Scholarly Concentration

The Scholarly Concentration program is a four year voluntary program of study parallel to the medical school curriculum that promotes in-depth learning in a selected area of study. Students who participate in a Scholarly Concentration undertake mentored study in one of the following fields of interest related to medicine: clinical ethics, family medicine, global health, medical education, narrative medicine, nutrition, or service learning. This learning opportunity develops critical thinking, hands-on experience with the methods by which new scholarly information is generated and skills in evaluation of new data.

By the end of this course, the students will:

  • Gain exposure to scholarship within their concentration.
  • Be introduced to scholarly careers in medicine.
  • Work closely with a mentor to formulate a research question or scholarly objective and to develop a plan that addresses the student's research question with appropriate methods.
  • Develop additional skills in critical thinking, self-directed learning, written and oral communication.
  • Be able to present and/or publish their work.

Students customarily perform 4 weeks of applicable work between year 1 and year 2 of medical school and a 4-week topical elective in their 4th year of medical school.

To request acceptance into a Scholarly Concentration program, a student must be in "good standing" following the completion of their first semester of medical school and should receive a letter of approval from the Student Promotion and Conduct Committee by the end of their first year.

Requirements for the Scholarly Concentration vary between coordinators so a student should always contact the faculty member associated with a particular concentration in order to verify the program requirements..

Scholarly Concentration programs are conducted entirely within the School of Medicine so no additional tuition is charged. All students will sign a Statement of Understanding with their mentor at the outset of the Scholarly Concentration.

Students should contact the faculty directors of each concentration with questions about application and curriculum mentorship.

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