Year Two Courses

Second Year Classes

Patient-Centered Medicine and Health Equity 2

The Patient-Centered Medicine and Health Equity course introduces learners to the profession with experiences in hospitals, outpatient clinics and community-based settings to allow hands-on practice of clinical skills and service to the community. It covers professionalism, medical ethics, humanism in medicine, patient-centered care, socioeconomic drivers of health, health disparities, health equity, communication with patients and families, clinical interviewing and examination skills, clinical reasoning skills, and health systems science. The course leads off the M1 year with a concentrated block and continues throughout the entire pre-clerkship phase. The course is aligned with and complements the basic and clinical sciences content with the “soft” and “hard” skills of patient care and prepares students with skillsets in critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and clinical competencies so they can succeed in the clerkship years.

Community Engaged Service Learning 2

Community Engaged Service Learning provides students with structured guidance for implementing meaningful, effective, and sustainable service projects that address the needs of the communities that surround the campuses. In addition, service-learning experiences offer an invaluable opportunity for students to develop core skills in cultural competency, health education, patient advocacy, and community-engaged research and evaluation that will help develop them into leaders in the medical field and in the communities they serve.

Gastrointestinal System

The Gastrointestinal System course continues the integrative. systems approach as the first course of the second year. The course will begin with a focused review of normal anatomy and physiology followed by a discussion of the manifestations of gastrointestinal diseases. Specific attention will be devoted to the organ-based pathophysiology and pathology of the esophagus, stomach, small and large intestine as well as the hepatobiliary system and pancreas, emphasizing the cardinal symptoms in each of these organs the pediatric and adult patient. In addition, therapeutic and pharmacologic interventions are discussed in terms of their metabolism, mechanism of action, organ system effects, and major toxicities.

Endocrine and Reproductive Systems

The Endocrine and Reproductive Systems course will focus on the physiology and pathophysiology of the endocrine and reproductive systems, as well as hormone regulation throughout different stages of life. Furthermore, drugs that are commonly used to treat endocrine and reproductive disorders will be discussed, connecting their mechanisms of action to the management of diseases and effects on other organ systems. The course will also have sessions on sexual health, sexual behavior, and reproductive diseases.

Nervous System and Behavioral Health

The Nervous System and Behavioral Health course comprehensively presents the central nervous system, its various structures and the effects it has on other body systems and one’s mental health. The course will cover head and neck anatomy, as well as the clinical neuroscience underlying normal function, with an emphasis on understanding the basis of the neurological exam. Students learn the basic anatomical structures and cellular mechanisms by which central nervous system controls sensation, perception, behavior, executive functions, homeostasis, and movement. Head and neck dissections, as well as gross brain laboratory sessions, will familiarize students with the relationship of brain structures and corresponding neuroimaging. The major disorders and diseases related to the field of neurology and psychiatry across stages of life are covered, with an emphasis on recognizing major features or the disorder and then distinguishing between related disorders. Each condition’s pathology, pathophysiological mechanisms, common presentations, and major treatment approaches, including pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments, will be discussed. As the last course before the dedicated study time for the USMLE Step 1 Examination, the end of the course will contain a multi-system review, presenting students with time to integrate the different body systems to understand disease processes and the effect of the disease and its treatment options on the body as a whole.