system. He analyzes the state of the American health care system and describes how events of the 20th century have produced a system that cannot incorporate or implement new knowledge for the diagnosis or treatment of disease. Bloom advocates the creation of a translational health system in which research discoveries flow to clinical trials to best-practice standards of care in the clinic.