The formation and evaluation of a graduate program in health administration within a medical school

Several aspects of the program in health administration that was established in 1968 by the faculty of the University of Colorado School of Medicine are described. Based on the premise that knowledge about the organization and the delivery of health services had not kept pace with the advances made in the scientific foundations of medicine, the program was designed to provide training in management, accounting, economics, medical care organization, quantitative methods, and in the other skills required for health administration. The results of a survey to identify the extent to which the program's graduates have fulfilled the original objectives are presented, including a description of the graduate's backgrounds and current job situations. The lessons learned from five year's experience teaching health administration within a medical school are also reviewed.