Longitudinal Curriculum

The Longitudinal Curriculum (LC) was established in 2019 as a set of content pillars that would support and span the three phases of the Geisel curriculum. Each of the LCs 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 LC are not a separate or parallel curriculum. Rather, LC 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 LC 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 LCs 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 LC leaders.

Biochemistry (BIOC)  The BIOC Longitudinal Curriculum will examine and incorporate aspects of biochemistry into courses and clerkships across the Geisel curriculum. BIOC will build upon and coordinate with the subject matter from the Foundations course (particularly the molecular mechanisms of cancer). Through this Longitudinal Curriculum, there will be opportunities for students to connect the biochemistry of protein/nucleic acid structure/function relationships to various aspects of physiology and disease pathology.	BIOC Leader Larry Myers, PhD
Cells, Tissues, and Organs (CTO)  The CTO Longitudinal Curriculum 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.	CTO Leader Heather Hopley, MS
Childhood Development, Health, and Illness (CDHI)  The CDHI Longitudinal Curriculum 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.	CDHI Leader Carol Lynn O'Dea, MD
Clinical Microbiology and Immunity (CMI)  The CMI Longitudinal Curriculum provides ongoing learning and reinforcement of the principles of microbiology/infectious disease and the host immune response, which are introduced in Phase I during the Infection and Immunity course. Across the four-year curriculum, students will develop advanced medically relevant knowledge of the microorganisms that mediate human health and disease; the pathologic consequences of infectious disease; the mechanisms and functions of the immune system to eliminate pathogens and maintain homeostasis; and the pharmacologic and immunologic interventions to treat infectious and immunologic diseases.	CMI Leader Rich Zuckerman, MD
Ethics and Human Values (EHV)  The EHV Longitudinal Curriculum 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 Bill Nelson, MDiv, PhD
Evidence-based Medicine and Informatics (EBMI)  The EBMI Longitudinal Curriculum fosters a comprehensive approach to clinical inquiry, emphasizing the integration of curiosity, objectivity, and scientific reasoning to formulate precise and relevant clinical questions. Based on the three fundamental principles that clinical decision-making requires awareness of the best evidence, that EBM provides guidance about how to decide the validity of the evidence, and finally, that evidence alone is never sufficient to make a clinical decision, as concepts such as cost, risk, and patient preference must be considered. The objectives underscore the importance of utilizing information technology to access dependable medical information. Students learn to adeptly evaluate evidence using relevant criteria and subsequently apply it to patient care contexts.	EBMI Leader Stephanie Kerns, MLS
Genetics (GENE)  The GENE Longitudinal Curriculum will oversee and assure that major foundational and clinical aspects of genetics are taught in depth and in a manner appropriate for medical students. GENE will also work to assure that there is an appropriate level of reinforcement of genetic topics through the curriculum while avoiding redundancy.	GENE Leaders Larry Myers, PhD, and Mary Beth Dinulos, MD
Human Anatomy and Embryology (HAE)  The HAE Longitudinal Curriculum 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.	HAE Leader Virginia Lyons, PhD
Imaging (IMG)  The IMG Longitudinal Curriculum 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
Leadership and Professional Development (LPD)  Leadership at Geisel is defined not by one’s title, but by one’s ability to model professional behaviors and sustain personal wellness, articulate a vision, inspire others to collaborate, transform challenges into opportunities, and deliver meaningful and measurable results. The LPD LC emphasizes the development of knowledge, skills, and attitudes to achieve success personally and interpersonally within team activities. Students will foster life-long learning and leadership skills and be asked to reflect upon and demonstrate characteristics and behaviors that prepare them for rewarding and effective careers as physician leaders.	LPD Leader Cathy Pipas, MD, MPH
Nutrition (NUTR) The NUTR Longitudinal Curriculum will consider the fundamentals of nutritional science, assessment, counseling, and the specific syndromes associated with particular nutritional deficits. The clinical management of patients with particular nutritional needs will be considered. Issues around malnutrition (deficiency and excess), food insecurity and the effects of poor general nutritional education in the population, and of poor nutritional choices, will also be considered. There will be a particular focus on the role of nutrition and nutritional education on the obesity epidemic and the effect on metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes.	NUTR Leader Rima Itani Al-Nimr, MS, RDN, LD
Oncology (ONC) The ONC Longitudinal Curriculum encompasses a wide range of essential knowledge in the field of oncology, including a comprehensive understanding of neoplasms and cancer-related concepts. Over the course of the curriculum students will integrate clinical correlations to basic science concepts that will enhance their knowledge of all organ systems, the neoplastic process, and a multi-disciplinary treatment approach to the whole patient.	ONC Leaders Mary Chamberlin, MD and Alex Fuld, MD
Pathology (PATH) The PATH Longitudinal Curriculum 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 Longitudinal Curriculum 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
Physiology (PHYS) The PHYS Longitudinal Curriculum at Geisel encompasses a broad spectrum of fundamental and medically relevant physiological concepts, presented in the context of each specific human organ system. Over the course of the curriculum, students will gain knowledge of normal physiological and homeostatic mechanisms and processes. This foundational framework will be used to allow students to understand the pathological changes that occur in human disease and how common clinical interventions can improve or correct deviations from normal physiologic function.	PHYS Leader Nena L. Mason, PhD
Race and Health Equity (RHE) The RHE Longitudinal Curriculum 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.	RHE Leader Lisa M. McBride, PhD