Undergraduate Medical Education
Scholarly Inquiry
Scholarly Inquiry (SI) is a required component of the JeffMD curriculum of the Sidney Kimmel Medical College. It is intended to provide medical students with skills and experience that they need to become critical consumers and producers of medical knowledge. As part of an integrated curriculum, Scholarly Inquiry overlaps and synergizes with the Evidence-Based Medicine thread, the Health Systems Science thread, the Professionalism/Ethics thread, the Wellness thread, the Humanities selectives, and the Clinical Experience program.
Throughout the course of their Scholarly Inquiry experience, students benefit from enhanced learning experiences and longitudinal mentorship and can attain knowledge and skills that are important in residency training and future practice of medicine. They gain insights and skills in cutting-edge domains through lectures, small-group seminars, workshops, team-based and problem-based learning, and online modules. Furthermore, all students pursue their own scholarly work:
- In their first year, students develop and present a proposal for an individual or group scholarly project and start work on its implementation.
- Optionally, for additional research time, students may choose to work on their research over the summer between the first and second years.
- In their second year, students complete their scholarly project and present their work in the form of an abstract and oral/poster presentation.
- In their third year, students use their clerkship experiences to provide inspiration for developing independent research ideas/plans. Students learn to present their scholarly work in written form.
- In their fourth year, students complete a number of research selectives (including seminars, workshops, journals clubs, manuscript reviews, systematic reviews, brief rotations, etc.) and learn strategies for presenting their scholarly work during residency interviews.
Students select from seven tracks, which each serve as a distinct lens through which to train in a range of research domains and topics, and complete their self-directed scholarly projects under the supervision of faculty members with in-depth knowledge and experience in these fields.
The Clinical and Translational Research Track uses the principles of the scientific method to develop critical thinking skills. Modern medicine is based upon a foundation of evolving research science. Physician scientists identify clinical practice needs that drive new research and play a key role in producing and translating scientific discovery to patient care. Student research work involves hypothesis-driven research with a project Principal Investigator (PI) advisor, augmented by a small group program mentor, and a didactic curriculum devoted to practical research skills.
The Design Track provides students with exposure and training in using design methodologies to enhance healthcare products, services, spaces, and systems. Through workshops, field immersions, mentorship, and applied research projects in health design, students practice creative problem-solving within the context of healthcare. The program is based in the Jefferson Health Design Lab, where students engage in a unique environment that combines a design studio ethos with a healthcare focus. Our interdisciplinary curricula draw from fields such as architecture, industrial design, and systems engineering, all centered around human-centered problem-solving methods. Whether you are new to design or have prior experience, our goal is to equip the next generation of doctors with the skills and confidence to transform healthcare.
The Digital Health Track at Jefferson’s Center for Digital Health equips students with the knowledge to leverage disruptive technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), to foster health and well-being. The broad scope of digital health includes (but is not limited to) mobile health, health information technology, wearable devices, telehealth, and telemedicine. AI’s role in digital health is multifaceted, encompassing predictive analytics to anticipate patient risks, machine learning algorithms for personalized treatment plans, and automated diagnostics through advanced image recognition. By incorporating AI into the curriculum, we prepare future physicians to harness these technologies in clinical care, enhancing patient outcomes through precision medicine and evidence-based interventions. This track also emphasizes the ethical use of AI, ensuring that students understand the importance of data privacy and equitable healthcare delivery. Through collaboration with developers, payers, healthcare professionals, and patients, our graduates will be at the forefront of innovating digital health solutions that are both technologically advanced and patient centric. It is designed to help future physicians improve clinical care and patient outcomes by using new technologies in collaboration with various stakeholders, including developers, payers, healthcare professionals, and patients.
The Health Policy & Systems Track is designed for students who wish to develop an understanding of and ability to assess the effectiveness of current models of care and the policies that support these care delivery models. The HPS track teaches students about the levers that shape and guide public policy, concerning health care, and population health. This track trains students to be highly effective team members and change advocates, versed in the science of care delivery, policy development, quality improvement, and understanding the role of key stakeholders in healthcare delivery and policy development. The HPS track promotes an integrated approach to health policy and systems thinking through consideration of innovations in care models, practice transformation efforts, and how the role of media, political determinants of health, and the built environment affect health policy and healthcare systems.
The Humanities Track offers students an opportunity to pursue a self-directed course of creative practice and research with a focus on the arts and humanities, in parallel with their medical education. As part of a broader Medicine+Humanities initiative at Jefferson, the track’s program is guided by the principle that the arts and humanities provide a rich context for practicing habits of mind related to observation, interpretation, and reflection, which are as essential to the successful practice of medicine as mastery of basic science and other clinical skills. Students work closely with professional artists, as well as Jefferson-affiliated faculty, to build technical and conceptual skills in the arts and humanities and carry out independent scholarly work that ties the arts and humanities with medicine and healthcare.
The Medical Education Track is designed for students who seek advanced training in pedagogy and learning theory, instructional design, medical simulation, and curriculum development. The track aims to prepare students for careers as educational leaders in academic medicine. The track provides formalized training in adult learning in clinical and academic medicine and leverages simulation training, patient safety/clinical quality tools, and point-of-care technologies as vehicles to inform educational initiatives. Students master essential concepts in pedagogy through hands-on workshops, field immersions, and self-reflection exercises, and pursue real-world projects in undergraduate and graduate medical education.
The Population Health Research Track is designed to provide an understanding of how social, political, and economic factors determine the health and health outcomes of individuals, communities, and populations. The track draws from epidemiology, biostatistics, social and behavioral science, health services research and evaluation, environmental health, health policy, and advocacy, to enhance the skills of future physicians. Students work closely with faculty engaged in public health activities in the US and abroad, and/or with partner organizations addressing the health of their communities.