Psychology,behavioral sciences,and the challenge to medical education

It is generally agreed that the health care system is in crisis despite reform efforts over the past two decades. Evidence is presented which suggests that medical education has failed successfully to integrate medically relevant behavioral science research findings into medical school curricula or train physicians in the application of behaviorally based treatment technologies. Psychologists in medical education settings have the opportunity to impact medical education and foster psychology's role in health care. If psychology fails to respond to this opportunity, we cannot then complain of the inevitable consequences.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Medical Colleges, Washington, DC, November 1993.