The Areas of Concentration Program (AOC) is designed to provide elective opportunities for medical students who wish to pursue an area of personal interest in depth beyond the required medical school curriculum. Students enrolled in this program will be required to complete additional coursework in an area of focused study as well as a senior capstone project. Because of the intensity of study, the School of Medicine recognizes the successful completion of the program with a certificate.
The general requirements of the AOC program include the completion of:
The Biomedical Research concentration prepares students to be leaders in the field of biomedical research by promoting a solid understanding of the process of scientific inquiry through participation in a faculty-mentored independent research project, culminating in a scholarly publication or presentation at a national or international conference. Key themes include hypothesis development; data analysis and interpretation; and effective scientific communication techniques, including poster and manuscript preparation.
The Biomedical Ethics concentration focuses on the different methodologies underlying educational reasoning as they pertain to medical ethics and exposes students to the challenges of trying to resolve ethical conflicts in practice. It aims to increase moral awareness for students to develop moral habits that foster personal and professional growth.
The Children’s Environmental Health concentration provides enriched opportunities in core facets of academic children’s environmental health through education, clinical consultation, community advocacy and environmental research. These experiences will allow students to develop a strong foundational knowledge in pediatric environmental health and academic medicine.
The drug development process has become increasingly complex and important in improving the lives and health of the population. The Drug Development concentration, offered in collaboration with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, allows students to experience and participate in the process of drug development, from pre-clinical through Phase 3 trials, including the approval and marketing process, as well as reinforce their understanding of clinical study design and critical appraisal.
To practice medicine globally one must understand the global forces that integrate and differentiate the various medical systems around the world. The Global and Population Health concentration provides students with a comprehensive education about global health practices. Students may also choose to contribute positively to an international medical mission/rotation.
With the increasing call to address health inequities, physicians with leadership skills will be a critical step towards dismantling those barriers to ensure the most equitable care. In the Health Equity Leadership concentration, students will develop the leadership skills and knowledge to address and mitigate health inequities, racism and bias in the health care system and in society overall.
Health care is nearly 20% of the US economy and clinical decisions are driven in part by health policy and economic incentives. The Health Policy concentration prepares future physicians to practice and lead in a world where reimbursement, insurance, quality, pay for performance and other features of the US health care system impact on the practice of medicine.
The Medical Education concentration provides students the opportunity to focus on teaching, learning, and the skills needed to succeed as a clinician-educator. It prepares students to be leaders in this field by promoting excellence in curriculum development and delivery; teaching and delivery; evaluation and assessment; educational technology and simulation; and leadership skills.
The need for prevention and new forms of disease management continues to grow throughout the U.S. healthcare system. To address this, the Nutrition and Culinary Medicine concentration aims to increase the number of future physicians with a foundation, understanding and the necessary skills to deliver nutrition-integrated care to their patients that is both evidence-based and culturally competent, regardless of specialty.
