We are creating a curriculum through the collaboration of physicians and nurses. Our objective is not to deal with health issues of immediate concern to a young population but to prepare them to deal also with the health problems of children, adults and elders, making them be knowledgeable to assist their families and themselves later on in life, A book describing our goals and possible curriculum is in preparation and will be published by Nova Publishers.

In addition to increasing the medical knowledge of the population at large, there are several secondary benefits from initiating such program.

First, by teaching a practical science, we expect that students will gain an appreciation for the education they receive at school and in particular for the scientific disciplines. For instance, understanding the medical application of biochemical analyses will increase their interest in chemistry, and learning how elementary statistics applies to health issues will make them more interested in mathematics.

Second, by promoting learning for personal use, we expect students to take a genuine interest in learning instead of focusing on grades, college admissions, or satisfying learning criteria developed by governments, educationists and bureaucrats.

Third, the process of creating a curriculum reform with the participation of teachers, students, parents, the health professions, and the community at large, we hope to promote their participation on improving the educational system. Medicine is ideologically neutral, and may thus serve to foster collaboration among people of different backgrounds. This would be facilitated by focusing on major medical issues (e.g. cardiac illness, depression, diabetes, infections, child and elder care). Learning the implications of infections and drug interactions may actually be more helpful to the students regarding subjects such as sex or drug abuse.

Fourth, we expect also a change in understanding of science. By learning how medical care is the oldest profession (e.g. medicine women and men in prehistory) and the oldest science (the first scientific book was the medical treatise written by Imhotep, the Egyptian doctor who also made the first pyramid, and physics was born from the biological research of Aristotle, a physician’s son), and the important role of medical science throughout history, we expect students to develop a deeper understanding of science.