Community Medicine Education and Training

The Community Action Research Track (CART) is based on the principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR), population medicine with special emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention, and the social determinants of health. Students enrolled in CART participate in a coordinated program of instruction, electives, ambulatory care rotations, and service-learning experiences. This program offers a longitudinal experience focused on performing community-based effectiveness research while providing care to populations living in underserved areas. To learn more about CART click here.

A subset of CART students participate in the competitive Community Health Fellowship Program (CHFP). This nine-week program provides a comprehensive community-based participatory research experience to six (6) first year medical students annually. Students do not have to be enrolled in CART to be considered for the CHFP, but all students interested in CART are invited to apply for the fellowship if they are seeking a comprehensive community-based learning experience. To learn more about the CHFP click here.

The Community Medicine Elective will be completed during either the third or fourth year of training. The elective has been offered through the Division of Community Medicine for the last six (6) years, and provides students with practice-oriented and/or service oriented learning opportunities related to community medicine. Students do not have to be enrolled in CART to take the community medicine elective, but this four (4) week elective is a requirement for all CART students. To learn more about the Community Medicine Elective click here.