Pathology in the new pathway of medical education at Harvard Medical School

In 1985 Harvard Medical School initiated an experimental curriculum that incorporated many of the recommendations of the report on the General Professional Education of the Physician (GPEP). Key features are problem-based small group tutorials that emphasize active learning, with increased independent study time and a decreased number of lectures. Tutors serve as guides to their students and are not necessarily experts in the discipline of the cases studied. Learning skills are taught, including information acquisition and criticism and computer literacy. Knowledge is integrated from the beginning by interdisciplinary basic science courses, by earlier introduction of the clinical sciences, and by juxtaposition of the scientific and humanistic aspects of medicine. Preventive medicine, health maintenance, and ambulatory care are given more attention. The students are organized into societies that provide vertical integration and promote cooperation among students and closer contact with faculty. Pathology has proved to be a popular and key bridge in the new curriculum. The success of the early efforts at Harvard and several pioneering medical schools should encourage others to move toward more problem-solving, student-centered, integrative medical education.