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This letter to the editor appeared in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel on March 17th, 2006.
A good opportunity
The Medical College of Wisconsin faculty is justifiably proud of the training it provides students in the classroom, laboratory and clinics — training that is both rigorous and rigorously evaluated. Its commitment to the highest quality medical education is particularly commendable in light of the decline in hands-on learning experiences in physiology for medical students since 1973 that has been documented by the American Physiological Society.
The APS Council affirmed the importance of active learning experiences — including animal laboratories — in a November 2004 position statement. Physiology labs are expensive and time-intensive for students and faculty alike. The 90% participation rate among Medical College students in this voluntary exercise shows students recognize it is a valuable educational experience.
Educational research confirms that animal laboratories add a new dimension to learning, enhancing information that has been presented in textbooks, lectures, discussion groups and computer simulations.
No one should look to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine for expertise on the medical curriculum. It is inalterably opposed to animal research, and, despite the name, only a small fraction of its members are physicians.
The Medical College of Wisconsin should be commended for offering its students this opportunity to solidify their understanding of cardiovascular physiology.
Hannah V. Carey
UW School of Veterinary Medicine
President-elect, American Physiological Society
Madison
Robert G. Carroll
East Carolina University
Brody School of Medicine
Chair, American Physiological Society Education Committee
Greenville, N.C.