This page is designed to provide information on the Genes to Society Curriculum for the Hopkins Community. Please visit here if you do not have a JHED ID.
- Armstrong Medical Education Building rooms
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Faculty Development Opportunities
- Background on the curriculum reform initiative
- Four-year schematic and courses, and to help with .
- Contact any one of the many faculty involved in the GTS curriculum.
Q: What is different about the GTS curriculum?
A: The curriculum development process addressed a variety of forces advocating for change in the way we prepare physicians in the 21st century, which makes it hard to give a simple answer to this question, but a good place to start is in the title, Genes to Society. The new curriculum begins with a grounding in what we’ve learned from the Human Genome Project about human variability, risk and the ability to modulate disease presentation and outcomes. We have also brought in a wealth of knowledge in the social and behavioral sciences, as well as public health and policy content, with an aim toward improving societal health outcomes. Students will experience an integrative approach to health from the first week of medical school. Other innovations include a strong career preparation course with a scholarly project, a longitudinal clerkship, translational science intersessions, transition courses at milestones in the curriculum, and improved assessment and evaluation.
Q: I currently teach in the MD curriculum. Will I have to change my lecture or small group session? How will I learn about how my content fits into the new curriculum?
A: A good place to start is by talking with the director of the course in which you currently teach. He or she is probably deeply involved in the new curriculum and will be able to direct you depending on your interest. The balance of lecture and active learning strategies will change with the new curriculum, so some lectures may need to be adapted to small group activities, such as Team Based Learning. To help with this transition, the Office of Faculty Development has created a series of faculty workshops which will be offered during the 2008-09 year. Each workshop will be offered on 2 different days of the week, videotaped and placed on the faculty development website. Watch for communications from the Office of Faculty Development or visit their website for a listing of these course opportunities.
Q: I understand the Armstrong Medical Education Building will have state-of-the-art educational technology. How can I learn about using this?
A: The Armstrong building will be beautifully outfitted with both new kinds of teaching spaces and new technologies. The office of Design and Construction has set up a practice area for the new SMART boards in BRB G07. Instructions on reserving the room and setting up your laptop are available here. Using the technology will also be the focus of several of the faculty development workshops mentioned above.
Q: I don’t teach in the new curriculum now. How can a faculty member get more involved?
A: Getting involved is easy! We are eager to have as much faculty participation as possible to enrich the curriculum. Opportunities for involvement are vast and vary depending on the level of involvement you desire. For example, you could mentor a single student in a scholarly project, co-teach a seminar or small group during the translational science sessions, create e-lectures on specific topics, or supervise clinical teaching in the Sim Center or clinic. The new curriculum will also offer scholarly opportunities for those who might be interested in education research. Every faculty member has something to give! You can use the contact us page on this website to select a faculty member involved with your specific area of interest, or contact Dr. Pat Thomas, Associate Dean for Curriculum directly to talk about opportunities.
Q. Where else can I read about the curriculum?
A. There have been several articles in Change and Hopkins Medicine over the past few years.
- "Curriculum Reform Midstream," Change, July 2005
- "Medical School Reformer," Hopkins Medicine Magazine, Winter 2005
- “A New Way to Think About Disease,” Change, September 2006
- “Learning through the Virtual Lens” Change, November 2006
- “Hazards of Change,” Hopkins Medicine Magazine, Winter 2007
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