HMSOM Faculty Author Chapter in New AMA Medical Education Textbook

Building a medical education curriculum that can not only train doctors but also make a difference in the community is not only a possibility - it’s a necessity, according to a new chapter authored by faculty from the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, just published in a major medical education textbook.

The chapter “Social Responsibility as the North Star to Transform Medical Education” is in the textbook Reimagining Medical Education: The Future of Health Equity and Social Justice, part of the American Medical Association’s “MedEd Innovation Series.”

The chapter outlines what the medical school, which admitted its first students in 2018, has done with a “blank slate” to tailor its curriculum as relevant and impactful on the communities of New Jersey. The authors argue that the mission of a medical school should systematically drive the content of the curriculum, the teaching methods, and the school’s structures. Illustrating how this is done at the HMSOM, they describe the foundational philosophy and principles of the school that call for all aspects of the learning to account for not just the biologic determinants of health, but also the social and other determinants of health.

The authors share a number of examples from the HMSOM program showing how to do this. These include the weekly patient-presentation that frames everything students learn, and pushes them to cognitively integrate all of the determinants of health into their thinking and learning. Another example shared it the innovative 3+1 structure of the curriculum, enabling students to achieve advanced goals and uses curricular time flexibly ensuring all students develop their target competencies and are well prepared for residency.

Another example shared is the integration of Health Systems Science with the Human Dimension course, which puts the students right into homes and communities of New Jersey, where their growing expertise is most needed. One example of the impact made by a student included in the chapter was the case study of “Andy,” a medical student. From his first week at the school, the student had visited a historically underserved community, and immediately noted the traffic congestion and travel problems, considering the lack of easily accessible mass transit. Following visits to the local food bank, and the long-running work with a family from the same community, the student came up with an idea for a capstone project: to advocate for another bus stop to help the family he was working with, as well as the community at-large. Andy created awareness about the lack of bus routes, met with the transit bus company, collected data, and proposed a new bus route and continued his advocacy project up through the end of his years at the school.

“At the time of Andy’s graduation, the transit company added a bus route to the area, increasing the community’s access to an abundance of resources,” write the authors.

The authors lay out the school’s philosophy and principles for how to improve not only medical education, but also health care, for the 21st century. Together they make a case that their model is transferable and can provide a way to “enable medical education to meet its social responsibility.” Of utmost importance in creating such a curriculum are: broadening the context where medical training takes place, forging partnerships and buy-in from the local community and the health care delivery system, and understanding the educational landscape.

The authors include: Miriam Hoffman, M.D., vice dean of academic affairs; Ofelia Martinez, M.D., MPH, assistant dean of medical education; Carmela Rocchetti, M.D., assistant dean of community engaged medical education; Ora Batash, M.D., a student at the school who will soon graduate and begin residency; and Kimberly M. Birdsall, MPH, the executive director of the Health Coalition of Passaic County and a core partner of the school.

“We challenge medical schools to meet their obligation to address societal problems, redefine the context and partners involved in medical education, and provide a framework and guidance to move this work forward,” conclude the authors.

To learn more about the Elsevier publication Reimaging Medical Education, and the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine’s contribution to it, visit the publisher’s website here.