For health care professionals to help meet national goals of reducing risks and preventing diseases and injuries caused by environmental and occupational (E/O) exposures, improved training and skills in this field are needed. This curriculum development project, to be carried out at the University of Iowa College of Medicine, addresses the overall goals of 1) improving knowledge of E/O medicine among physicians and those in training and 2) encouraging research in this area. The faculty includes six occupational physicians and inter-disciplinary strength in industrial hygiene, toxicology, environmental engineering and analytical environmental chemistry. Plans to achieve the goals are aimed at curriculum development for medical students, residents, fellows, faculty and physicians in practice.
Aims will be achieved through expansion of both required and elective curriculum in E/O medicine. Faculty development will include an educational program for the Principal Investigator to broaden her knowledge in E/O medicine and strengthen her teaching and evaluation skills. A curriculum advisory committee including members from the Departments of Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health, Internal Medicine; Pediatrics and Family Practice, as well as the Associate Dean of Students and Curriculum and a student representative will advise the Principal Investigator to help achieve the aims of the project. Evaluation of each part of the project and of the project as a whole will be done by the Principal Investigator and an Educational Consultant/Evaluator. Completion of needs assessment, formative and summative evaluation will be done. this project will strengthen E/O medicine education both locally and regionally through outreach to physicians in Iowa and the Midwest.
