Medical Humanities & Ethics

Overview

Required Activities

Application Process

Meet the Scholars

Overview

Purpose

The Medical Humanities & Ethics Distinction Track provides medical students the opportunity to engage with the medical humanities through a variety of para-curricular courses and activities at BSOM. The medical humanities explore the moral dimensions of medicine through an interdisciplinary lens, providing opportunities for reflection, critical thinking, and creative engagement. The track includes a required 8-week immersive summer program, the completion of a Longitudinal Project and Practicum, and required para-curricular coursework. Upon completion of the program, all students will earn BSOM’s “Certificate of Clinical Ethics,” awarded by the Dept of Bioethics & Interdisciplinary Studies. Students will be able to select from the following six (6) areas of concentration:

  • Arts & Literature; Clinical Ethics
  • Health Law & Policy
  • History & Philosophy of Medicine
  • Global Health
  • Religion, Spirituality, & Medicine

Students will complete a longitudinal medical humanities/ethics project within one of these areas under the supervision of a faculty mentor.

Objectives

  1. Analyze diverse disciplines in the medical humanities to critically evaluate and address a focused area of interest within the medical field.
  2. Evaluate and reflect on the moral and ethical dimensions of medicine by applying interdisciplinary approaches, including arts, literature, history, and clinical ethics, to deepen understanding of humanistic perspectives in medical practice.
  3. Design and implement a longitudinal medical humanities or ethics project by formulating a proposal, engaging in peer review, collaborating with a mentor, and presenting findings in a scholarly venue.

Longitudinal Leadership Development Objectives:

  1. Disseminate the findings of a longitudinal capstone project in a peer-reviewed or juried venue
  2. Cultivate leadership and advocacy skills through immersive summer programs, monthly progress meetings, and capstone projects, fostering professional development in the field of medical humanities.

Overarching Distinction Track Leadership Objectives

  1. Identify how your core values impact your leadership style and philosophy
  2. Engage in purposeful self-improvement
  3. Build and lead a team toward achieving a common goal
  4. Demonstrate effective change management skills to help lead needed improvements in an organization or community
  5. Model how to communicate professionally as a physician-leader

Required Activities

M1 Year and Summer Immersion

Jan-May

  1. Apply and interview for Distinction Track program
  2. Attend orientation for summer immersion

June-July

  1. During the summer after M1, students in this track will complete an 8-week summer immersion program. This 8-week program includes didactic and experiential learning sessions, as well as required coursework. The summer immersion will require a time commitment of 40 hrs./week. The immersive sessions include both track-specific activities in the medical humanities/ethics as well as activities that are required for all BSOM distinction tracks. Students must present their summer immersion project experience or longitudinal project idea at the annual Medical Student Scholarship Forum at the end of the summer.

Overview of Summer Immersion:

    • Orientation to BSOM Distinction Tracks
    • Introduction to the Medical Humanities
    • Introduction to Areas of Concentration
      • Arts & Literature (including a visit to ECU’s College of Fine Arts and Communication)
      • Ethics & Philosophy of Medicine
      • Health Law & Policy
      • History
      • Global Health
      • Religion, Spirituality, & Medicine
    • HUMS 7004: Research Ethics
    • HUMS 7101: Applications of Bioethics in Clinical Setting
    • Research Mentor Networking Opportunities
    • Leadership Development (for all distinction tracks)
    • Advocacy & Policy Experiences (for all distinction tracks)
    • Presentation at the annual Medical Student Scholarship Forum

M2 Year

During the M2 year, students must attend regular progress meetings and identify a project mentor for their longitudinal capstone project. Once a mentor has been selected, students develop a project proposal that is presented at select progress meetings for peer review and faculty feedback.

  • Monthly progress meetings/didactics (ad hoc, scheduled by track director)
  • Selection of a project mentor
  • Identify project (background/need, methods, implementation plan)
  • Complete project proposal for the longitudinal project
  • Ongoing activity tracking for 20hr requirement of Longitudinal Capstone Practicum
  • Submission of quarterly project reports

M3 Year

During the M3 year, students will be required to attend regular progress meetings and continue working with mentors toward completing their longitudinal capstone project. Students will outline their plan to present/publish their longitudinal capstone project.

