This book details how Harvard Medical School (Massachusetts) overcame prevailing educational inertia and developed a curriculum and educational program consistent with preparing students to practice medicine in the 21st century. The New Pathway in General Medical Education program emphasizes both acquiring current knowledge and developing learning skills that will be used throughout physicians' professional lives. It encourages development of interpersonal skills necessary in effectively interacting with patients. It organizes faculty into units called academic societies to improve the coordination of the entire curriculum and strengthen personal relationships between students and faculty. Papers describing this new approach include: "Toward a New Medicine" (Daniel C. Tosteson);"Searching" (S. James Adelstein and Myra B. Ramos); "Strategies for Change" (Gordon T. Moore); "The First Curriculum: Content and Process" (Gordon T. Moore); "Curriculum Design" (Elizabeth G. Armstrong with others); "Faculty Development" (LuAnn Wilkerson); "Information Technology" (G. Octo Barnett with others); "Project Evaluation" (Susan D. Block and Gordon T. Moore); "The Student Experience" (Marc T. Silver); "Transitional Organization" (S. James Adelstein with others); "The Medical Education Center" (Karla J. Pollick); "Academic Societies" (Daniel D. Federman with others); and "Lessons for the Future" (Daniel C. Tosteson with Harvey Goldman). (Each paper contains reference notes.) (JDD)