Development of an interactive bioterrorism and emerging infections curriculum for medical students and internal medicine residents.

Cassoobhoy, Murtaza; Wetterhall, Scott F; Collins, Darren F; Cantey, Paul T; Iverson, Christopher J; Rudnick, Judith R; Del Rio, Carlos

While awareness of bioterrorism threats and emerging infectious diseases has resulted in an increased sense of urgency to improve the knowledge base and response capability of physicians, few medical schools and residency programs have curricula in place to teach these concepts. Public health agencies are an essential component of a response to these types of emergencies. Public health education during medical school is usually limited to the non-clinical years. With collaboration from our local public health agency, the Emory University School of Medicine developed a curriculum in bioterrorism and emerging infections. By implementing this curriculum in the clinical years of medical school and residency programs, we seek to foster improved interactions between clinicians and their local public health agencies.