First, the overall goal of the Learning Communities is to provide clinical education that will help integrate all aspects of the curriculum over the first two years of medical school. The cornerstone of the Learning Community activities is case discussion. Each week students are given patient cases, which provide clinical background and relevance for the basic sciences they are learning in the Organ Blocks. These case discussions will occur in small groups that are facilitated by a practicing clinical faculty member. Students will develop clinical problem-solving and critical thinking skills from the beginning of medical school.

To prepare for these case discussions, students need to seek out information from a variety of resources in order to answer probe questions about the case, prior to meeting to discuss the case. Development of these self-directed learning skills is very important to one’s success as a physician, so we work to develop these skills early in the curriculum. Your ability to perform these self-directed learning skills will be part of the assessment of your performance and you will be given feedback on this.

Another benefit of the Learning Communities is the opportunity to work in small groups. Relationship building and teamwork is an important part of being a successful health care professional. No one person has all the answers or the exact same set of skills as another student, so working together to solve problems or complete a task is an everyday occurrence in medicine (e.g. the use of consultants.)

In addition to clinical thinking skills, Learning Communities focuses on teaching the many aspects of the art of medicine that do not fall under a particular specialty or domain such as physiology or internal medicine. While much of this material is covered in Physician and Society, a small group format is the best way to address many of these topics and issues, which really boil down to how to effectively interact with patients and the health care system, and the potential hurdles one will face as a physician.

In summary, the Learning Community experience helps students develop the thought processes and behaviors needed to be successful as a physician. While there is much factual knowledge needed to be a successful physician (and much testing to assess whether one is able to assimilate this knowledge), Learning Communities provides the major forum for students in the first two years of the curriculum to work on these other skills, and to receive feedback on their progress in developing these skills. This experience provides for a smoother transition to the clinical rotations in the last two years of medical school.

1. Demonstrate clinical problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
2. Recognize and understand the importance of clinical signs and symptoms.
3. Form a differential diagnosis.
4. Demonstrate the attitude, behavior and skills of a self-directed learner.
5. Apply scholarly literature to solve clinical problems.
6. Demonstrate the qualities of empathy and respect for people who come from different cultures and socio-economic backgrounds.
7. Demonstrate the ability to have a constructive interaction with others (including, but not limited to, patients and all health care professionals) when resolving a conflict of opinion.
8. Demonstrate the ability to appropriately consider ethical issues that arise in patient care.
9. Demonstrate the ability to be a reliable team member by being active in team projects and providing leadership when needed.
10. Demonstrate skills and strategies to teach your peers.
11. Identify what roles other health care professionals play in providing optimal patient care.
12. Deliver a well-organized patient presentation.

Emma Schoch, PhD
Email: schochec@ucmail.uc.edu

Email: keith.stringer@uc.edu

Coordinator

Office: Medical Sciences Building Room G455A
Email: officemeded@ucmail.uc.edu

Course Description:

The Scientific Foundations of Medicine course prepares students for the organ-based courses that follow by presenting the foundational concepts and principles of molecular and cellular medicine. These principles span many disciplines including biochemistry, cell biology, physiology, pharmacology, histology, immunology, microbiology, anatomy, embryology, and pathology.

Course Outcomes:

1. Identify cellular and subcellular structures at the light and electron microscopic levels, interpret them with respect to function, and explain how changes reflect disease mechanisms.
2. Describe the molecular processes of maintaining and replicating the genome, expressing a subset of genes at a precise time in a particular cell and producing functionally folded proteins. Understand how alterations in these processes lead to disease.
3. Understand the molecular basis and application of human genetics and molecular techniques in the diagnosis and treatment of human disease.
4. Explain metabolic and nutritional disease at the molecular level via the integration of metabolic pathways.
5. Apply the basic principles of pharmacology to the metabolism of drugs and to the treatment of disease.
6. Apply the basic principles of laboratory and radiological testing to the diagnosis of disease.
7. Describe features of biological agents that are the cause of infectious disease and features of biological agents that contribute to a normal microbiome.
8. Explain how the immune system, both innate and adaptive, responds to agents of infectious disease.
9. Explain common mechanisms of disease at the anatomic, histologic, cellular, and molecular level.
10. Describe the cellular and genetic basis of early embryogenesis and the histology of resulting tissues.

