GPPA Curriculum
The GPPA Core Curriculum is comprised of four discussion courses, each carrying one credit hour. These courses complement the typical college preparation for entry into medical school and are intended so that students attain a critical understanding of the profession of medicine and its role in our society. Courses are designed and taught by medical school faculty and are limited to GPPA students only.
Part of being a GPPA Medical Scholar involves being socially participatory in advocating for healthcare access and human rights.
Year 1 Heading link
In the fall semester of the first year students are assigned a GPPA Medicine Advisor for their first year to begin to plan their educational program and develop the student’s specific goals for their university education. Students are required to meet with their GPPA Medicine Advisor at least once a semester. First year students are also required to register and take the initial two GPPA Medicine Core Curriculum courses which are given in two 8-week blocks during the Spring semester.
Courses Heading link
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Scope of Medicine (Medicine as a Profession)
The goal of this reading and discussion course is to examine the profession of medicine in the context of a liberal arts education and the role and obligations of the physician to the social contract and the responsibilities and challenges of a life in medicine.
Course Objectives
- Understand the components of a liberal arts education and why being an educated person is important to a life in medicine.
- Understand how an undergraduate curriculum underlies a medical education and the components of a medical education.
- Discuss the social contract in the context of the profession of medicine.
- Define professional standards of conduct for pre-medical and medical students and physicians.
- Discuss examples of professionalism and humanism in medical practice as a means of gaining a deeper understanding of the life of a physician.
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The Evolution of Medicine
The Darwinian theory of evolution is centered around the idea that natural selection, spurred by any number of environmental stressors, leads to the adaptation of an organism over the course of many generations. The organism that results, although different from its predecessors, is more fit to meet the demands of its surroundings, and thus forms the next link in the ongoing chain of evolutionary improvement. As suggested by the title of this course, medicine can be viewed through a similar lens: that is to say, as an entity which is constantly adapting in response to a multitude of contributing factors. To study the history of medicine is, thus, to study its evolution, and to appreciate the roles that societal factors such as religion, economics, and international politics played in shaping it into the profession we know today. Within this framework, this course provides an introduction to historical developments that have contributed to the present state of the medical profession, medical institutions, and medical knowledge, and touches on major medical advances and themes — from Antiquity to the present — in order to illustrate the changing role of the physician and the medical profession within society.
Course Objectives:
- Students should be able to read, discuss, and write critically about major themes in history and medicine.
- Students should be able to describe and give examples of the interactions between medicine and society and how these interactions changed over time.
- Students should be familiar with the roles, capabilities, and demands of a physician during various historical eras.
Year 2 Heading link
In the fall of the second year students will be assigned an advisor, an Honors College Fellow, who is also a faculty member in the College of Medicine (COM). The COM Honors College Fellow advises students on semester Honors Activities, independent study/research, study abroad and Capstone, and most importantly, is also a mentor and guide for the student in developing the overall knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for medical school and life as a physician. You must meet with your Honors College Fellow at least once a semester.
During the second year students are required to participate in the final two courses of the Core Curriculum that are given in two 8-week blocks in the Fall semester.
Courses Heading link
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Medicine, Health Policy and Society
This course concentrates on public policy, and political aspects of medicine and health care. The societal context in which the practice of medicine takes place is of primary consideration. Students review how public policy around health issues is developed, implemented and evaluated. The interrelationships between local, state and national policies are examined. Areas that have had widespread implications for medical care in the US and abroad are explored.
Course Objectives:
- Learn about the components of the US healthcare system
- Understand how the healthcare system is constantly evolving based on social and political pressures
- Learn how laws and the regulation of policy and procedures directly impact the delivery of healthcare
- Develop an appreciation of the physician’s role in trying to influence the healthcare system
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The Art and Science of Medicine
“The practice of medicine is an art, based on science” —Sir William Osler. This course explores the interplay of scientific foundations of medicine, the skills of the physician-patient interaction, and the necessary use of emerging medical technologies. It does so through close examination of readings on a wide variety of perspectives offering a broad range for debate on the topic.
