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In 2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) received a Congressional mandate to develop guidelines to diagnose FAS and other conditions resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure, incorporate these guidelines into the curricula of medical and allied health students and practitioners, and disseminate curricula to and provide training in the area of FAS.
As part of this initiative, CDC funded four FAS Regional Training Centers (RTCs) for Medical and Allied Health Professionals to develop, implement, and evaluate educational curricula for medical and allied health students and practitioners that incorporate evidence-based diagnostic guidelines for FAS and other alcohol-related disorders.
NOFAS Involvement
NOFAS played a key role in developing the model curricula that is used as a prototype by all the Regional Training Centers (with modifications as necessary depending on the target audience and geographical considerations.) Vice President Kathy Mitchell served as a consultant to the RTC's, authored the competency on Case Management for Person's with FASD and co-authored the competency on Addiction.
NOFAS conducted an environmental scan to measure existing coursework on FAS offered in medical schools and allied health programs throughout the United States, developed an assessment scale for use in evaluating course quality, and made recommendations on addressing the needs of families affected by FASD in the curriculum and an accompanying toolkit designed by the National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality (NICHQ).
Regional Training Centers
Southeastern U.S. Educational Center for Prevention of Fetal Alcohol
Meharry Medical College partnered with Morehouse School of Medicine and Tennessee State University to develop the Southeastern U.S. Educational Center for Prevention of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. At Morehouse Medical School, the program works closely with the National Center for Primary Care and its network of more than 150 clinics throughout the southeast.
The Meharry/Morehouse partnership disseminated the FAS curriculum among medical and allied health professionals in Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. They developed and completed a survey of Pediatricians; developed new curricula for the training of primary care providers (medical students, residents, practitioners) and allied health providers, and have begun implementation of curricular changes at Moorehouse School of Medicine and Meharry Medical College.
Northeast Regional FAS Education & Training Center
The NJ/Northeast Regional FAS Education & Training Center is based in the New Jersey Medical School – UMDNJ in the Departments of Preventive Medicine and Pediatrics. It is closely associated with the NJ state-funded FAS Diagnostic Centers, one of which is also located in the New Jersey Medical School. This gives the Education & Training Center direct access to child developmental specialists and pediatricians, allowing for practical referral and assessment of strategies and materials developed as part of the CDC educational network. The state of New Jersey has a number of other existing resources that will enhance the development of the New Jersey Regional Training Center.
Program Highlights
- Investigators were awarded a competitive education and training grant from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey to aid in the development of an online FAS course aimed at medical and other health professionals at UMDNJ.
- Investigators helped develop and participated in FAS Week for Pediatric residents at NJMS in April of each year. Lectures on FAS epidemiology, screening, and diagnosis were delivered.
- Lectures on FAS epidemiology, screening, and diagnosis were delivered for NJMS Psychiatry residents in April 2005.
- Overview paper of FAS education and prevention efforts in tandem with NJ State efforts published in J of FAS, 2005.
- Third-year pediatric medical students at NJMS, Robert Wood Johnson and SOM surveyed regarding knowledge of FAS in 2004, 2005.
- October 2, 2004 – CME accredited Train the Trainer workshop for Northeast region held at NJMS.
- Extensive presentation of Workshops and Train the Trainer sessions held across New Jersey. These included recent presentations to allied health professionals, probation officers and school administrators.
- Presentations given in Pennsylvania, NY and Maine.
- January 2006 - On-line CME accredited course for medical students piloted in NJMS. A version of this course for general CME credit is in development.
- Draft FAS educational curriculum developed from CDC materials and NJ teaching and interactive experiences with health professionals in many areas. Soon to be available on CD.
The Midwest Regional Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Training Center
The Midwest Regional Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Training Center is collaboration among the Department of Community and Family Medicine of the University of St. Louis Medical School, University of Missouri-Columbia and the St. Louis Arc. The Midwest Regional FAS Training Center was formed to improve health professionals' knowledge and skill regarding FAS recognition, diagnosis, treatment, management, and prevention in a seven state region around Missouri. Utilizing a train the trainer model, 36 speakers conduct two continuing education sessions each year on FASD recognition, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
The Center has developed the following educational materials:
Visit the Midwest Regional Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Training Center online at: http://www.mimh.edu/fas/
The Western Medical Allied Health Education on Fetal Alcohol Exposure Center
The Western Medical Allied Health Education on Fetal Alcohol Exposure Center, based at the University of California at Los Angeles School of Medicine, assessed the current knowledge, perceived need, and receptivity of health care students and professionals and disseminated the curriculum to medical schools and community hospitals, medical and allied health professionals, and to local, state, and national agencies and organizations.
Program Highlights
- Designed curricular modules for first year medical students at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and at Martin Luther King-Charles R. Drew University
- Developed a module for graduate students in the UCLA School of Nursing to provide training on screening and brief intervention for prenatal alcohol use and a brief FAS diagnostic assessment based upon the CDC FAS Diagnostic Guidelines (CDC 2004)
- Conducted a total of 61 teaching hours reaching 4259 medical and allied health students and professionals through this grant.
- Served as a member of the group designing the Board Certification examination for the new American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology subspecialty certification in Psychosomatic Medicine, and contributed questions regarding fetal alcohol exposure to that examination.
- Co-editor in collaboration with the St. Louis RTC, in preparing the 4th edition of a textbook for medical students on Behavior and Medicine, which will include the basic competencies from the FAS Curriculum Guide.
- Served as a member of an expert panel on FASD screening in the juvenile courts sponsored by the SAMHSA/FASD Center for Excellence and on a national advisory group for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to assist in the development of guidelines for screening and brief intervention for alcohol use in women of childbearing age.
- Presented at national professional meetings, including the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Academy of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the Research Society on Alcoholism
Visit the CDC's page on the RTC's: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fas/regional.htm
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