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The state of research in academic obstetrics and its relationship to research in other academic disciplines was addressed in a 1979 conference. Participants included representatives of academic obstetrics, academic pediatrics, and public health. After an introductory discussion by Howard C. Taylor, Jr. on changes in obstetrics in the last 25 years, the 16 conference papers are presented in the following sections: (1) "Departments of Obstetrics," as viewed by a non-expert and by a pediatrician; (2) "Support of Academic Obstetrics," coming from both the public and the private sector; (3) "Education in Academic Obstetrics," which included discussions on a school of family and community medicine and on the value of "a major clinical service" in the academic field; (4) "Current Residency Requirements" at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; and (5) "The Impact of Reproductive Biology on Academic Obstetrics," as viewed by an endocrinologist and an obstetrician-biochemist. Included in this section are discussions of the impact of perinatology on academic obstetrics, the relationship of departments of obstetrics to other medical school administrative units, and the relationship of obstetrics and pediatrics in a changing world. Finally, the needs of academic obstetrics are assessed along with suggestions on how to meet them. (PJM)

The emphasis, scope area, and development of new medical schools at home and abroad are examined in these papers presented at the Macy Foundation Conference in October 1977. Representatives from new medical schools were present from the United States, Britain, Canada, and Hong Kong. Medical schools and agencies presenting papers include: Eastern Virginia Medical Authority; University of Hawaii; University of Massachusetts; Mayo Medical School; Chinese University of Hong Kong; Memorial University of Newfoundland; University of Minnesota; University of Nevada, Reno; University of South Alabama; University of South Florida; Southern Illinois University; Texas Tech University; and Wright State University. Papers emphasizing a particular area included: Recent Developments in the Process of Accrediting Medical Schools; The Area Health Education Center Program in North Carolina; Converting a Two-Year School of Basic Sciences to a Four-Year Medical School (University of South Dakota); New Medical Schools in Japan; Minorities in Medicine; and the Process of Selecting Medical Students at McMaster University. It is indicated that the present swing in medical education is toward family medicine and primary care; however, with growing dependence on federal aid for survival the medical schools may lose the autonomy to follow trends that have been theirs in the past. A list of participants as well as an index are provided. (LC)