Abstract
A survey has been conducted of cancer education programs for medical students in United States medical schools by the American Association for Cancer Education with grant support from the Department of Detection and Treatment of the American Cancer Society (formerly the Professional Education Department). Two questionnaires were used, an Educational Resources Questionnaire (ERQ), which 126 of the 128 medical schools completed and returned, and a Faculty and Curriculum Questionnaire (FCQ), which was completed and returned by 1,035 faculty members who had been named as active in undergraduate medical student cancer education by respondents in each school who had been designated by the Dean's Office to complete the ERQ. Overall conclusions included: (1) increased coordination of cancer education activities is a major need in many schools; (2) there is widespread interest in the further development of cancer education objectives; (3) development of a national cancer education curriculum is needed; (4) there is interest in the development of improved instructional materials and methods; (5) development of evaluation methods is needed for cancer education programs; and (6) an ongoing funding process is needed to provide support for interdepartmental coordination of cancer education activities. Cancer prevention and detection topics were ranked above cancer treatment in plans for future curriculum emphasis. More detailed conclusions and recommendations are provided in this publication and three subsequent articles in this issue of the Journal of Cancer Education.
Notes
Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine; Associate Director, University of Colorado Cancer Center; Chairman, Supervisory Committee, Cancer Education Survey II.
Dean, Ogden College of Science, Technology and Health, Western Kentucky University.
Assistant Professor, Department of Cancer Prevention and Control, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Professor, Department of Family Medicine, Wayne State University School of Medicine.
Associate Dean for Student Affairs, Dartmouth Medical School.
Professor, Department of Radiologic Sciences, Medical College of Pennsylvania.
Professor, Department of Surgery, UMDNJ New Jersey Medical School.
Director, Office of Educational Development, University of Alabama at Birmingham.