Organizing a Student-run Social Medicine Course
Laureen Ojalvo, Carolyn Saylor Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center Bronx, NY
GHEC Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic February 2007
In 1998, a group of eight students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine recognized that while their medical education was adequately preparing them to assess and manage a patient‟s physical signs and symptoms – there was a range of other “non-scientific vital signs,” that they wanted to take charge in bringing to their classmates.
Outline for Presentation I. Introduction to Social Medicine II. Course Development a. Organizers b. Timeline III. Session Organization a. Sample Calendar b. Session Rationale c. Integration Dr. Vic Sidel, January 2004 IV. Factors to Success V. Summary
Why Study Social Medicine?
Social Medicine realizes that social factors affect health, and that the health of a population affects our entire society. Essential clinical excellence insists upon social as well as mental and physical factors • Learn clinical medicine • Apply clinical medicine in context • Address the context
Dr. Lanny Smith AECOM-Social Med Course January, 2006
Social Determinants of Health Health comprises complicated, interwoven social factors that are often marginalized in standard healthcare:
Personal/Specific • Age/Gender/Sexual Orientation/Race/Language • Location • Country of Origin/Culture Community/Non-specific • Stigma • Violence • Power Structures • Economic Status • Relative Access to Healthcare
Health also incorporates more "global" factors that either directly or indirectly impinge on individual health such as environmental pollution, societal violence, or discrimination.
Today, eight years later, the AECOM Social Medicine Course still functions to pick up where the traditional medical school curriculum falls short in order to foster a broader medical education and hopefully facilitate the development of more socially-conscious physicians.
A key feature of our course is that it is student-run 1 – Keeps topics relevant to the student-body 2 – Fosters relationships between student-leaders and social medicine-leaders 3 – Aids student self-identification as a „Social Medicine Leader.‟ One of our goals is that this self-identification will translate into practice in the future.
Course Development: People
1. Course Organizer – Coordinates with faculty mentor(s) and session organizers to ensure course runs smoothly. Also takes care of logistics, i.e. lecture hall reservations, A/V availability, funding source, etc. (1 Person) 2. Co-Organizer – Coordinates with session organizers. Generally being trained to run course following year. (1-2 People)
3. Session Organizer – Communicate directly with course presenters. Involved in brainstorming with course organizers for session topics. Runs the show during the session to make sure session advertised, food ordered and lecturer greeted. (6-10 People)
Course Development: Timeline
Early September – Introduce course to student body at annual club night. Mid-October – E-mail all classes and clubs on campus with social medicine-related missions to advertise for organizational meeting. Late-October – Organizational Meeting: Brainstorm session topics, list perennial speakers as well as new ideas, and recruit organizers for all sessions. End result: rough draft of calendar and list of organizers.
November – Session organizers contact speakers and negotiate with organizers to establish the calendar, taking into account speaker availability and course dates.
December – Calendar finalized and advertising begins. 2nd Wednesday in January – Course Begins.
Session Organization
Wednesday evenings, 5:30pm – 6:30pm, Spring Semester 15-20 sessions/year
• • • •
Talk generally lasts ~40 minutes leaving rest of hour for discussion Session organizer introduces speaker to audience Dinner provided at beginning of session Advertising week prior to session coordinated by session organizer
First and second year medical students are the target audience, graduate students and all AECOM members are invited.
Attendance ranges from 15-70 people – often depending on exam schedule and extent of advertising. Certificates offered for those students attending a majority of sessions.
