Student response has been enthusiastic. "The health policy course forced us to step back from our basic science and clinical courses and put our training into a real-world context," says Anthony Rosen, a fourth-year student at Weill Cornell Medical College. "We met industry experts who shared their often dramatically differing viewpoints on health care. Dr. Finkel encouraged us to discuss and grapple with the challenges of health care delivery and insurance and to think about potential solutions. The timing for the course was perfect, as we were discussing these issues as the health care reform debate unfolded. I think that understanding health policy will be invaluable for me as a practicing physician."

Third-year medical residents at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center are also required to take a one-week block rotation in health policy. The course is directed by Dr. Oliver Fein, associate dean of affiliations and professor of clinical medicine and clinical public health at Weill Cornell Medical College. The course gives participants an overview of the health care delivery system, including financing, organization of physician practices, comparative health systems, legal issues in health care and quality improvement. "It is especially important for our residents who are on the verge of beginning their medical careers to have this 'real-world' knowledge," says Dr. Fein. "The rotation covers issues they cannot ignore as practicing physicians."

"Given that some type of health care reform will probably be a reality in 2010, one could ask whether medical schools and residency programs can afford not to provide instruction on this important topic," Dr. Finkel says.

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