Bringing the human genome and the revolution in bioinformatics to the medical school classroom: A case report from Washington University School of Medicine

The human genome project is revolutionizing medical research and the practi ce of clinical medicine. To understand and participate in this revolution, physicians must be fluent in human genomics and bioinformatics. At Washingt on University School of Medicine (WUSM), the authors designed a module for teaching these skills to first-year students. The module uses clinical case s as a platform for accessing information stored in GenBank, Online Mendeli an Inheritance in Man (OMIM), and PubMed databases at the National Center f or Biotechnology Information (NCBI). This module, which is also designed to reinforce problem-solving skills, has been integrated into WUSMs first-yea r medical genetics course.