Pathway to Discovery in Health and Society Requirements
Specific requirements for participating in the Health and Society (H&S) Pathway will change over time as Pathway course offerings and schedules evolve. The requirements below are current as of September 2009. Those interested in the H&S Pathway should contact Pathway leaders or H&S Pathway program manager Renee' Wright-Wiley to ensure they are aware of the most recent requirements.
Please note that requirements for the Advanced Program are under development.
The Core Program is open to UCSF learners at all levels.
Core Program for SOM 1-4
Required Coursework:
Undergraduate professional learners need to complete 12 units. Residents and other advanced UCSF learners are welcome participants in any of the courses for undergraduate professional learners listed below.
H&S Core Course I & II: Foundation-level coursework with overview of areas of inquiry and skills (5 units)
Works in Progress Seminars and Health and Society Colloquia: Monthly meetings to provide longitudinal continuity (1 unit)
Core Electives: In-depth coursework relevant to at least one substantive and one skill area as well as coursework on health disparities. We anticipate offering Core Electives in the summer between MS1-MS2. (8 units)
Final Reflections: Summary/reflection just prior to graduation including presentation of legacy/capstone (2 units)
Schedule for 2009-10:
August 3-7, 2009: GME Group A Core Curriculum for residents participating in the Health Equities and Physician Leadership AoD.
September 28-October 25, 2009: H&S Core Course, offered during Advanced Studies Block 2.
October 5-9, 2009: GME Group B Core Curriculum for residents participating in the Health Equities AoD.
Legacy Projects: To successfully complete the Pathway, each student must produce a legacy. The legacy must achieve an acceptable scholarly standard as judged by the Pathways Program and provide lasting value to the community it serves and/or to health or health care at large. Learners are responsible for working closely with mentors to ensure that their legacy will meet the scholarly standard required for successful completion of the Pathways.
Projects include community interventions, needs assessment, policy review, qualitative research, and quantitative research. Descriptions of specific projects and project requirements are available here. UCSF undergraduate learners with a Galen ID can review project abstracts and posters here. Residents and advanced degree learners can access abstracts and posters here.
Works in Progress Seminars (W.I.P.): To complete the Pathway, learners must participate in W.I.P. by attending a monthly seminar (see above).
Residents:
The H&S Pathway is closely aligned with the Department of Medicine's Areas of Distinction (AoD) program. If you are a resident in the Department of Medicine, contact Dr. Sharad Jain or Dr. Arpana Vidyarthi to be sure you sign up for the appropriate block time in order to participate in the AoD didactics. Residents not in the Department of Medicine should contact Renee' Wright-Wiley as well as their residency program director to discuss their interest in participating in H&S.
Residents - Department of Medicine Areas of Distinction (AoD)
Medicine residents should participate in the H&S Pathway by applying to participate in the Area of Distinction (AoD) in Health Equities (Dr. Sharad Jain, head) or Leadership and Health Systems (Dr. Arpana Vidyarthi, head). Content in these AoD will be coordinated with overall H&S foci and themes, and residents in these AoD will develop and pursue mentored projects to produce appropriate legacies.
In general, the time commitment for the AoD includes one week of full-time didactics at the beginning of the AoD block followed by 1/2 day per week (generally Friday mornings) of didactics and supervised project work in a longitudinal format during AoD blocks throughout the year.
Residents - Other Departments
Residents in departments other than Medicine may participate in the H&S Pathway by participating in one of the AoD curricula or by participating in Fall curriculum for students detailed above. The Fall curriculum may be most appropriate for residents who are doing the H&S Pathway as part of a research year.
Residents who want to participate in H&S via the AoD model should contact Renee' Wright-Wiley to obtain more information about scheduling and enrolling in the Pathway. Residents must also coordinate with their program directors to ensure that their schedule aligns with the appropriate AoD blocks and that they are able to participate in required AoD activities.
Residents who are participating in the H&S Pathway during a research year should contact Renee' Wright-Wiley and will also need to coordinate their participation with their residency program director.
Students in Schools of Pharmacy, Nursing, and Dentistry
Students in these schools should follow the same guidelines for participation as "Residents - Other Departments." Students should contact Renee' Wright-Wiley to obtain more information about the Pathway and should also coordinate their program of study with their program director. In addition, Pharmacy, Nursing and Dentistry students are strongly encouraged to participate in the Spring elective course "Introduction to the Pathway to Discovery in Health and Society" (FCM 170.15 - described in more detail above).
