Scientific Trunk
Diversity and health equity topics are intentionally and thoughtfully incorporated into the Scientific Trunk:
Doctoring Sessions
Education & Small Group Discussions:
- Social & Structural Determinants of health
- Immigration Healthcare & Working with an Interpreter
- LGBTQ+ Healthcare
- Caring for People with Disabilities
- Caring for Geriatric Patients
- Moving from Awareness of Structural Racism to Action
- Intimate Partner Violence
- Substance Use
Patient Panels
- Weight Management & Obesity Bias
- Patients with Psychiatric Conditions
Lectures
Representative examples:
- Society, Food, and Public Health
- Proper Terminology Relating to Transgender-Identifying Persons
- Historical Implications of Using Glomerular Filtration Rate
- Racial and Socioeconomic Factors on Maternal Health
- Counseling People about Weight
- Late Life Psych/Ageism
- Stress and Depression During Medical Training
- Psychiatric Disorders of the Peripartum Period
Courses and Training
Improving Health Systems
- Health Systems Science Sessions (team-based learning)
- Ethics and Impact of Bias (using Tuskegee experiment as an example)
- Health Disparities in the U.S., Implicit Biases, Health Inequities
- Understanding Costs Associated with Healthcare
Co-Curricular Paths of Excellence
Many of our students choose to join a Path of Excellence during their M1 year. The following Paths include a focus on diversity and health equity: Ethics, Global Health and Disparities, Health Policy, and Medical Humanities.
Clinical Trunk and Branches
Required and elective courses continue during the Clinical Trunk and Branches including:
Doctoring Sessions
Education & Small Group Discussions:
- Spirituality & Healthcare
- Transgender Healthcare
- Medical Ethics & Health Disparities
Courses and Training
- Community Agency Site Visit (part of Family Medicine clerkship)
- History of Racism in Medicine Course
- Implicit Bias, Microaggression & Allyship Training (as part of required Residency Preparation Courses)
Alternate Sites for Required Clerkships
Students also have the option of completing required clerkships at off-site locations including:
- Emergency Medicine: Flint, Detroit, Ypsilanti
- Family Medicine: Packard Health, Western Wayne Family Health Center, Ypsilanti Health Center
- Internal Medicine: Flint, Jackson (Federally Qualified Health Centers)
Clinical Trunk Intensives (M2 year)
- Addressing Disparities Amongst Patients & Health Systems
- Bystander Intervention Training (how to handle bias when coming from patients)
- Ending Medical Reversals
- Leading Positive Change by Understanding Social Determinants of Health
Elective Rotations in the Branches (M3 & M4 years)
- ACCESS Health (Arab American Clinic)
- Care of the Underserved Rural Health in Adrian, Michigan
- Child Abuse
- Culinary Medicine
- Detroit Health Department
- Disability Health
- Global Health Media Fellowship
- Health Care for the Homeless (run by Wolverine Street Medicine)
- Henry Ford Health System in Detroit
- Indian Health Service
- Reproductive Autonomy, Health Disparity and Justice
- Women’s Health Policy
- Transgender Medicine (Pediatrics)
- Visual Arts in Medicine
- Washtenaw County Health Department
- Arranged elective rotations with bilingual providers
The University of Michigan Medical School focuses on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Access and Social Justice as key tenants in health care delivery. Take a deeper look into the DEIAJ Curriculum with details and timeline on each Trunk.
Communities We Serve
M4 students talk about finding the space and support to realize their vision to engage with and care for diverse patient populations with the resources they need to help affect change.
Go beyond the curriculum
Engage in diversity and health equity opportunities taking place across our campus, our community and beyond.
- Work with underserved communities.
- Take part in global and domestic health research projects.
- Learn or expand your language skills to better connect with patients.
- Attend conferences and events.
- Explore Michigan Medicine department initiatives.
- Join identity-based interest groups.