“CART is an innovative community-based program used to train and produce a new generation of physicians who will have a solid understanding of community medicine and how to reduce and eliminate health disparities.”

–Tikisa Walker, M.S.,

CART Curriculum, Faculty and Friends

The CART training experience consists of five required experiences that define the core. All students completing the core curriculum receive a “Certificate of Knowledge in Community Medicine,” presented by the Division of Community Medicine in the Department of Family and Community Medicine.

The CART core curriculum includes:

Core Concepts Seminar: All students enrolling in the CART attend four hours of instruction provided during the first month of the first year, in two two-hour sessions. During the core topics training, an hour each is devoted to discussing each of the four CART essential concepts of population medicine, community-based participatory research, health promotion and disease prevention, and social determinants of health.

Pre-Clinical Electives Program (PEP): The course entitled “Public Health and Epidemiology,” facilitated by Dr. Robert Haley will be offered every fall and is open to all medical students. This course will be required of all CART enrollees, ideally taken during the second year of the program.

Community Medicine Elective: This four-week elective is required of all students enrolled in the CART and is completed during either the third or fourth year of training. Students are provided with materials describing the types and functions of formal and informal medical, public health and social support programs involved in community health care.

Ambulatory Care Rotation: This four-week rotation is required of all UT Southwestern students during the fourth year and is completed in family medicine, women’s health or internal medicine. For the purposes of the CART, practice sites in underserved areas are identified which allow students to obtain valuable clinical experience providing primary care family medicine to underserved patients.

Community Service Core (CSC): All students participate yearly in community-based service projects designed to contribute useful health-related service to the community. Activities of the CSC include existing community projects to which students contribute their time or the development of new projects in collaboration with community partners. The CSC is designed to reinforce the lessons learned throughout the CART core, while allowing students to be exposed to settings to which they might not otherwise have access as part as their formal medical education.

CART Faculty, Staff, Student and Community Members

Coordinating Group (*Executive Committee Member)

• Nora Gimpel, M.D.,* Director, Chief, Community Medicine Division, Family Medicine
• Mark DeHaven, Ph.D.,* Founding Director, Chief, Division of Community Health Sciences
• Laura Snell, M.P.H.,* Associate Professor, Family Medicine
• Scott Kinkade, M.D., M.S.P.H.,* Assistant Professor, Family Medicine
• Alice Marcee, D.V.M., M.S.,* Faculty Associate, Family Medicine
• Jason J. Wright, BBA* Program Coordinator, Family Medicine
• James Wagner, M.D., Associate Dean, Student Affairs
• Rebecca Gruchalla, M.D., Ph.D., Chief, Allergy & Immunology Division, Internal Medicine
• Robin Rosen, M.D., Assistant Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology
• Angelique Ramirez, M.D., Medical Director, PHHS COPC Administration
• Danica Simmons, Medical Clinic Coordinator, Mission East Dallas
• Gene Putnam, Associate Director, Community Investments, United Way
• Jenny Holmes, UTSW Medical Student (MS3)
• Joy Lee, UTSW Medical Student (MS2)
• Emily Gaddis, UTSW Medical Student (MS1)