There is a clear need for a dialogue between the undergraduate science and medical education communities about the connections between the current requirements for admission to medical school, the content and emphasis of the MCAT, and the changing emphases within undergraduate science education. In response, the NRC's Center for Education and the IOM have begun conversations about possible activities that our organizations might undertake in concert with the Association of American Medical Colleges and professional societies in the natural sciences to examine these issues in ways that would benefit all stakeholders.

Accordingly, we seek your input regarding whether this kind of work would be useful to you and your departmental colleagues who are directly involved with the preparation, teaching, and administration of introductory undergraduate science courses and other courses that emphasize premedical education. We would like to know the most important questions you feel need to be addressed and the kinds of data that would help to move these conversations forward.