This application for a five-year NIEHS Academic Award in Environmental/Occupational Medicine (EOM) will introduce a dynamic, new and integrated EOM curriculum into the Wayne State University (WSU) School of Medicine and local primary care residencies. Where no current curriculum exists in EOM, the Principal Investigator (PI) will insert 21 required hours of EOM teaching into the existing four year medical school curriculum.
Specific aims i nclude design, implementation, and evaluation of an undergraduate curriculum in EOM and enhancement and expansion to other WSU primary care residencies of an existing required EOM rotation offered in the WSU Department of Family Medicine, Division of OEM (DOEM). These curricular components will emphasize prevention and disease recognition utilizing an integrated multidisciplinary approach. Specific curriculum topic areas selected are representative of the Healthy People 2000. National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives. These topics are Environmental/Occupational medical history, health effects and prevention of exposures such as asbestos, lead, solvents, and noise. A case study of a worker with a disabIlity will be discussed in light of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Encouragement of research careers in EOM will be addressed integrating research skills into curriculum content, coordination of existing DOEM research assistantships, and addition of a Year IV research elective in EOM. Design methods include utilization of an EOM curriculum advisory team to assist and advise on the proposed curriculum. DOEM faculty, which includes four physicians and an industrial hygienist, will be the core educators for the proposed EOM curriculum. Department of Family Medicine Divisions of Residency Education, Undergraduate Education, and Research Support will support the DOEM curriculum effort and the Division of Education will directly assist with curriculum evaluation and the PI personal education plan. Institutionalization of EOM curriculum will be ongoing during the award period to assure a sustaining effort in EOM at the end of the award period. The PI will combine his senior status, knowledge of the academic community, and active working relationships with key Wayne State University Medical School administrators and faculty in curriculum planning, implementation, and evaluation to assure the successful outcome of this award.
| Schenk, M; Popp, S; Bridge, P et al. (1999) Effectiveness of an occupational and environmental medicine curriculum as indicated by evaluation of medical student performance on an objective structured clinical examination. J Occup Environ Med 41:954-9 |
| Schenk, M; Popp, S M; Neale, A V et al. (1996) Environmental medicine content in medical school curricula. Acad Med 71:499-501 |
