IAMSE 2002 Annual Meeting

DISCIPLINE-BASED ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION:	Neurobiology and Behavioral Sciences

SESSION LEADER(S):	Harold Traurig, Ph.D., University of Kentucky School of Medicine, Lexington, KY, U.S.A.

OTHER PRESENTERS:

HANDOUTS or SLIDES

Twelve colleagues attended the session including two active clinicians, one behavioral scientist and one international colleague.

The issues discussed were:

placement of neuroscience courses in the curriculum schedule
mix of basic science and clinical topics
presentation of problem-solving clinical correlations
exam strategies

The very lively discussion focused on the following key issues. An integrated neuroscience course is well received by students, reduces redundancy and in-class time, and provides appropriate opportunities for clinical correlation early in the curriculum. The content of the course is dictated by its position in the curriculum schedule. It best follows gross anatomy, histology and embryology and is successful either before or following physiology in the first year of the curriculum. An emerging problem is the development of basic science faculty who are comfortable teaching in an integrated and clinically correlated setting. An additional frequent problem is selecting clinicians who are willing and able to present clinical content and problem-solving experiences appropriate for first year medical students.

Outcomes of the discussion include the following. Course directors must carefully consider the content of courses that precede neuroscience and build on that base. Directors must orient participating faculty, especially clinical faculty, about the goals and outcomes of the course, consistency in terminology, and strategies to enhance correlation with previous courses and sub-areas of neuroscience. Exam question content should cross neuroscience sub-discipline boundaries to reinforce correlation.

The discussion provided a most useful exchange of ideas and a sharing of solutions to problems in directing an integrated neuroscience course. Behavioral Science and related sciences need their own Round Table Discussion session.