title: Medical education for obstetricians and gynecologists should incorporate environmental health.
abstract: Obstetricians-gynecologists can protect the reproductive health of women, men, and their offspring from environmental hazards through preconception and prenatal counseling and encouraging patients to take actions to reduce environmental exposures. Although obstetricians-gynecologists are well positioned to prevent hazardous exposures, education on environmental health in medical education is limited. The Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health and the Environment and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of George Washington University convened a meeting to begin integration of environmental health topics into medical education for obstetricians-gynecologists. Several avenues were identified to incorporate environmental health topics into medical education including continuing education requirements, inclusion of environmental health questions on board certification examinations and the creation of a curriculum on environmental health specific to obstetrics-gynecology.
authors: Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health and the Environment, Child Health Advocacy Institute, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC. Electronic address: vtinney@childrensnational.org.
authors: Veronica A
authors: VA
authors: Tinney
authors: Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health and the Environment, Child Health Advocacy Institute, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC.
authors: Jerome A
authors: JA
authors: Paulson
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC.
authors: Susanne L
authors: SL
authors: Bathgate
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC.
authors: John W
authors: JW
authors: Larsen
mesh_terms: D003479:Curriculum; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000379:methods; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000379:methods; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods; D004782:Environmental Health / Q000193:education*; D006176:Gynecology / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000193:education*
keywords: environmental exposures; medical education; prevention