University of Virginia Health System

U.VA. RECEIVES GRANT FROM PFIZER, INC. TO DEVELOP SEXUAL HEALTH CURRICULUM

The University of Virginia Health System is one of only seven medical schools in the nation to receive an educational grant from Pfizer, Inc. to develop and implement an innovative, multidisciplinary curriculum in sexual health medicine. More than one-third of accredited United States medical schools applied for the competitive grants, which were reviewed by a committee of sexual health experts and medical educators from leading medical schools, according to Pfizer representatives.

The company's Sexual Health Medical School Curriculum Grant program is designed to address the existing deficit in this field of training for medical students.

Successful applicants had to demonstrate an understanding of sexual health not just as disease- and function-related, but as a fundamental component of sexual wellness as it pertains to interpersonal skills, health behaviors and relationship building. Winning schools outlined proposed course work during a four-year undergraduate medical school program. The course work is required to relate to diagnosing and managing medical and psychological conditions that make patient care particularly complex. It also must encompass social and ethical dimensions of care.

Sexual health problems significantly impact the quality of life of millions of individuals, said Dr. Michael Widlitz, vice president, Medical -- Men's and Women's Health, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Group. We believe this program will provide the building blocks toward enhancing physician knowledge and treatment of sexual health problems in the coming decade.

Psychosexual development is personally important for all individuals, but is rarely discussed as a public health or medical issue, said Dr. Anita Clayton, vice chairman of the Department of Psychiatric Medicine at U.Va. and co-principal investigator for the grant. We hope to address knowledge, attitudes and interpersonal interactions that are important for medical students to appropriately help their patients with this basic health issue.

Clayton will develop the curriculum with co-principal investigators Elizabeth McGarvey, director of the Division of Prevention Research and associate professor, Department of Psychiatric Medicine; and Dr. Christine M. Peterson, assistant professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and director of gynecology for the Department of Student Health at U.Va.

According to a National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Panel study, education of physicians and other health professionals in aspects of human sexuality is currently inadequate and curriculum development is urgently needed.

Medical school curricula are changing continuously to meet changes in society, changes in the ways we view the physician/patient relationship and to respond to new discoveries in science and medicine, said M. Brownell Anderson, grant selection committee chairman and senior associate vice president for medical education, Association of American Medical Colleges.

Sexual health education is currently not well represented in medical student education programs, he said. Our data on curricula indicate that, while every medical school includes the topic of sexual health as part of the required curriculum, an average of 10 hours in the four-year medical school program are devoted to sexual health education.

As a result, many physicians may not be adequately prepared to effectively diagnose and treat sexual health problems. We hope these grants provide models for other schools to adapt and incorporate in their curricula.

Through these grants of $100,000 for each institution, Pfizer, Inc. hopes to increase awareness and understanding among health professionals and the academic community of the importance of sexual health as a critical component of overall health and wellness.

In addition to U.Va., grant winners are: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School, MCP Hahnemann University Institute for Women's Health, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School and University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey - New Jersey Medical School.

Pfizer, Inc. discovers, develops, manufactures and markets leading prescription medicines, for humans and animals and many well-known consumer products.

October 12, 2001