Tufts Health Care Institute to Host National Conference on ''Most Significant Change'' in Medical Education in Last Half Century.

BOSTON -- Accreditation of Medical Institutions Linked to Teaching New Curriculum

Responding to what it calls "one of the most significant changes" in medical education in the last half century, the Tufts Health Care Institute (THCI) today announced it will host a national conference to help graduate medical educators implement new teaching requirements that affect the way doctors are trained.

"In addition to mastering a complex body of clinical knowledge, physicians must now demonstrate competence in a number of areas aimed at improving patient care and health outcomes," said THCI Executive Director Rosalie Phillips. "This is having a profound affect on those responsible for training doctors. Our conference will help medical educators by providing strategies to implement the new content and approaches."

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) now requires all graduate medical education residency training programs to teach six general competencies and demonstrate that medical residents have mastered them.

"This is one of the most significant changes to occur in medical education in the last half century, and also one of the most challenging," said THCI Chief Medical Officer and Conference Director Dr. Robin Richman. "Graduate medical program directors and faculty around the country have asked us to help them make this important transition, which will enable their programs and institutions to retain accreditation."

The conference, "Leading Curricular Change: Skills and Strategies for Success," to be held Sept. 9-10 in Cambridge, Mass., is expected to attract residency program directors and faculty, as well as designated institutional officials from across the country.

Collaborating with THCI on this conference are the American College of Physicians, the Association of American Medical Colleges, and the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors.

A leading provider of medical education and training programs, THCI focuses on training medical educators in the areas of systems-based practice, and practice-based learning and improvement, widely acknowledged to be the most difficult competencies to teach.

Keynoting the conference will be Jeanne K. Heard, MD, PhD, director of residency review committee activities for the ACGME, who will address the new competency requirements and ways medical education programs are responding.

Also speaking at the conference will be:

--Robert Kegan, PhD, The William and Miriam Meehan Professor in Adult Learning and Professional Development, and co-director of the Change Leadership Group at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

--Leonard Marcus, PhD, lecturer on public health practice, Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health, and founding director of the Program for Health Care Negotiation and Conflict Resolution at the Harvard School of Public Health.

--Michael E. Whitcomb, MD, senior vice president, Association of American Medical Colleges, and Editor-in-Chief, Academic Medicine.

For more information or to register, click on www.thci.org or call 617-636-1000.

About Tufts Health Care Institute

Established in 1995, THCI (www.thci.org.), an independent, not-for-profit, educational organization, is a leading source for educational and training programs on systems-based practice and care management for the health professions. THCI provides practical teaching materials, including online learning resources, assessment instruments, and curriculum guides, and regularly conducts faculty development workshops. These activities support the training of clinicians to better meet the goals of professional groups, such as the ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) and the ABMS (American Board of Medical Specialties).