BRIEF: Symposium looks at medicine's future

During the three-hour discussion, the speakers criticized medical schools' curriculum saying it does not offer students a well-rounded education. But they stressed that the path to medical school should be more structured for students starting in high school. Edward Brandt, executive dean for the University of Oklahoma's College of Medicine, said that while schools have increased their faculty, the administrators should focus their efforts on student concerns. He added that while most medical school students may be qualified doctors when they graduate, they lack the personable skills that society expects. Brandt also added that medical schools must emphasize more research by their graduate students and incorporate them into universities, an idea echoed by the other speakers. Samuel Thier, president of the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences, challenged the Medical School -- which was the first in the nation -- to re-examine the medical field and to look ahead to the future. The audience -- which was composed mainly of hospital administrators and doctors -- said they found the discussion intellectually stimulating but said that they would like to have heard more solutions by the speakers. -- Susan Pliner

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.