University of Virginia School of Medicine
Curriculum Committee Executive Management Group
Minutes – 02.28.13

Pediatric Conference Room, 4:00 p.m.

Present (underlined) were: Peter Ham, Donald Innes (Chair), Keith Littlewood, Nancy McDaniel, Bart Nathan, Casey White, Mary Kate Worden, Debra Reed (Secretary)

1. Clerkship Progress in Developing Learning Objectives and Defining Resources. A document that tracks Clerkship progress in the development of learning objectives and defining resources was distributed and reviewed by the group.   Michelle Yoon will add the resources to the document as they become available.
   
   
2. Instructional Methods, Assessment Methods, Resource Types.  A list of current UVA SOM instructional types and methods compared to AAMC standards was discussed with John Jackson.  The Committee approved the addition of new instructional type designations to curriculum activities and changes and/or deletion of others.  John Jackson will incorporate these into Oasis so that reporting will be expedited in the future.  Whether one activity can be cross-classified in two different AAMC activity types was discussed.  John will research this.  Clerkship and system coordinators will be responsible for entering these activity/assessment “types” into Oasis but will need guidance from Clerkship and System Leaders.
   
   
   
3. New Course/Clerkship Names and Definitions.    The two new courses Foundations of Medicine (MED 6712) and Cells, Tissues and Mechanisms of Disease (MED 6714) approved by the Curriculum Committee last week have been approved by the University Registrar and entered into the University of Virginia catalogue.  The new courses replace Molecular and Cellular Medicine (MED 6710).
   
   Foundations of Medicine introduces the scientific principles that underlie the practice of medicine as well as the psychosocial, communication and ethical issues important for patient care.   Biochemistry, pharmacology, genetics, cell biology, physiology and epidemiology are emphasized as they relate to human health and disease.  The importance of the doctor-patient relationship is introduced, as is an ethical approach to issues in medicine.
   
   Cells, Tissues and Mechanisms of Disease introduces the organization of the human body emphasizing human development and cell and tissue function. This foundation is extended to the study of pathologic mechanisms of disease including cell injury, adaptation and death, inflammation, healing, circulatory disturbances and neoplasia. Neoplasia is the model for application of foundational concepts in genetics, growth regulation and clinical research.
   
   
4. The Surgical Specialty clerkship rotations are clinical experiences where the student becomes a member of specialty surgical teams and applies general surgical principles [medical knowledge, professionalism, communication skills, practice-based learning] integral to the diagnosis and management of patients. Currently there are rotations in Neurosurgery, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics, Otolaryngology, Plastics and Urology.
   
   
5. SMD 2016 Clerkship Calendar.  The Committee reviewed a proposed calendar for the clerkship year for SMD2016.  Nancy McDaniel asked for and was granted a two week extension before the Curriculum Committee will approve this schedule to allow CPD to develop a proposal for both the transition course and the intersession(s).  The Committee will revisit this on 3/14/13.  The Committee briefly discussed where to move workshops that have been displaced from the shortened AIM clerkship. Please see minutes of last week - #6 Patient safety (Peggy Plews-Ogan) and Information Management (John Voss) will be strategically placed elsewhere in the clerkship curriculum.
   
   
6. Criteria for Content in the NxGen Curriculum.  Don Innes and Mary Kate Worden are working on a document that will outline the criteria for content in the NxGen Curriculum.  A draft of the document was distributed and discussed.  The draft outlines two criteria for content that must be included are 1) Content that is necessary for good performance on the clerkships, and 2) Content that is necessary for a practice by a generalist physician.  The Committee suggested that a third requirement be added that would require basic science content that all physicians should know.  The draft will be further developed and brought to the Curriculum Committee in the future.
   
   

Donald J. Innes, Jr., M.D.
Debra Reed