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SUNY Downstate College of Medicine Curriculum Renewal

Curriculum Renewal Retreat

A Message from Dean Taylor

Congratulations to the Steering Committee, and to the chairs and members of the workgroups whose tremendous efforts and well-considered proposals were presented at the curriculum retreat. Over the two days of the retreat, it was clear to me that our faculty and students have worked hard and creatively over these past several months to lay a solid foundation for our new curriculum.

As we have discussed repeatedly, the expectations of both physicians and the medical schools that educate them, as well as the public that we ultimately serve, are rapidly changing. We at Downstate must assure that our graduates are ready to meet these expectations. I believe that the direction of our new curriculum, as outlined at the retreat, is an appropriate roadmap for the future; that it builds on our reputation, history, and past successes; and that it will ensure that we continue to educate the finest physicians, as well as continuing to fulfill Downstate's unique educational mission in Brooklyn and New York City. A heartfelt 'Thank You' goes to all of you who worked so hard during this phase of developing and building our new curriculum.

Ian L. Taylor, M.D., Ph.D.
Senior Vice President for Biomedical Education and Research and Dean, College of Medicine

Report From The Integrated Curriculum Retreat

photo of Health Science Building

For two full days on May 13th and 14th, over seventy faculty, staff, and students gathered at the Student Center for an integrated retreat dealing with curriculum renewal. Our thanks to everyone involved for your hard work, thoughtful suggestions, and detailed discussions. Despite some environmental issues (the acoustics in the Student Center gymnasium are, well, like a gymnasium!), the retreat was a resounding success with many participants being able to attend for both days.

A major goal of the retreat was a presentation, review, and discussion of the tremendous amount of work carried out by the various workgroups over the preceding months, including Medical Knowledge and Clinical Skills, Methods, Assessment, Professionalism, Reflective Practice, Interpersonal and Communication Skills, Scholarship, Health Care in the Context of Community and Society, Career, and Relevance. A list of all workgroup members and retreat participants is included on page 3 of this newsletter. On the first day of the retreat, after plenary presentations and a review of posters describing a host of potential teaching and learning methods, there were round table discussions to develop feedback on the issues presented earlier in the day.

Curriculum Maps

people seated at tables

In addition to presentations by the various workgroups and the round-table discussions, a new series of curriculum maps was presented at the retreat. These maps, generated by workgroups and faculty working with the Steering Committee, represent a refinement of the maps put forth in A Proposal for Curriculum Renewal (Document-1; August 2009), a re-thinking of some blocks such as the Systems Overview block at the beginning of the first year, and a 'high-level' mapping of Medical Knowledge, Clinical Skills, and the other competencies across four years.

Some of the maps include the following:

 

Methods Committee

We had a fabulous array of posters from the Methods Committee describing a host of potential teaching and learning methods. Retreat participants had an opportunity to do a "gallery walk" of the various posters and discuss them with colleagues.

 

Retreat Day 2 Design Groups

The second day was largely devoted to breakout groups working on design issues relating to key components that will be included in the new curriculum or components that are under consideration.

Click on the Design Group Name to obtain their report: