M. Barry et al., The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene initiative to stimulate educational programs to enhance medical expertise in tropical diseases, AM J TROP M, 61(5), 1999, pp. 681-688
Citations number
3
Categorie Soggetti
Envirnomentale Medicine & Public Health","Medical Research General Topics
More than a decade ago, at a time when current and emerging tropical diseas
es posed growing threats to the United States, expert panels convened by th
e Institute of Medicine of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences concluded
that medical expertise within the United States competent to address diseas
es of the tropics had declined. Recognizing a national need to encourage an
d enhance such, The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene devel
oped a program to stimulate new postgraduate medical education in diseases
of the tropics. The Society formally requested academic institutions within
the United States and Canada to propose new postgraduate programs. To assu
re the quality of these new curricular offerings, the Society developed an
outline of key areas of competency and agreed to offer an examination that
would grant physicians a Certificate of Knowledge in Clinical Tropical Medi
cine and Travelers Health. The certifying examination was to be an integral
component of a program to stimulate academic institutions to provide instr
uctional programs in tropical diseases and to encourage physicians to becom
e trained, evaluated, and recognized for their knowledge of clinical tropic
al diseases and travelers' health. The Society's initiative to stimulate ed
ucational programs in tropical medicine is reviewed.