The Task Force Report

Abstract
The Future of Pediatric Education,1 a report by a special Task Force under Dr. C. Henry Kempe, has been widely circulated to practitioners and academicians since its publication in the spring of 1978. Dr. Kempe summarized its recommendations in his presidential address to the American Pediatric Society.2 The Task Force consisted of 17 members representing most of the constituent societies responsible for pediatric education, research, and service in the United States. They worked for two years, commissioned two surveys—one of parents and one of 7,000 recent (since 1964) graduates of pediatric residencies— and met with numerous consultants. Of the 11 recommendations, most have resulted in little disagreement, perhaps in part because no single group was forced to change its behavior as a result of the study.