Course Directors:
Aaron Marshall, PhD
Email: marshaao@ucmail.uc.edu

Sara Medek, MD
Email: medeksa@ucmail.uc.edu

Teresa Meier, MD
Email: meierta@ucmail.uc.edu

Coordinatorl
Office: Medical Sciences Building Room G455A
Email: officemeded@ucmail.uc.edu

The course contains didactic and interactive instruction in aspects of normal structure and function as well as diseases of the blood and gastrointestinal systems; and building upon basic cell biology this course contains introductory aspects of clinical oncology. This integrative course provides foundational knowledge necessary for career exploration in internal medicine (esp. gastroenterology, hematology and oncology). Students will gain an ability to recognize and describe disease states, interpret laboratory and radiological findings and continue     developing differential diagnosis skills. Students will be given opportunity to make connections between diseases studied within this course and diseases studied in previous courses; especially as it relates to presenting features and differential diagnosing.

Course Outcomes:

1. Describe the (non-pathologic) development, components and function of the blood system.
2. Evaluate the basic science required to understand the pathophysiologic mechanisms responsible for common clinical disorders of the blood system.
3. Formulate an initial differential diagnosis for common hematologic diseases based upon routinely used diagnostic tests.
4. Develop proficiency in recognizing the clinical manifestations and symptoms associated with different cancers (covered in this course), enabling accurate diagnosis and differential diagnosis.
5. Gain knowledge of the principles and modalities of cancer treatment, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy.
6. Describe the (non-pathologic) development, structure and function of the gastrointestinal system.
7. Apply anatomical and physiological principals to pathogeneses associated with the gastrointestinal system.
8. Recognize the signs and symptoms associated with pathologies of gastrointestinal system.
9. Identify and describe the mechanism of action for treatment modalities used to ameliorate gastrointestinal system pathologies.
10. Describe standard therapeutic approaches to treat common diseases affecting each of these organ systems.
11. Explain the basic science underlying the therapeutic benefits and adverse side effects of pharmacologic agents.
12. Develop skills in independent learning that will enable application of basic and clinical sciences to clinical practice.
13. Develop a differential diagnosis based on signs, symptoms and associated imaging and laboratories results.
14. Apply socio-cultural factors to the assessment of disease incidence and progression in at risk populations.

Course Directors:
Andrew Thompson, PhD
Email: andrew.thompson@uc.edu

Timothy Foster, MD
Email:timothy.foster@uc.edu

Coordinator
Office: Medical Sciences Building Room G455A
Email: officemeded@ucmail.uc.edu

Course Description:

The Musculoskeletal-Integumentary (MSK-I) course provides a foundation in the structure and function of the musculoskeletal, integumentary, and periphreal nervous systems. Foundational science content realted to the anatomy, histology, and physiology of these systems is aligned and integrated with clinical specialties such as pathology, rheumatology, neurology, and dermatology to provide students with a basis for understanding how to recognize, evaluate, and treat common muscuoloskeletal and skin disorders.

Course Outcomes:

1. Describe the development and mature structure of the musculoskeletal and integumentary systems at the histological and gross anatomical levels.
2. Outline the functional anatomy and physiology of the musculoskeletal and integumentary systems.
3. Outline the basic structure and function of the peripheral nervous system.
4. Apply knowledge of the normal anatomy and physiology of the musculoskeletal, peripheral nervous, and integumentary systems to recognize and explain the pathogenesis of common clinical conditions relating to these systems.
5. Determine the most appropriate tool and/or procedure in the diagnosis of clinical conditions and common treatment paradigms within the musculoskeletal, peripheral nervous, and integumentary systems.

Coordinator
Office: Medical Sciences Building Room G455A
Email: officemeded@ucmail.uc.edu

Course Description:

The Brain, Mind, and Behavior course provides varied learning opportunities to assist the medical student in developing a strong structural, functional, and clinically oriented knowledge base in the neurosciences and to develop an understanding of the pathologic characteristics, signs, and symptoms of and treatment modalities for, common neurologic and psychiatric disorders. This course meets the prerequisites for the Phase 2 psychiatry and neurology clerkships and covers most of the disorders listed in the NBME Step 1 content outline.

