Overview
The Bioethics and Health Humanities Concentration provides an opportunity for in-depth learning about the ethical, social, and humanistic dimensions of medicine and health care through a variety of courses and activities within the four-year Integrated Medical Curriculum.
Program Description
The Bioethics and Health Humanities Scholarly Concentration allows students to gain a foundational understanding of topics, concepts, and interdisciplinary research methods in bioethics and the health humanities.
This concentration will be of particular interest to students interested in better understanding the ethical challenges that may arise in the course of clinical practice, and/or those interested in better understanding the social and historical contexts of patient health.
Students who complete concentration requirements will earn a certificate and the designation of Scholar in Bioethics and Health Humanities, which will be noted on the student's transcript and in the commencement program.
Concentration Requirements
Summer Preceptorship Introduction to Bioethics and Health Humanities
This four-week preceptorship, taken between the first and second year, introduces students to major topics, themes, and methods in bioethics and health humanities. Preceptorship students participate in and complete assignments for graduate-level courses in Interdisciplinary Methods and Clinical Ethics and attend a department seminar each week. They also meet weekly with a faculty mentor to select and begin researching a particular topic in bioethics and health humanities.
BHH Elective
During this four-week elective, students will participate in and complete assignments for three graduate-level courses offered by Bioethics and Health Humanities faculty. They will also attend a department seminar each week. This elective is ordinarily taken in the student's fourth year.
BSHS Research Selective
Students in this four-week selective will conduct original research and develop a ten-page research paper on a topic of their choosing in bioethics and health humanities. The paper will present a well-supported analytic argument that engages with existing scholarship and is based on the student's own research. Students will also meet weekly with a faculty mentor and attend a weekly department seminar during this selective. This selective is ordinarily taken in the student's fourth year.
Additional Requirements
Students must attend a total of at least 15 Bioethics and Health Humanities department events across their four years of medical school. These events may include department works-in-progress workshops, themed workshops, guest speaker events, and/or grand rounds.
In addition, students must submit at least one abstract to present their research at an academic conference.