Behavioral & Social Sciences as Core Elements of the Medical School Curriculum

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overarching goal of this proposal is to develop an innovative, comprehensive curriculum designed to increase medical students' knowledge and skills in the behavioral and social sciences (BSS) related to health. Curriculum development in this area will contribute to OHSU's long-held dedication to providing the best medical education possible in primary care. The efficacy of this curriculum will be evaluated through measures of student BSS knowledge, skills, and attitudes prior to and after the new curriculum is implemented. Building upon existing strengths, current offerings and teaching methods will be expanded to create a curriculum in the six BSS domains and all 26 specific issues identified by the IOM as essential to the sensitive and effective practice of medicine. (1) The new BSS curriculum will be fully integrated with and serve as the new patient-centered core of the OHSU required four-year curriculum. Its design will ensure that content and activities may be disseminated to other medical schools. Our specific aims include: 1 - Develop, implement, and evaluate a four-year curriculum designed to increase medical students' knowledge and skills in the BSS related to health. 2 - Increase the knowledge and skills of faculty, residents, other researchers, and practicing physicians in the BSS related to health. 3 - Disseminate BSS curriculum and accompanying teaching materials to other medical schools as well as other health care professional schools. 4 - Evaluate the impact of the new curriculum on medical students' knowledge and skills in the BSS related to health by means of valid evaluation measures and procedures. 5 - Foster health-related BSS research and careers within OHSU and catalyze further development of BSS training for health care professionals with the ultimate goal of advancing the health of the nation. The strength of this proposal is that the process of curriculum development will provide OHSU and potentially other medical schools across the country with a full four-year curriculum with an integrated, developmentally appropriate and rigorously tested BSS curriculum. It will also engender faculty research, peer-reviewed publications, and national presentations regarding the importance of medical student training and physician knowledge, skills, and attitudes in the behavioral and social sciences.