The refocusing of activities around women's health has redefined institutional boundaries and underscored the commonalities between disciplines and across research, teaching, clinical care, and outreach. The CoE model has also provided a market draw around women's health for institutions in areas of intense health care competition. It has attracted national and international attention and even engendered its own movement. CoE faculty and staff have come together across centers to exchange information, replicate new models, collaborate on research initiatives, and develop joint articles for publication. Cross-center evaluations are currently in development to more fully capture the effect of the CoEs on their institutions, on women's health, and on other academic health centers.
Transformative change takes time.
Future evaluations and time will be the test of the long-range success of CoEs. If successful, women's health as practiced in the CoEs will indeed serve as the vehicle for moving academic health centers in a new direction. Marwick C. AAMC analyzes 1997 Balanced Budget Act. Support for academic medical centers. Association of American Medical Colleges.