Breast Health Disparities: A Primer for Medical Students

Date of Review: January, 2019

This resource, from MedEdPORTAL, introduces preclinical medical students to breast cancer health disparities via a multi-modality, single learning session that occurs within a second year course title “The Community-Engaged Physician.” Learners complete pre-reading, attend a didactic lectures, and then work in small groups to complete a case-based exercise that results in a detailed concept map to better understand factors that lead to late-stage diagnoses and delays in treatment. The curriculum was co-written by faculty and community members, including a patient. The session and corresponding outline could be easily adapted by other institutions, though the content would need to be updated to address local disparities outside Miami-Dade County. Faculty facilitators with an understanding of the use of concept mapping are required, with a ratio of 1 faculty member to 10 learners. Pre/post knowledge and self-reported skill acquisition were assessed, and improvements were noted in both domains. While experiential learning is not an explicit element of this session, the authors note that participating medical students were engaged in communities via home visits and community partnerships; the session may not yield the same outcomes for learners who only take part in a classroom component.— Brigid Dolan, MD, NCEAS & Katy Wright, PhD, NCEAS

Corresponding Author’s Email:

imartine@fiu.edu

Institution:

Florida International University

Where Was the Curriculum Implemented?

Miami-Dade County, Florida

Source of the Curriculum/Resource:

MedEdPORTAL

Outcomes that Have Been Reported for the Curriculum:

Self-reported learner attitude

Measured in learner knowledge

Outcome and Study Design:

Pre/Post

Level of Learner Assessment:

Appreciation of content/attitude assessment (self reflection, blogging with rubric)

Knowledge Acquisition (MCQ, IRAT, GRAT)