Curricular Threads

The Curricular Threads (CTs) are a set of content pillars that support and span the three phases of the Geisel curriculum; formerly called longitudinal curricula. Each of the CTs consists of content that is relevant to multiple courses and clerkships, and as such, is integrated into the curriculum in a longitudinal manner. While distinct from individual courses and clerkships, the CTs are not a separate or parallel curriculum. Rather, CT content is interwoven within and across courses and clerkships, such that content is delivered in the most relevant settings and continually reinforced throughout the student’s educational experience.

While the footprint and intensity of each CT may vary in different phases of the curriculum, each is an intentionally planned and cohesive curricular treatment of a topic. Like courses and clerkships, each has specific learning objectives that are linked to Geisel’s program objectives and core competencies, approved by the MEC, rigorously evaluated, and continually updated.

While CTs do not have stand-alone assessments, each objective is assessed through course- and clerkship-based assessment instruments, and student performance in each is monitored by the CT leaders.

Child and Adolescent Health (CAH)  The CAH Curricular Thread will consider the context of normal health and development in children as well as the key diseases primarily affecting children including the important features affecting management of pediatric patients. There will be skill building and practice in terms of special features of history taking and examination of pediatric patients. Preventative healthcare, formation of healthy lifestyle habits, and recognizing the community resources and socioeconomic determinants of health unique to children will be featured. The core of the childhood development, health, and illness longitudinal curriculum will be the unique features of disease in children as well as conditions largely or exclusively manifest in pediatric patients. This content will be integrated through each of the courses and much of the curriculum will appear by way of contrast with the presentation in adults.	CAH Leader Deborah R. Hoffer, MD
Ethics and Human Values (EHV)  The EHV Curricular Thread will focus on related topics, content, and pedagogy from health care ethics, professionalism, medical humanities, and other related interdisciplinary areas into the four-year Geisel curriculum and culture. The goal is to ensure that all student-physicians graduating from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth have the knowledge and skills: 1) To be aware and demonstrate an understanding of fundamental health care ethics principles and professional standards. 2) To recognize and systematically address common ethical issues in clinical care through coherent ethical reasoning. 3) To understand the cultural and social context in which students will be practicing medicine. 4) To describe the role and accessibility of ethics resources in health care organizations. 5) To be attentive and open to varied perspectives and experiences of patients so as to exhibit compassion for patients, colleagues, and oneself.	EHV Leader Ruth Berggren, MD
Health Equity (HE) The HE Curricular Thread will assure that students have a firm grounding in the ways that intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, and structural racism and other types of oppression and biases (based on ethnicity, gender, gender identity, socioeconomic status, citizenship, culture, immigration status, refugee status, religious practices, ability, age, and other marginalized or disadvantaged traits and identities) affect health, healthcare, and the healthcare workforce locally and globally.	HE Leaders Frances Lim-Liberty, MD (left) & Anais Ovalle, MD, MPH (right)
Histology (HIST) The Histology Curricular Thread has an overarching objective of correlating the normal microscopic structure of cells, tissues, and organs of the body with their normal functions and the consequences of disease. Cells and tissues are introduced early (the Foundations course) and discussions of organ structure/function relationships are initiated when those organs are being examined in organ system courses. Clinical cases are used to illustrate the clinical relevance of the material, particularly by describing the effects of pathology on the normal structure/function relationships of cells, tissues, and organs. This is the initial step in understanding and applying the knowledge to pathology and pathophysiology.	HIST Leader Heather Hopley, MS
Anatomy and Embryology (AE)  The AE Curricular Thread includes basic principles of human anatomy and development, issues of death and dying, and ethical aspects of utilizing body donors. Students are exposed to the general organization of each body system in the Foundations course, followed by more detailed information that is integrated into the organ-system courses. Communication and teamwork are major components of this curricular element, as students practice these skills in the dissection laboratory and during case-based learning sessions.	AE Leader Virginia Lyons, PhD
Imaging (IMG)  The IMG Curricular Thread will address imaging modality techniques, methods, strengths/weaknesses, risks, indications, and proper communications to enable students to effectively use imaging in the care of their patients. Students will learn to identify high quality resources to support appropriate test selection and learn basic interpretation skills for commonly encountered pathologies and urgent findings.	IMG Leader Nancy McNulty, MD
Nutrition (NUTR) The NUTR Curricular Thread covers the fundamentals of nutritional science and nutrition assessment, including dietary histories, anthropometrics, nutrition-focused examinations, laboratory interpretation, counseling, and behavior change strategies. Nutrition is central to both preventative care and chronic disease management.  The clinical management of patients with diverse, lifelong, and chronic nutritional needs includes conditions such as malnutrition (both deficiency and excess), nutrient deficiencies, drug-nutrient interactions (macro- and micro-nutritional biochemistry), diabetes and obesity. Food insecurity, health literacy, cultural and social influences, and social and environmental determinants shape dietary patterns and habits. Core nutrition competencies include clinical knowledge, assessment & counseling, behavior change & communication, interprofessional practice and collaboration, and public health.	NUTR Leader Julie Scott Taylor, MD, MSc
Pathology (PATH) The PATH Curricular Thread will provide students with the opportunity to learn the fundamental, pathophysiologic changes that occur in cellular injury, inflammation, healing, autoimmunity, and neoplasia; and then to apply these concepts to individual organs and organ systems in support of the understanding of human disease. Over the course of the four-year curriculum, students will be expected to build an appreciation of the role of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in disease diagnosis, monitoring, treatment, outcomes, and public health.	PATH Leader Candice Black, DO
Pharmacology (PHARM) The PHARM Curricular Thread covers pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and clinical properties of drugs, as well as preparing students to recognize and address the scientific, social, economic, legal, and ethical factors that affect drug development, availability, and application.	PHARM Leader Michael W. Lee, PhD
Research and Scholarship (RS) The RS Curricular Thread considers an understanding of scientific inquiry as a foundation of modern medicine. It is designed to equip future physicians with the skills necessary to critically evaluate medical literature, apply evidence-based principles to clinical decision-making, and contribute to the advancement of medical knowledge through original scholarly work in various forms. The fundamentals of research methodology, biostatistics, and study design are introduced in the Population Health course. Students progressively engage with critical appraisal of scientific literature, principles of clinical research, and ethical considerations in human subjects research. In partnership with the Office of Medical Student Research, opportunities for mentored research allow students to explore topics broadly across basic science, clinical research, public health, medical education, quality improvement, and health systems science. By embedding scholarship in the curriculum, this thread encourages intellectual curiosity, innovation, and a lifelong commitment to integrating evidence into practice. It also supports the development of physician-scholars who can lead, collaborate, and communicate effectively within academic medicine and beyond.	RS Leader Alix Ashare, MD, PhD