Scholarly Concentrations

The Scholarly Concentration (SC) program is a required, structured program of study in the Medical Student Curriculum that promotes in-depth learning and scholarship. The SC's provide medical students with faculty-mentored scholarly experiences in areas of individual interest combined with structured coursework to support this scholarship. This component of the MD curriculum develops critical thinking, skills in evaluation of new data, and hands-on experience with the methods by which new scholarly information is generated.

The Scholarly Concentration program has 15 areas of study, including 8 foundation areas, and 7 application areas.  All students must select one of the 8 foundation areas, which are designed to develop skills and tools that can be applied to important problems in health care.

Each SC is interdepartmental and stretches across campus to incorporate different faculty and courses. The program is supported administratively by the Office of Medical Student Research and Scholarship (OMSRS) in the Office of Student Affairs (OSA). Students receive direct guidance regarding their scholarly projects from their Faculty Project Advisors, and assistance with regards to how the SC fits with their overall academic progress and career goals.

The overall program is supported primarily by OMSRS and the Scholarly Concentration Directors. These two groups have frequent contact with medical students and with each other.

A second and equally important level of student support includes two major direct advisors:

1. The student's Project or Research Advisor

2. The student's Advising Dean, who provides overall academic/career guidance