ISC: Community Health: Patients, Populations and Systems of Care

School of Medicine

Poor access to healthcare has long been associated with higher morbidity and mortality, particularly for the most vulnerable segments within a population (Marmot 2005, Bindman 2008). In the words of the World Health Organization, “inequities in health, avoidable health inequalities, arise because of the circumstances in which people grow, live, work, and age, and the systems put in place to deal with illness. The conditions in which people live and die are, in turn, shaped by political, social, and economic forces." The primary goals of the Community Healthcare Integrated Science Course are: to equip students to effectively address predictors of poor health on an individual level and to engage healthcare systems in ways that promote meaningful change. Students will move beyond an investigation of the non-biological contributors to health to address those factors through the provision of individualized patient care and engaging the healthcare system. Regardless of the field students decide to enter, they will encounter vulnerable populations of patients and should be equipped to address patient needs in ways that promote healing. Our course will equip students with a “portable toolkit” of skills that can be used in any field of practice in any location.