The first Asian training course on problem-based pharmacotherapy teaching will be held from 19-28 October 2001 (inclusive) in Manila, Philippine. It is being organized jointly by the Philippine Society of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and the WHO Collaborating Centre for Training in Pharmacotherapy & Rational Drug Use at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Newcastle, Australia.

The course is designed primarily for teachers of pharmacotherapy working in undergraduate or post-graduate settings: medical schools, pharmacy schools, teaching hospitals etc. The course aims to provide practical instruction in, and experience of a problem-based approach to pharmacotherapy teaching. The course is based on the WHO Guide to Good Prescribing.

During the course participants will:

• study the problem - based approach to pharmacotherapy teaching;

• learn to act as facilitators for small-group, problem-based learning in practical pharmacotherapy;

• develop teaching/learning materials suitable for use in their own teaching environment;

• become familiar with modern educational strategies available for course development, student assessment, and course and tutor evaluation; and

• develop their own targets and objectives for introducing the problem-based approach to pharmacotherapy teaching in their local context.

Application forms can be obtained from Pharmacotherapy Course Secretariat, Discipline of Clinical Pharmacology, 5th Floor, Clinical Sciences Building Newcastle Mater Hospital, Waratah, NSW 2298 Australia. E-mail: mannix@mail.newcastle.edu.au fax: +612 4960 2088