The University of Michigan proposes to develop a Pulmonary Education Center as a cooperative venture of its Schools of Medicine, Public Health and Education. The central theme of this proposal is to translate the enhanced understanding of basic mechanisms of disease into new behavior to prevent and control respiratory disease. We shall develop, test and implement innovative approaches to alter the behavior of health professionals in the management of respiratory diseases. There will be three educational research projects that will be complementary to ongoing research activities. These educational projects deal with smoking cessation, the motivation of physicians to care for patients with chronic illness, and the critical determinants of physician behavior in the management of asthma. By combining the knowledge and skills of physicians experienced in undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education, and the educational and specialized knowledge of public health experts in health behavior and epidemiology, we have developed the critical mass necessary to mount an effective research activities presently underway in the University of Michigan. This will facilitate information transfer in the future and enable us to quickly disseminate relevant information concerning pulmonary disease.
