Preliminary evaluation of the pulmonary curriculum reveals several deficiencies. The first two """"""""basic science"""""""" years suffer from the lack: of clearly outlined priorities; of an integrative focus to meld the material presented by each basic science discipline into a coherent understanding; of effort to excite the students with presentation of clinical correlations; of emphasis on new, but important concepts, such as defense mechanisms, immunologic reactions and non-respiratory endocrine function. With the current curriculum, it appears that many USC students are graduating without adequate training in the essentials of modern pulmonary medicine. To correct this, a comprehensive plan has been developed and is outlined in this application for a Pulmonary Academic Award (PAA). The proposed mechanisms for achieving the objectives of the PAA include: a) development of a published core curriculum in pulmonary medicine; b) effort to provide an integrative approach to respiratory biology and clinical pulmonary medicine based on a disease pathogenesis model during the first two years; c) the establishment of a Pulmonary Medicine Resources Center (PMRC) in the pulmonary unit of the LAC-USC Medical Center and satellite stations of this center at the affiliated hospitals also involved in the general medicine training experience of USC students; d) the preparation of standardized instructional materials for the PMRC and its satellites for use by students during the clinical years; and e) careful, ongoing evaluation of any innovations in curriculum and teaching methods instituted as part of this program.
