Abstracts from the Proceedings of the 2005 Annual Predoctoral Meeting of the Society for Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM).

The Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM; www.stfm.org) is a community of physicians, educators, behavioral scientists, and researchers devoted to teaching family medicine through undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education, with the mission of improving the health of all people through education, research, patient care, and advocacy. STFM holds an Annual Conference each spring and a Predoctoral Education Conference each winter. STFM held its 31st Annual Predoctoral Education Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from January 27 to January 30, 2005. Plenary speakers included Robert Graham, MD; Patricia Carney, PhD; and Lori Alvord, MD (author of the Scalpel and the Silver Bear) with Thomas Hatathli, a Native American traditional healer. Participants shared ideas and learned new skills attending over 70 workshops, seminars, and discussions, and 40 educational research and evaluation-paper presentations. Common themes included professionalism, community medicine, cultural competency, and learner and program evaluation. A subcommittee of the STFM Education Committee selected the best completed undergraduate medical educational research or curriculum evaluation papers for inclusion in the Proceedings. Also selected for inclusion in Proceedings are 2 papers now in press in Family Medicine: DeHaven MJ and Chen LL. "Teaching Medical Students Research While Reaching the Underserved" and Alper B and Vinson D. "Experiential Curriculum Improves Medical Students' Ability to Answer Clinical Questions Using the Internet." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]