MD Program Curriculum

Our med students do not wait to graduate before taking on society's biggest challenges in health care delivery and health systems. We provide the structure, resources and support to make an impact while you train with us. 

The Scientific Trunk is your preclinical year, the starting point in a journey of continuous learning. Students complete six foundational and organ-system based blocks where normal and abnormal (physiology and pathophysiology) are presented side by side. Students also complete longitudinal courses designed to foster their clinical skills, clinical reasoning and health care systems knowledge.

The Clinical Trunk features two phases of learning: in Transition to Clerkships, students prepare to enter the clinical environment, focusing on linking their scientific foundations to clinical skills and patient care; and in Core Clerkships, students are immersed in required departmentally organized clinical rotations. The clerkships include internal medicine, surgery and applied sciences (a combination of surgery, pathology, anesthesiology, anatomy and radiology), OBGYN, pediatrics, family medicine, neurology and psychiatry.  

Our M2 core clerkships utilize a competency-based H/HP/P/F grading scale, designed to offer flexibility in assessment within each tier. In other words, students will be graded not against their peers but rather on their own performance in relation to specified criteria within each clerkship. Students will be able to distinguish themselves for their future residency application process while still focusing on learning the material and collaborating with their classmates. 

Just prior to starting M3, you will select one of four Branches to match your career interests and focus the remainder of your medical education. Once you choose a Branch. you will meet your Branch Director, a faculty member ready to help you attain your goals. This is the place in the curriculum where you may elect to start a dual degree, do international rotations, develop primary research projects, create and manage health programs, or embark on other individualized projects that interest you. You'll also do your emergency medicine rotation.  

Most med students begin their Capstone for Impact project during this phase. The Branches include Diagnostics & Therapeutics, Patients & Populations, Procedure-Based Care and Systems & Hospital-Based Care. 

This finishing phase of the Branches is all about honing your clinical skills through two sub-internships including one in the ICU. Medical students will participate in Residency Prep Courses, integrate scientific knowledge into the care you provide to patients on the wards, and explore opportunities to impact health and health systems for the greater good through your Capstone for Impact project.