ESSENTIALS OF MEDICAL PRACTICE NOT TAUGHT IN MEDICAL SCHOOL
SHORT SESSIONS LED BY FIELD LEADERS WITH DISCUSSION TO FOLLOW
1/10 1/17 1/24 1/31 2/7 2/15 2/21 2/28 3/7 Social Medicine: Introduction and History – Matt Anderson, MD, MSc The Unequal Distribution of HIV/AIDS – Peter Selwyn, MD, MPH Hepatitis C : Disease Prevention/Health Promotion – Melissa Stein, MD Movie Night: ¡Salud! – How Cuba has committed to health care for all Medical Assistance for Civilian Victims of War – Eric Talbert (Thurs) Addressing Domestic Violence – Suzanne Marcus, MS The Personal-Responsibility Doctrine in Health Care – Gene Bishop, MD Liberation Medicine – Lanny Smith, MD, MPH, TM Reproductive Health and Abortion in America 3/14 3/21 3/28 4/11 4/18 4/25 5/2 Gun Violence: A Trauma Surgeon’s Perspective – Sheldon Teperman, MD Patient Empowerment – Art Mellor Homophobia Hurts: Treating the Bronx LGBT Community – Lisa Winters, CSW, JD Complementary/Alternative and Social Medicine – Ellen Tattleman, MD Treating Disorders of Sexual Development, with Compassion – Janet Green Racial Disparities Revealed after Hurricane Katrina – Irwin Redlener, MD War and Social Medicine – Victor Sidel, MD
DINNER WILL BE PROVIDED WEDNESDAY NIGHTS 5:30 PM FORCHHEIMER 5TH FLOOR LECTURE HALL
ORGANIZED BY AECOM STUDENTS; OPEN TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE AECOM COMMUNITY Questions? Kosher meal? E-mail lojalvo@aecom.yu.edu
ESSENTIALS OF MEDICAL PRACTICE NOT TAUGHT IN MEDICAL SCHOOL
SHORT SESSIONS LED BY FIELD LEADERS WITH DISCUSSION TO FOLLOW
1/11 1/18 1/25 2/1 2/8 2/22 2/23 3/1 Social Medicine Town Hall – Drs. M. Anderson, L. Smith, V. Sidel & A. Kuperman Global Medicine/Social Medicine – Matt Anderson, MD, MSc HIV/AIDS in NYC – Marcelo Venegas-Pizarro, MD (5:45PM) Correctional Health – Gary Kalkut, MD Racial Disparities Revealed After Hurricane Katrina – Irwin Redlener, MD Latina Immigrant Access to Reproductive Health Care (Thurs) Liberation Medicine – Lanny Smith, MD, MPH, TM Cuba’s Health Care System - Diane Appelbaum, RN, FNP, MS 3/8 3/15 3/22 4/5 5/3 Gun Violence - Sheldon Teperman, MD Drugs, Money & Security: Medicare for America – Diane Archer, JD Health Care Cross-Cultural Comparisons – Allan Ross, MD War, Terrorism and Social Medicine – Victor Sidel, MD CAM and Social Medicine – Ellen Tattleman, MD
5/10 5/17 5/18
Women, Gender, Health and Human Rights – Karen Leiter, JD Social Injustice and Public Health - Victor Sidel, MD Mass Incarceration – Ernest Drucker, PhD
DINNER WILL BE PROVIDED WEDNESDAY NIGHTS 5:30 PM FORCHHEIMER 5TH FLOOR LECTURE HALL
ORGANIZED BY AECOM STUDENTS; OPEN TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE AECOM COMMUNITY Questions? Kosher meal? E-mail lojalvo@aecom.yu.edu
Rationale for Topic Selection
1. Perennial Speakers Ensures a foundation and that certain issues continue to be met Faculty/mentor support encourages course each new year Helps to foster long-term mentorships between faculty and students. 2. Student Input
3. Current Events 4. Suggestions from Medical School Faculty
5. Topics Relevant to Other Social Medicine-related Organizations on Campus Einstein Umbrella: Student Organizations for Health and Social Justice Dr. Matt Anderson Dr. Lanny Smith
Factors for Success
1. Course Continues to Resonate a Need 2. Continued Institutional/Dean Support
Enthusiasm, Financial support, Coordination with Medical School Calendar
3. Contribution and Support from Medical Departments
Montefiore Department of Family and Social Medicine Medicine, OB/Gyn, Pediatrics, Nutrition, Public Health, Diet/Nutrition, etc
4. Student Contribution
Long-term students (e.g. MD/PhD, MD/MPH candidates) particularly useful for continuity and training Enthusiasm and Willingness
Dean Al Kuperman
In Summary Social Medicine Course: • New Perspectives in Medicine beyond Biomedical Curriculum • Student Leadership in Social Medicine • Faculty-Student Relationships • Dinner • Translation into Better Patient Care • Translation to Improved Health and Social Justice
http://www.socialmedicine.org