Beyond Flexner Conference on the Social Mission in Medical Education

"Beyond Flexner: Social Mission in Medical Education", to be held in Tulsa May 15-17, promises to be a major conference in addressing and enhancing the social missions of medical and other health professions education.

Chaired by Fitzhugh Mullan, MD, of George Washington University and the Medical Education Futures Study, and Gerald Clancy, MD, President of the University of Oklahoma - Tulsa and Dean of the School of Community Medicine there, feature speakers will include David Satcher, MD and H. Jack Geiger, MD.

I have no idea whether others will bring this up, but I am again motivated by having recently reviewed the literature on why under-represented minority college students who want to become doctors don't end up applying. Barr, et al, found a negative experience in a chemistry course was the single largest cause[1]. How much is the ability to use complex chemistry important in a physician compared to commitment to meeting social missions? Indeed, other than passing the first two years of classes and USMLE I, is it useful at all?


I hope that these are the kind of issues we address.

I will be there and look forward to joining a lot of enthusiastic and creative colleagues!


[1] Barr DA, Gonzalez ME, Warant S. The Leaky Pipeline: Factors Associated With  Early Decline in Interest in Premedical Studies Among Underrepresented Minority Undergraduate Students, Acad Med, 2008; 83:503–511.