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An International Perspective on Behavioral Science Education in Medical Schools

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Abstract

The behavioral sciences are taught in medical curricula around the world. In the current paper psychologists teaching in medical schools in Australia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States share their experience and reflections. Whilst direct comparisons between countries are not made, the themes that are evident within and between accounts are instructive. As behavioral scientists around the globe are struggling to maintain a presence in medical education many of the reasons behind this are shared, regardless of the country. Challenges discussed include those related to the impact of unrealized potential contributions of psychologists as health care professionals, teaching of behavioral sciences by other professions, domination of the biomedical model without a corresponding recognition of psychology as science, and modern medical pedagogies such as problem-based learning, which favor biomedicine. Systemic and political barriers over which we as a discipline may have little control are also highlighted.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to Professor Danny Wedding for sharing his knowledge of international colleagues and helping us to make contact with one another.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Discipline of Psychiatry at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, University of Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia

    Anna Chur-Hansen

  2. Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, and Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA

    John E. Carr

  3. School of Translational Medicine, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

    Christine Bundy

  4. Behavioral Medicine Program, Postgraduate Division of Psychology, National University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico

    Juan Jose Sanchez-Sosa

  5. Department of Psychiatry, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand

    Sombat Tapanya

  6. Division of Clinical Psychology, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia

    Saeed H. Wahass

Authors
  1. Anna Chur-Hansen
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  2. John E. Carr
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  3. Christine Bundy
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  4. Juan Jose Sanchez-Sosa
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  5. Sombat Tapanya
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  6. Saeed H. Wahass
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Correspondence to Anna Chur-Hansen.

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Chur-Hansen, A., Carr, J.E., Bundy, C. et al. An International Perspective on Behavioral Science Education in Medical Schools. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 15, 45–53 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-008-9092-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-008-9092-0

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