  • Monthly progress meetings/didactics
    • During the M3 year, these meetings will occur in person on M3 clerkship switch days. They will include all distinction tracks, with breakout sessions for each track.
  • Ongoing project implementation with guidance from a mentor on a longitudinal project
  • In the second half of the year, students will look for opportunities to disseminate their completed projects. The type of opportunity will vary depending on the area of concentration and the type of project.
    • Students aiming to submit to the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities should plan to submit in the spring/summer for presentation during the fall of their M4 year.
  • Ongoing activity tracking for 20hr requirement of Longitudinal capstone Practicum
  • Submission of quarterly project reports
  • Complete one elective from course offerings.

M4 Year

During the final year, students will complete elective coursework and their longitudinal project. Additionally, students will finalize and complete plans for project dissemination. All students must disseminate their longitudinal capstone project in some way, although the venue will change based on the project. Requirements are designed to include all forms of scholarly work in the medical humanities. At Distinction Day, the final project will be presented alongside all track participants.

  • Monthly Progress meetings/didactics
    • During the M4 year, these meetings will be held virtually on clerkship switch days.
  • Completion of Capstone project with guidance from mentor (Longitudinal Project)
  • Completion of Capstone Practicum Requirements
  • Submission of Capstone project to identified venue/scholarly opportunity (i.e., conference presentations, submission to Type. Cast, etc.)
  • Submission of quarterly project reports
  • Complete electives from course offerings
  • Completion of mandatory distinction track capstone elective course
  • Presentation of Capstone project at BSOM’s “Distinction Day”

    Completion of Requirements

    Students must complete all requirements listed above prior to graduation. Final approval by the Medical Humanities & Ethics Evaluation Committee is required for graduation with distinction. Track participation is contingent upon maintenance of good academic standing.

    Presentation of Longitudinal Project

    Students will complete a longitudinal medical humanities/ethics project under the supervision of a faculty mentor. This mentor will be identified in the M2 year, and a project proposal will be developed. Students will continue to work on this project throughout the program under the guidance of their project mentor.

    • Projects will focus on one area of area concentration (listed below).
    • Project Dissemination: All students must disseminate their longitudinal project in some way, although the venue will change based on the project. The venue must be peer-reviewed or juried. However, these requirements are designed to include all forms of scholarly work in the medical humanities, and non-traditional venues are welcome if approved by the track director and project mentor. The final project will also be presented, alongside all track participants, at “Distinction Day,” a BSOM event scheduled in the spring of the M4 year.

    Longitudinal Practicum

    In addition to the required clinical ethics experiences in fulfillment of HUMS 7101, students will complete 20 hours of activities related to the medical humanities throughout the three-year curriculum. These “choose-your-own-activity” hours will include a 4-hour outreach experience coordinated with ECU Health’s Office of Health Equity and Social Impact. The remaining hours are unstructured, allowing students to pursue their passions and explore new experiences. Hours can be fulfilled by attending related guest lectures, community events, journal clubs, conferences/symposiums, visits to art galleries or theater events, visiting museums, or global health trips and other related medical humanities related activities. These hours will be tracked in RedCap as part of the quarterly reports.

    Acknowledgement of track participation is contained in the MSPE letter and noted on the student’s transcript, contingent upon demonstration of acceptable progress towards program requirements. The MSPE letter concerning student’s track participation will contain a description of completed, current, and expected requirements. Successful completion of the track requirements will be noted on the student’s transcript and will be recognized during the senior awards and graduation programs.

    Application Process

    1. Students submit an application that identifies their interests and goals.
    2. Students must be in good academic standing in order to apply for the track.
    3. Selections will be based on application and interviews.
    4. Prerequisite: Successful completion of ETHC 8000 is a prerequisite for the distinction track and counts towards the certificate of clinical ethics.