16 January 2007 Family Medicine Editor’s Note: Send submissions to jfreeman3@kumc.edu. Articles should be between 500–1,000 words and clearly and concisely present the goal of the program, the design of the intervention and evaluation plan, the description of the program as implemented, results of evaluation, and conclusion. Each submission should be accompanied by a 100-word abstract. Please limit tables or figures to one each. You can also contact me at Department of Family Medicine, KUMC, Room 1130A Delp, Mail Code 4010, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160. 913-588-1944. Fax: 913-588-2496. Joshua Freeman, MD, Feature Editor Alison Dobbie, MD, Feature Editor Innovations in Family Medicine Education Because culturally based con- ceptions of illness affect health- seeking behaviors and perceived effectiveness of both conventional and alternative therapies, 1 medical education 2 and physician practice 3,4 currently emphasize the devel- opment of cultural competence. Indeed, cultural competence is recognized as part of the solution to eliminate health disparities and to improve the quality of health care for diverse populations. 5 Further, patterns of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among ethnic and socioeconomic subgroups of the United States reflect cultural differences in ap- proaches to health and illnesses. 6-8 Although education on cultural aspects of medicine is increasing, a recent study showed that most residents do not feel prepared to deliver cross-cultural care. 9 Studying an alternative medical system while immersed in another culture may be a particularly ef- fective way to help students un- derstand cultural differences in health beliefs. This study explores the impact of studying acupuncture in China on the development of cultural competence for first-year medical students. Methods Program Description We developed an elective, Acu- puncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), in collaboration A Gain in Cultural Competence Through an International Acupuncture Elective Jun J. Mao, MD, MSCE; Jenne Wax; Frances K. Barg, PhD; Katherine Margo, MD; Dana Walrath, PhD From the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health (Drs Mao, Barg, and Margo), Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatis- tics (Dr Mao), and Department of Anthropology (Dr Barg), University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; and the Department of Family Medicine, University of Vermont (Ms Wax and Dr Walrath). Objective: This study describes an international acupuncture elective and its impact on medical students’ development of cultural competence. Methods: Collaborating with Chinese colleagues, we created a 4- week elective that teaches medical students about acupuncture in its native cultural environment. Three focus groups were conducted to elicit students’ experiences. Results: Students’ reflections indicated that studying an alternative medical system in its own cultural setting helped them become open to other medical beliefs and realize the importance of culture in health care delivery. Further, being linguistically isolated allowed students to personally experience what it is like for those patients with limited language proficiency. Conclusion: Studying an alternative medical system while immersed in another culture may be an effective way to enhance cultural competence. (Fam Med 2007;39(1):16-8.)