INTD 4030: Serving Marginalized Communities: From Local to Global (Formerly known as Preparing for GH Work-PGHW)

Course Directors

Barbara Taylor, M.D., MS
Jason Rosenfeld, DrPH, MPH

Course Description

This is a 2-week, in person course for 4th-year medical students who are planning future work in marginalized communities either locally or globally. This preparatory course uses a multidisciplinary, asset-based approach to provide a foundation of practical knowledge in community engagement to optimize the students’ experiences, facilitate their adaptation to working in diverse settings, and maximize their impact in the communities where they serve. Topics include community partnerships and responsiveness to community needs, chronic and infectious illnesses of high burden in marginalized communities, prioritizing community resources, advocacy, health equity, ethical dilemmas, cultural humility, and professionalism. Course material is presented through a variety of approaches, including lectures, small-group case discussions, laboratory sessions, and online learning modules. Faculty facilitators are drawn from collaborations locally and around the world.

• School of Medicine Objectives and Competencies
  1 Altruism: Medical Students must be compassionate and empathetic in caring for patients, and must be trustworthy and truthful in their professional dealings. They must act with integrity, honesty, and respect for patients’ privacy and dignity.1.1 List and define the basic principles guiding ethical decision-making.1.2 Apply ethical concepts to medical ethical dilemmas.1.2.1 Demonstrate an understanding of models of ethical decision-making.

  1.2.2 Apply models of ethical decision making to common medical ethical dilemmas.

  1.3 Demonstrate respect for human dignity.

  1.3.2 Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of behaviors indicative of respect for human dignity.

  1.3.3 Behave in a manner indicative of respect for human dignity.

  1.6 Demonstrate appropriate patient advocacy.

  1.6.1 Demonstrate knowledge of the principles of patient advocacy.

  1.6.2 Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of patient advocacy.

  1.6.3 Appropriately apply principles of patient advocacy.

  1.7 Understand the non-medical factors that impact health.

  1.7.1 Demonstrate an understanding of economic factors that impact health.

  1.7.2 Demonstrate an understanding of psychosocial factors that impact health.

  1.7.3 Demonstrate an understanding of cultural factors that impact health.

  1.7.4 Demonstrate an understanding of spiritual or religious factors that impact health.

  1.7.5 Demonstrate an understanding of environmental factors that impact health.

  1.7.7 Demonstrate an understanding of medical factors that impact access to health care.

  1.7.8 Demonstrate an understanding of factors that impact access to health care by medical underserved and marginalizedpersons.

  2 Knowledge: Medical students must understand the scientific basis of medicine and be able to apply that understanding to thesafe and effective practice of medicine. They must utilize self-assessment and self-knowledge to optimize their learning.

  2.6 Demonstrate knowledge of the epidemiology of common conditions and disorders.

  2.6.1 List the epidemiologic factors that place a person or population at risk for a common condition or disorder.

  2.6.2 List the epidemiologic factors that affect transmission or development of a common condition or disorder.

  2.6.3 List the strategies used to control and prevent a common condition or disorder.

  2.7 Demonstrate knowledge of systems of healthcare delivery.

  2.7.1 List various systems of healthcare delivery.

  2.7.2 List the advantages and disadvantages of various systems of healthcare delivery.

Course Requirements

• Daily sessions for the whole two weeks
• Global Health Topic Didactic
• Final Exam

If you are interested in this course, please contact Iris Mast at masti@uthscsa.edu or globalhealth@uthscsa.edu.