Curricular Threads
Curricular threads represent the integration of critical content throughout the entirety of the undergraduate medical school curriculum for topics that are not the primary focus of a particular course or clerkship but are fundamental to the practice of medicine. For example, awareness of social determinants impacting health care delivery and outcomes is material that is not the subject of a single course but is crucial to provide effective care for patients. Given their importance these topics do not merely exist as standalone workshops or lectures, but are woven into the fabric of our entire curriculum.
Content within each thread is developmentally sequenced and incorporated within courses and clerkships throughout the curriculum. The thoughtful sequencing of content and assessment and the transparency of threads provides continuity of subject matter and allows careful monitoring of thread function.
Thread leaders work closely with the course directors, clerkship directors, curriculum deans, and others to establish the learning objectives, instructional strategies, and assessment methods for their topic across the entire undergraduate medical education curriculum.
Health Disparities Science Thread
The burden of illness is disproportionately higher in certain groups and communities in ways that are not related to underlying genetics or biology but instead are reflective of disparities influenced by social determinants of health. The Health Disparities Science thread addresses social determinants of health to examine best practices for individual healthcare providers, institutions, and organizations to improve health outcomes using approaches that identify and mitigate individual and system-level biases. The thread aims to help students navigate their professional development and effectively advocate for their patients and their communities.
Health System Science Thread
Health systems science encompasses the principles and practice of improving quality, costs, and outcomes of healthcare delivery for patients and populations within healthcare systems. Domains include patient safety, quality improvement, population health, value, systems-thinking, evidence-based medicine, and clinical informatics. The thread will aim to help prepare students to become physicians who recognize how patients and populations access and receive care in today's complex health care networks.