Community/Urban Health
Track Curriculum 2009/10
Students will be exposed to urban community health issues and models of service delivery. In addition, career development opportunities in health disparities research, advocacy, and community oriented primary care will be integrated into the longitudinal experience.
Track Objectives
- Define clinical prevention and population health and their relationship to clinical practice in an urban community
- Describe the cultural dimensions of community health
- Evaluate different modalities of health information
- Demonstrate ability to assess community health needs and design appropriate interventions
- Identify sources of funding commonly utilized for community health interventions, research, and academic support
Track Activities
- Attend monthly lectures (Year 1 and 2)
- Participate in ISCOPES (monthly meeting plus group project) for one year (usually during MS-I year). Alternative to ISCOPES program would be considered but must be pre-approved and consist of a comparable experience
- Participate in a Summer Experiential Opportunity (after Year 1)
- Students must submit a project proposal including scope of work, a timeline, objectives/goals, and the organization/mentor with which the student will be working including contact information.
- After project completion, students are required to submit a 2-4 page paper to include the student’s project scope, the role the student played in the project, how the project changed from the original proposal, and reflections on the experience.
Students in the Community Health Track Program will be given priority placement in the student-run health clinic at Bread for the City
Required Third & Fourth Year
- Practice of Medicine Scholarly Project will be related to track of study
- Community Health Elective: “IDIS 354- Community Health Care”
Other Opportunities
- Interview key staff of DC City Council’s Health Committee or senior staff in the DC Department of Health
- Attend various conferences sponsored by local agencies, non-profits, and foundations including but not limited to Department of Health, Kaiser Family Foundation, and DC Primary Care Association.
Track Lecture Series
Sample Topics Years I and II
- Why Community Medicine Matters
- Overview of DC Health Care System
- Federal Initiatives: Past and Present
- Fundamentals of Population Health
- How Culture and Medicine Intersect
- Vulnerable Populations
- Health Care Trends in Washington DC
- Poverty’s Impact on Community Health and Wellness
- Social Support of At-risk Individuals
- Accessing Behavioral Health Services
- Clinical Prevention: What Works and What Doesn’t
- Community Health Interventions
- Health Policy and Community Health
- Career Pathways
Experiential Opportunities
- Clinical and non-clinical internships at local community clinics
- Health Education and Outreach Work
- Health services and clinical research
- Student-run Health Clinic at Bread for the City
Summer Internships
- School-based health career programs
- Policy, Advocacy, or Health Reform internships at DC Primary Care Association
- Clinical services at local clinics
- Department of Health
Senior Year Elective
- IDIS 354- “Community Health Care” (Student-run Health Clinic at Bread for the City) is a required elective for the community health track. A substitute elective must be approved by the track director.
Current Literature (as a course primer)
- Galea, Sandro, Freudenberg, Nicholas, Vlahov David. “Cities and Population Health.” Social Science and Medicine 20 August 2004: 60.
- Allan, Janet, Barwick, Timi Agar, Cashman, Suzanne, Cawley, James F. “Clinical Prevention and Population Health: Curriculum Framework for Health Professions.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2004: 27:5.
*Other educational opportunities and activities to enrich students’ experiences may be added to the curriculum during the program, per the discretion of the Track Director.