The Teaching Science Seminar (TSS) series in DCAL this fall will focus on pre-medical science education. Pre-medical education (or, for that matter, required curricula for students interested in any health profession) is undergoing some scrutiny nationally, The American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) & the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) have formed a committee that is charged with making recommendations for revision of course requirements for medical school admission. The conclusions are likely to change significantly the requirements in chemistry, physics, math and biology, which will impact the curricular offerings of several undergraduate depts, given the high overall interest in the health professions among Dartmouth undergraduates. The topic is also the subject of a recent piece in the New England Journal of Medicine & report of a working group at Harvard Medical School and of two articles and extensive blogs in the Wall Street Journal, all worth reviewing in preparation for these meetings.
In the first TSS meeting of the fall (Thursday, Oct 9, 12-1:30 PM, DCAL), we will gather faculty from both the undergraduate science depts and from DMS. Beginning with an overview of what constitutes a medical school curriculum and what are the skills/aptitudes/attitudes that an applicant must display to be successful in both gaining admission and succeeding as a med student and physician, we hope to have a lively interchange that will be helpful to both groups of faculty. As Dartmouth will be given an opportunity to input to the AAMC/HHMI committee, these discussions will also serve to summarize our collective views of these possible changes. Followup seminars will be held on November 13 and December 4, the latter to feature Professor Robert Lue from Harvard, who has spearheaded the development of a new interdisciplinary curriculum in the life sciences there.
This Class Is Certified Organic: Indigestible, and Perhaps Perishable
The Organic Chemistry Backlash Grows
Do Pre-Meds Really Need That Year of Organic Chemistry?
Relevance and Rigor in Premedical Education
Lee Witters will lead a discussion among DMS and A&S faculty about possible changes to pre-med requirements nationwide. Come to discuss the changes being proposed.
Lee Witters will lead a discussion among A&S faculty focused on pre-med requirements. What changes are being proposed and how will they affect courses in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics at Dartmouth?
A guest speaker from Harvard, Professor Robert Lue, will lead a discussion of the changes to pre-med requirements including the development of new interdisciplinary courses.
