Report of the task force on teaching human genetics in North American medical schools

The unanimous opinion of the 17 task force members in attendance was that there were serious problems in the teaching of human genetics in North American medical schools. Identifiable causes included financial limitations, inadequate faculty resources, institutional competition for student-contact hours, and anachronistic pedagogical techniques. At the same time, there was overwhelming optimism that human genetics educators had important lessons to share with medical students at all levels, as well as the skills to improve medical schools' teaching in general. The task force members generally eschewed the notion that an itemization of curricular content or hours would significantly improve human genetics teaching. Rather, the emphasis should be on developing long-term solutions. We felt it unlikely that simple pronouncements by ASHG will have major impact on deans and medical school curriculum committees. Rather, what ASHG can do most effectively is (1) provide educational resources to its members, (2) help educate its members in teaching methodologies, (3) encourage evaluation of the effectiveness of these efforts, and (4) provide opportunities for human genetics educators to network and share ideas about how to improve genetics teaching at their own institutions. This approach should result in an ongoing improvement of human genetics teaching. To do more may not be possible, but to do less means relinquishing the central role human genetics should have in medical education and health care.