[Challenges facing undergraduate public health education in medical education in Japan]

Based on experience in teaching of public health in a newly established medical school in Japan, tasks which appear to be essential for the success of undergraduate public health education are presented, with special reference to 1) clarification of the teaching goals including general instructional objective (GIO), as well as specific behavioral objective (SBO), 2) utilization of the teaching resources in the community, such as community health centers, factories, schools, social welfare establishments for the elderly and/or for the handicapped, private clinics, and so on, 3) importance of continual curriculum evaluation by means of regular anonymous questionnaire. It is concluded that the perception of the teaching staffs with regard to these new tasks is very important. Changes in teaching objective since 1979 are presented, and 7 categories of GIO as well as 35 SBOs, both of which have been incorporated in the public health course in 1988 are also cited.