Preventive Medicine
Several public health issues have emerged as subjects for youth primary prevention and community based prevention education, including smoking cessation, alcohol/drug abuse, and obesity awareness. With over 500,000 deaths per year associated with tobacco,

 alcohol and drug use, an educational module was developed with the goal of preventing youth from starting to use drugs and encouraging those already using to quit. In addition, Life Skills Guidelines and injury prevention (Growing Up Safe) materials have been dispensed to each chapter to aid in the general education of the community. In addition, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has unveiled a new food pyramid in hopes of helping the country make healthier food choices.

As we prepare to become osteopathic physicians, we should also learn to incorporate prevention and education into our skills. The Preventive Medicine program offers a chance to educate ourselves about common public health issues as well as to learn about and practice education to out future patients.