Washington, D.C., July 7, 2003 - In a new report released today, "Training Future Physicians About Weapons of Mass Destruction," the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) provides the first guidance ever issued to medical educators about how to prepare tomorrow's doctors to care for victims of bioterrorism and other weapons of mass destruction (WMD). According to the report, the nation's medical schools should thoroughly educate students about the public health and emergency services systems to ensure coordinated responses to WMD or other public health threats, and should incorporate WMD education into all four years of medical education.

"Physicians are likely to be one of the first responders to a bioterrorist attack, or the first to recognize the use of a bioterrorist agent," said AAMC President Jordan J. Cohen, M.D. "It's imperative that today's medical students, our future physicians, learn everything they can to care for patients who may be the victims of such an act."

The study, funded through a cooperative agreement between the AAMC and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was the work of a multi-disciplinary panel of educators from schools of medicine, nursing and public health, experts in WMD preparedness and military medicine, and representatives from the CDC and AAMC. The report identifies new learning objectives for medical school programs to ensure that students gain adequate knowledge of the public health system, emergency management system, physicians' roles in emergency management response, and professional ethics - topics that may not be included in current coursework at all schools. Students should also be familiar with the psychological and mental health effects associated with WMD, according to the report.

The report also emphasizes cooperation between medical and public health professionals, as the nation's response to naturally occurring public health challenges such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and West Nile Virus recently demonstrated.

In addition, the report recommends that future physicians acquire the practical ability to interact with multidisciplinary teams of other health practitioners, public health officials, emergency services, law enforcement, and the media.

The new report is an extension of the AAMC's "First Contact, First Response" initiative, which was developed in the fall of 2001 at the request of Senator Bill Frist (R-TN). A copy of the report is available at http://www.aamc.org/newsroom/bioterrorism.

"While many of the nation's medical schools have already begun to ensure tomorrow's doctors are better trained to deal with WMD and bioterrorism, we still have a long way to go. This panel's recommendations are an important first step in that direction," said Dr. Cohen.

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The Association of American Medical Colleges is a not-for-profit association representing all 129 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 68 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and 94 academic and scientific societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC represents 109,000 faculty members, 67,000 medical students, and 104,000 resident physicians. Additional information about the AAMC and U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals is available at www.aamc.org/newsroom.

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