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Patient, Physician, & Society 1, 2, & 3

Patient, Physician, & Society 1
September 13, 2023-December 13, 2023

Patient, Physician, & Society 2
January 3, 2024-May 15, 2024

Patient, Physician, & Society 3
August 14, 2024-November 06, 2024

Course Director
Julie Childers, MD, FAAHPM, FASAM
Professor of Medicine
childersjw2@upmc.edu

Population Health (PH) Content Lead
Alfred Shoukry, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, UPSOM
shoukrya@upmc.edu

Course Description

This course focuses on the development of skills needed for effective interactions with patients and on increasing student understanding of the many roles physicians fill in society, in the health professions, and in the lives of their patients, including integrated instruction on cross-cutting themes such as ethics, professionalism, cultural competence, quality, patient safety, health care systems, racism in medicine, and legal aspects of healthcare.

Course Objectives

  1. Apply knowledge of the law, health disparities, public health, and biomedical ethics to discussions of social issues that affect health.
  2. Explain how interventions aimed at a population benefit the individual and the community.
  3. Discuss the impact of medical error and the importance of communication and teamwork in preventing and addressing errors.
  4. Discuss the relationship between intersectional identities and health outcomes
  5. Describe societal structures which limit access to healthcare for minoritized individuals
  6. Utilize our roles as physicians to mitigate the effects of structural racism and other forms of bias in medicine
  7. Apply core ethical principles to analyze dimensions of a clinical case. 
  8. Describe the interaction between law and ethics in the practice of medicine

Educational Methods​

  • Case-based learning
  • Small group workshops
  • Team-based learning
  • Self-study

Evaluation

Evaluation for this course is based on completion of assignments before the small group sessions, attendance and participation, and a Summative Exam as applicable to each semester.

Requests for excused absences should be submitted via Elentra. Unexcused absences may result in grading penalties as outlined in the Policy on Absence and Attendance.