Book excerpt: The idea for this book was originally conceived by Terrill Mast in conversations with Roland Folse. Dr. Mast was dedicated to the belief that all medical teachers should be generalists with skills and knowledge in all aspects of the field. Before his untimely death, he recruited most of the prestigious contributors to this important new book. This comprehensive volume features a review of the major topics in medical and surgical education by today's leading authorities in the field. The assembled authors represent a "Who's Who" in medical education around the world. Each chapter provides a state-of-the-art overview of the topic along with the projected changes most likely to occur over the next decade. A "must-have" for anyone responsible for educating students, residents, and physicians in the medical and surgical fields, this new book addresses the critical medical educational issues of the next millennium, in one, comprehensive volume.