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The 21st century—what an exciting time to be learning and teaching family medicine! The information age and societal demands continue to rapidly transform the practice of medicine. The communities in which we teach, develop curricula, and create new knowledge have extended from local and rural to global and virtual. Family medicine educators are engaged in significant curricular reengineering, with an unprecedented number leading these curricular changes. To meet the challenges of the future, we must leave behind outdated assumptions, behaviors, and attitudes while holding onto and sharing core values fundamental to our discipline. The 2001 “New Era, New Vision” Predoctoral Education Conference seeks to redefine family medicine education. Three thought-provoking plenary presentations will expand your understanding of the future and will challenge you to develop creative responses to the inevitable changes coming in health care and education. Small-group sessions will address ideas for innovative content, educational methods, and collaborations as well as educational research that contributes to our understanding of outcomes and best practices. What’s your personal vision of medical education for the new era? On behalf of the conference steering committee, I invite you to share your ideas with your colleagues and participate in creating a new vision for predoctoral education in family medicine. —Ann O’Brien-Gonzales, PhD 2001 Conference Chair |