Course Objectives:
- Understand the interdependence of medical “art” and “science” in medical practice
- Learn about the interdependence of medical art and science in the development of medical innovation
- Appreciate the interdependence of art and science in medical education
- Recognize the influence of personal and cultural beliefs in the practice of medicine
- Develop the ability to engage in the dialectical reasoning in discussions with others and of one’s own reading.
Years 3 and 4 Heading link
In years 3 and 4, with the exception of the Senior Thesis requirement and the development of a new course ‘An Introduction Into Scientific Inquiry, Discovery and Communication’, there are no other formal GPPA Medical Scholars didactic requirements. We expect that our students as they advance through the GPPA Medical Scholars Program will build upon the GPPA Medical Scholars Core Curriculum while designing their educational program to satisfy their intellectual curiosity and expand their interests in meaningful ways.
Many students, during these years, will seek study abroad opportunities that we wholeheartedly endorse. All students should try to enlarge and enrich new interests inspired by the GPPA Medical Scholars Core courses. Courses and interests to be pursued need not be focused on traditional pre-medical curricula, but should include explorations into totally new vistas. Your COM Honors College Fellows are ready to challenge you and help you obtain a wonderful, inclusive undergraduate education.
Senior Thesis Heading link
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Senior Thesis
The GPPA Medical Scholars Senior Thesis requirement is intended to provide the student with an individualized, in depth experience to investigate and develop a scholarly interest and work more closely with faculty to attain this goal. The Senior Thesis project should not be viewed merely as a requirement to be met, but as an exercise designed to satisfy curiosity of the intellect and a learning experience. This is also a time to connect more deeply with a faculty supervisor. Team projects are not acceptable for fulfilling the GPPA Medical Scholars Senior Thesis requirement. In the case of the Bioengineering Senior Design Project, students can elect to use portions of that project as part of their Senior Thesis provided they expand the topic with attention to the history and significance of the project and obtain approval of the GPPA Medical Scholars Executive Committee at the time of submission of the abstract and research approval form.
GPPA Medical Scholars must have their Senior Thesis project approved by the GPPA Medical Scholars Executive Committee no later than the fourth week of the fall semester in the academic year they plan to graduate. Students must submit an informal abstract and research plan to obtain approval. A form (see below) will be provided each semester for students planning a senior thesis project to help guide them through the approval process. Students should submit the following on their approval form:
- Learning objectives
- What makes this a scholarly project?
- What do you hope to learn from the project?
- Topic
- Significance of the subject
- Supervisor
- Process measures or proposed protocol for the project
Completion of the GPPA Medical Scholars Senior Thesis is a requirement of the GPPA Medical Scholars Conditions of Acceptance. The Senior Thesis manuscript must be presented in bound form with the official title page containing the signatures of the Senior Thesis supervisor and the GPPA Honors College Faculty Fellow. GPPA Medical Scholars are required to present a poster at the Medical Scholars Thesis Forum held each spring. Students are encouraged to also present their Senior Thesis at Impact and Research Day, Sigma Xi and other scientific meetings. Such presentations do not replace the mandatory presentation at the GPPA Medical Scholars Senior Thesis Forum in the College of Medicine.
The Medical Scholars Senior Thesis may fulfill the Honors College requirement for a Senior thesis.
- Learning objectives
Outside the Classroom Heading link
Since GPPA Medical Scholars are part of the College of Medicine (COM), they partake in a number of COM-related activities and opportunities including lectures, seminars and research. Learn more about our research and innovations. In addition, the GPPA Medical Scholars Program enriches the student’s experiences by building a learning community and providing additional opportunities and activities for intellectual and social participation.
All GPPA Medical Scholars must be Honors College Students which allows them to participate in a plethora of Honors College activities. Learn more via an information session and visit. As members of the UIC community at large, GPPA Medical Scholars have additional opportunities for leadership and participation in the many student organizations and activities which characterize a major university.