Course Outcomes:

1. Describe the molecular and cellular, histologic, and gross structure and function of the peripheral and central nervous systems.
2. Describe the major events in central and peripheral nervous system development as well as the features and causes of some common CNS developmental disorders.
3. Describe how the neurologic exam, mental status exam, and selected diagnostic tests and procedures are used to develop a differential diagnosis for common peripheral and central nervous system diseases.
4. Describe the pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches for treating and managing common neurologic and psychiatric disorders.
5. Describe imaging techniques essential for studying brain structure and function and diagnosing central nervous system pathology.
6. Apply problem-solving skills to acquired neuroscience knowledge in order to predict the location of a lesion and/or probable pathophysiology of a patient described in a case study where pertinent findings from the history, clinical signs and symptoms, and possible lab tests and/or clinical images are provided.
7. Identify and describe the function of the major anatomical structures of the head and neck and make reasonable predictions of the clinical manifestation of injury or disease of these anatomic structures.
8. Demonstrate some proficiency in self-directed learning by identifying knowledge gaps and applying strategies to find and interpret information that addresses those knowledge gaps as they apply to the causes, effects, and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Danielle Weber, MD
Email:weber2de@ucmail.uc.edu

Coordinator:
Jackie Fiore
Office: Medical Sciences Building Room E350 (Simulation Center)
Phone: 513-558-7724
Email:fiorej@ucmail.uc.edu

Clinical Skills 201-202 provides students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to manage a variety of patients in the clinical setting. Through the use of simulation with standardized (simulated) patients (SP) and Standardized Patient Instructors (SPI), students work in teams to develop their data gathering, interpretation, clinical reasoning and communication skills. In addition students learn the importance of professionalism which is developed and evaluated throughout the course. Faculty provide guidance in the development of these skills throughout the course and provide context for students as they prepare for the M3/M4 clinical rotations.  (Note: CS 101 this will be the complete basic history and physical exam. CS 102-202 will focus on problem based history and physical exam integrated with the organ system block.)

Overall course objectives:

1. Gather a history and perform a physical exam.
2. Prioritize a differential diagnosis following a clinical encounter.
3. Recommend/Interpret common diagnostic and screening tests.
4. Document a clinical encounter in a patient record.
5. Form clinical questions and retrieve evidence to advance patient care.
6. Recognize a patient requiring urgent or emergent care and initiate evaluation and management.
7. Provide a patient centered case presentation to the clinical team.
8. Work collaboratively with fellow students to provide safe and effective patient care.
9. Understand and display professional behaviors expected of health care professionals.
10. Incorporate feedback to improve performance.

Kara Ciani, MD
Email: cianika@ucmail.uc.edu

This three semester program sequence for first and second year medical students is designed to introduce every medical student to the fundamentals of doctoring, moving from learning the concepts to practicing the specific skills and capacities. The fundamentals of doctoring include ten steps used in every patient encounter and must be practiced in order to gain mastery as a physician.

This introductory experience pairs each student with an individual community preceptor and his or her patients to first observe how the steps are performed in practice by the preceptor followed by the student getting to apply and practice the steps. Through the semesters you are learning the basic science foundations and learning clinical skills, you will gain comfort with doing the fundamentals through interacting with real patients.

The goal is to give you a solid foundation for the third year clinical rotations where the fundamentals are practiced and monitored every day. Your performance in third year, a very important criterion for future residency applications, begins with FoD. If the steps are not competently performed in residency, the next stage in training, then a resident is likely to remediate. Finally, if the steps are not mastered in clinical practice, then poor patient outcomes will result. This is why they are called the fundamentals—they are the foundation for effective performance as a student doctor, a resident and a practicing physician.

Overall course objectives:

1. Apply the 10 fundamentals of doctoring necessary for the care of patients.
2. Integrate basic science material into the clinical care of patients.
3. Develop a foundation for a professional identity as a physician.

The Physician and Society Course provides an introduction to the medical profession and the healthcare system, exploring areas of medicine beyond basic science that directly influence patient care quality. Multiples tracks are woven throughout this four-year longitudinal curriculum including community and population health, business of medicine, and the emerging physician identity. Physician and Society, the third segment of this longitudinal curriculum is a continuation of each of these areas and sets the stage for the integration of Physician and Society with your other courses and your application of what you are learning with patients and the community.

Specifically, the Physician and Society curriculum is currently taught during the first two years of medical school and is included in the third year intercessions. Physician and Society 201 begins where 101 ended. The course has periodic sessions during the morning Fundamentals / Organ system blocks, and is integrated into the weekly Learning Community Cases. Physician and Society 101, 201, and 202 all follow the same format for sessions during the 2nd Hour of Learning Community.

The topics taught in the Physician and Society focuses on three core domains related to being a physician – community and population health, the business of medicine and the emerging physician identity. All three of these areas are essential for the physician to master in our evolving healthcare environment. While the organ system blocks focus on providing medical science knowledge, physician and society teaches students how the social, behavioral, and improvement sciences as well as evidence based medicine and ethics relate to the patient, the field of medicine and the larger society. At the end of the four years, we want students to have created a solid foundation in developing their future identity as a physician – considering their roles with patients, the profession of medicine and the community.

