An agromedicine initiative for first-year medical students, 1998-2004: biochemistry seminar proves feasible

This report describes a 20 class-hour, 10-session seminar on agromedicine-oriented topics, delivered as part of a basic science course for medical students (biochemistry) at the Medical University of South Carolina. The course was initiated in 1998 and continued through 2004. The preceptors are family medicine and agricultural research professors. Concepts from primary care, epidemiology, entomology, toxicology, and food science appeal strongly to the first-year medical student group (limited to 10 students). The agromedicine/environmental medicine seminar series is one of 16 research seminars available for in-depth study. As part of the course in biochemistry, this seminar has earned positive evaluations from medical students who expect to widen their perspective on global health and the environment. Seminar topics include food safety, farm trauma, nutraceuticals, crop protection, insect-borne disease, occupational health and safety, diet and cancer, birth defects, and bioengineering. Seventy medical students have participated in the interdisciplinary seminar. They perceive environmental science as affecting the health of their patients and as an essential part of their preparation for curative and preventive medicine. Readers may find medical school curriculum committees more receptive to accepting and continuing an agromedicine offering if it can be incorporated in a basic science course such as biochemistry or pharmacology.