January 26, 2004

'Idaho Mini Medical School' For The General Public Starts In February

(Note: Participants from last year’s program as well as Dr. James Blackman and other health professionals are available for media interviews.) The “Idaho Mini Medical School,” a series of five evening programs in February and March geared toward the general public, will provide up-to-date information about lung diseases and presentations about medical school education. The five-evening program focusing on diagnosis and treatment of lung diseases is presented as a community service by the University of Washington School of Medicine, in conjunction with the WWAMI (Idaho) Office for Clinical Medical Education and the first-year WWAMI medical student program. The series aims to bring understanding of medical issues to the general public and to individuals interested in pursuing health care careers. (WWAMI is the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho medical school program coordinated by the University of Washington.) The Idaho Mini Medical School program will be held on five consecutive Tuesday evenings from 7-9 p.m. at St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center’s Anderson Center — Feb. 17, 24, March 2, 9, 16. Registration costs $35 for all five sessions and is due by Feb. 9. For registration information call (208) 381-1200 or (208) 327-0684. Scholarships are available. Each session will open with a short presentation by an Idaho WWAMI medical student describing medical school training. Topics will then be presented by University of Washington School of Medicine physician faculty, area health professionals and professors from University of Idaho, Boise State University and Idaho State University. Topics will include: lung anatomy, respiratory system, diseases of the lung in children, tobacco, infectious diseases, antibiotic therapy, ethics concerning death and dying, lung cancer and sleep disorders. In addition to providing updates on diseases of the lung, the program is intended to encourage interest in health-care fields, explain how medical students receive instruction, demonstrate the pulmonary examination, discuss pharmacological, non-pharmacological and surgical treatment options, and encourage patients to take responsibility for their own health and disease management.                          This is the second year of the Idaho Mini Medical School. The first program was held last year and the theme was on heart disease. Participants were members of the general public, students and health-care practitioners. Registration is limited to about 100 people and is expected to fill up, so pre-registration is required. -30- Contact Dana L. Ellis or Dr. James Blackman WWAMI (Idaho) Office for Clinical Medical Education (208) 327-0641 danae@uwashington.edu Media contact Pat Pyke communications and marketing (208) 426-1987 ppyke@boisestate.edu