The first year of the Physician and Society curriculum encompassed all three core domains, with an emphasis on the first area of community and population health. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement identifies “improving the health of populations” as one of the three arms of their Triple Aim for Healthcare Improvement. The future role of a physician of any specialty will require skills in population health management. As first year students, you and your LC team members learned about determinants of health though a partnership with a neighborhood social service agency. Through implementing the Community Health and Service-Learning Modules in the first year, you gained knowledge and skills related to team building, health disparities, community resources, survey methods, poster presentation, and patient education methods.

The second year of Physician and Society curriculum will also encompass the three core domains, but has a stronger emphasis on the business of medicine and the emerging physician identity. Over the academic year, you will have increasing clinical experience through LPCC and extracurricular activities. As you prepare to enter the M3/M4 clinical years, we will ask that you integrate your clinical experiences into discussions in Physician and Society. Evidence based medicine and ethics also are woven throughout the first two years and assessed on an ongoing basis to keep the topics current for students.

Overall course objectives:

1. Apply bioethical principles and professionalism based behavior with patients, colleagues and community.

2. Describe the organization and financing of the US healthcare system, and how it impacts access, utilization and quality of care.

3. Explain basic medico-legal responsibilities of physicians.

4. Outline the role of empathy and respect in caring for people from various cultures and socio-economic backgrounds.

5. Describe core concepts for quality improvement and patient safety in the practice of medicine.

6. Apply evidence-based practice to clinical decision-making and public health interventions.

7. Outline concepts that influence end-of-life decision making.

8. Develop awareness of physician identity as a clinician and team members.

Course Directors:
Aaron Marshall, PhD
Email:aaron.marshall@uc.edu

Course Coordinator:
Becky Trippel
Office: Medical Sciences Building Room G455A
Phone: 513-558-3621
Email: becky.trippel@uc.edu

The course contains didactic and interactive instruction in aspects of normal structure and function as well  as diseases of the endocrine and male and female reproductive systems. This integrative course provides foundational knowledge necessary for career exploration in internal medicine (esp. endocrinology), obstetrics and gynecology, and urology. Students will gain an ability to recognize and describe disease states, interpret laboratory and radiological findings and continue developing differential diagnosis skills. Lastly, as the final organ-system based course, students will be given opportunity to make connections between diseases studied within this course and diseases studied in previous courses; especially as it relates to presenting features and differential diagnosing.

For endocrine, this course is designed to provide the learner with a fundamental understanding of the biochemical and physiological basis of hormone function; starting with the physiologic principles that govern the synthesis, release, and regulation of hormones and the mechanisms underlying common pathophysiological states of endocrine organ dysfunction.

For reproduction, this course considers the anatomy and physiology of normal development of reproductive function in human beings from gamete formation through fetal growth, parturition and lactation with an additional emphasis on the pathophysiology and treatment strategies for diseases of the male genital tract and the female genital tract and breast.

Overall course objectives:

1. Develop a differential diagnoses based on signs, symptoms and associated imaging and laboratories results.
2. Describe the basic anatomy of the endocrine system from embryonic development through maturation.
3. Describe the physiology of the endocrine system of prepubescents, as well as mature and aging adults.
4. Apply anatomical and physiological principals to pathogeneses associated with the endocrine system.
5. Recognize the signs and symptoms associated with pathologies of endocrine system.
6. Identify and describe the mechanism of action for treatment modalities used to ameliorate endocrine system pathologies.
7. Describe the basic anatomy of male and female reproductive systems from embryonic development through maturation.
8. Describe the physiology of the male and female reproductive systems of prepubescents, as well as mature and aging adults.
9. Apply anatomical and physiological principals to pathogeneses associated with the male and female reproductive systems system.
10. Recognize the signs and symptoms associated with pathologies of male and female reproductive systems.
11. Identify and describe the mechanism of action for treatment modalities used to ameliorate male and female reproductive systems pathologies.
12. Apply socio-cultural factors to the assessment of disease incidence and progression in at risk populations.

1. Demonstrate ethical practice and professional behavior in interactions with patients, research, colleagues and your community.
2. Develop an ability to work in teams with other clinicians and health care professionals.
3. Develop leadership strengths and opportunities as a physician.
4. Develop strategies to advocate for patients in order to improve patient and community health care outcomes.
5. Advocate to reduce health disparities and improve the healthcare system.
6. Describe the organization and financing of the US healthcare system, and their effects on access, utilization and quality of care for individuals and populations.
7. Explain the legal responsibilities of physicians towards the patient, community and profession.
8. Demonstrate qualities of empathy and respect for people who come from different cultures and socio-economic backgrounds.
9. Describe your role in addressing medical errors and preventing mistakes.
10. Analyze and address the determinants of health - the social, physical, environmental, political, behavioral, cultural and genetic factors – which influence the health of patients and communities.
11. Apply evidence-based practice to clinical decision-making, public health interventions and patient education.
12. Demonstrate an ability to help patients and communities improve their health through education and eliciting behavior change.
13. Demonstrate how you will assist patients and families with end-of-life issues.
14. Practice behaviors that promote self-care and work-life balance/wellness.
15. Practice self-reflection, peer review, and life-long learning to continuously refine and improve your role as a physician.
16. Develop your identity and role as a physician.

Course Directors:
Donald Lowrie, PhD
Phone: 513-558-5032
Email: dj.lowrie@uc.edu

Margaret Powers-Fletcher, PhD
Email: powersmg@ucmail.uc.edu

Becky Trippel
Office: Medical Sciences Building Room G455A
Phone: 513-558-3621
Email: becky.trippel@uc.edu

1. Evaluate the normal function and interaction of organ systems in a healthy individual.
2. Assess the abnormal function of organ systems inflicted by diseases that affect multiple organ systems.
3. Describe the progress of chronic diseases throughout the life stages of the individual.
4. Provide rationale for the treatments for diseases that affect multiple organ systems, chronic diseases, and emergency conditions.

First, the overall goal of the Learning Communities is to provide clinical education that will help integrate all aspects of the curriculum over the first two years of medical school. The cornerstone of the Learning Community activities is case discussion. Each week students are given patient cases, which provide clinical background and relevance for the basic sciences they are learning in the Organ Blocks. These case discussions will occur in small groups that are facilitated by a practicing clinical faculty member. Students will develop clinical problem-solving and critical thinking skills from the beginning of medical school.

To prepare for these case discussions, students need to seek out information from a variety of resources in order to answer probe questions about the case, prior to meeting to discuss the case. Development of these self-directed learning skills is very important to one’s success as a physician, so we work to develop these skills early in the curriculum. Your ability to perform these self-directed learning skills will be part of the assessment of your performance and you will be given feedback on this.

Another benefit of the Learning Communities is the opportunity to work in small groups. Relationship building and teamwork is an important part of being a successful health care professional. No one person has all the answers or the exact same set of skills as another student, so working together to solve problems or complete a task is an everyday occurrence in medicine (e.g. the use of consultants.)

In addition to clinical thinking skills, Learning Communities focuses on teaching the many aspects of the art of medicine that do not fall under a particular specialty or domain such as physiology or internal medicine. While much of this material is covered in Physician and Society, a small group format is the best way to address many of these topics and issues, which really boil down to how to effectively interact with patients and the health care system, and the potential hurdles one will face as a physician.

In summary, the Learning Community experience helps students develop the thought processes and behaviors needed to be successful as a physician. While there is much factual knowledge needed to be a successful physician (and much testing to assess whether one is able to assimilate this knowledge), Learning Communities provides the major forum for students in the first two years of the curriculum to work on these other skills, and to receive feedback on their progress in developing these skills. This experience provides for a smoother transition to the clinical rotations in the last two years of medical school.

Overall course objectives:

1. Demonstrate clinical problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
2. Recognize and understand the importance of clinical signs and symptoms.
3. Form a differential diagnosis.
4. Demonstrate the attitude, behavior and skills of a self-directed learner.
5. Apply scholarly literature to solve clinical problems.
6. Demonstrate the qualities of empathy and respect for people who come from different cultures and socio-economic backgrounds.
7. Demonstrate the ability to have a constructive interaction with others (including, but not limited to, patients and all health care professionals) when resolving a conflict of opinion.
8. Demonstrate the ability to appropriately consider ethical issues that arise in patient care.
9. Demonstrate the ability to be a reliable team member by being active in team projects and providing leadership when needed.
10. Demonstrate skills and strategies to teach your peers.
11. Identify what roles other health care professionals play in providing optimal patient care.
12. Deliver a well-organized patient presentation.

Course Director:
Dustin Calhoun, MD
Email:dustin.calhoun@uc.edu

1. Provide a general overview and understanding of triage as it applies to situations of mass casualty incidents.
2. Understand and follow Simple Triage And Rapid Treatment (START). A method that provides rescuers with an easy, simple step-by-step approach to assessing and treating a large number of patients with varying degrees of injuries.
3. Provide an overview of the disaster operations, natural disasters, and explosive incidents.
4. Understand the available levels of disaster response from the individual, to the community, to national and international.