Understanding Medical Categories and Conditions - The practice of medicine is supposed to be the practice of preventing and treating disease. But whether a condition counts as a disease depends on some set of factors related to evolution, function, well-being, and social attitudes, among others. This course will survey the most common theories of disease and integrate these theories into the contemporary practice of medicine.

Examining Patterns in Health Outcomes - The prevalence and incidence of disease varies according to biological and social categories. Yet not all differences in prevalence and incidence of disease are a health disparity. This course will introduce students to the foundational theories of health disparity and the social determinants of health. Learners will then identify those disparities and social determinants that fall within the scope of the practice of medicine.

Exploring Ethical Approaches to Resource Allocation - The concept of social justice relates to the appropriate distribution of resources. Often, however, what constitutes just distribution of health care resources is assumed. There are a variety of foundational theories of social justice, each of which may imply a distinct distribution of health care resources. This course will introduce learners to the foundational theories of social justice in health care and evaluate the different implications they have for how society arranges health care resources.

Identifying Inappropriate Health Patterns - Whether a difference in health condition is inequitable depends on, among other things, whether that condition is a disease and whether its distribution and/or treatment are just (i.e., distributed according to the correct theory of social justice). This course will identify those differences in health conditions and their treatments that may be unjustly distributed and analyze those interventions which may effectively repair the potential injustice.

Identifying Inappropriate Health Patterns - Whether a difference in health condition is inequitable depends on, among other things, whether that condition is a disease and whether its distribution and/or treatment are just (i.e., distributed according to the correct theory of social justice). This course will identify those differences in health conditions and their treatments that may be unjustly distributed and analyze those interventions which may effectively repair the potential injustice.

Effective Patient Partnership and Guidance - Physicians have an obligation to be advocates for their patients. This course will introduce learners to the scope of this obligation and the different strategies they can use to satisfy it. Among the strategies will be how to help patients navigate health care systems, how to understand the patient perspective, and how physicians can change their own patterns of practice.

Effective Patient Partnership and Guidance - Physicians have an obligation to be advocates for their patients. This course will introduce learners to the scope of this obligation and the different strategies they can use to satisfy it. Among the strategies will be how to help patients navigate health care systems, how to understand the patient perspective, and how physicians can change their own patterns of practice.

Navigating Institutional Influence in Care - Physicians have an obligation to advocate at the level of the institution, which may include their clinic, hospital system, or other entity that provides or facilitates health care. This course will introduce students to some of the strategies they can use to advocate for and with health care institutions. These strategies include how to use the power and influence of a physician to make local institutional change, conduct quality improvement projects, and use the resources available to institutions to remove patient and population barriers to better health.

Navigating Institutional Influence in Care -Physicians have an obligation to advocate at the level of the institution, which may include their clinic, hospital system, or other entity that provides or facilitates health care. This course will introduce students to some of the strategies they can use to advocate for and with health care institutions. These strategies include how to use the power and influence of a physician to make local institutional change, conduct quality

Shaping Health Systems Through Policy Engagement - Physicians must also advocate at the level of the population. Often the satisfaction of this obligation involves participation in the policymaking process. This course will introduce learners to how, when, and why physicians can and should participate in the policymaking process, both at the level of professional societies as well as in local, state, and federal government.

Strategic Tools for System-Level Change - Advocating for patients, within institutions, and in the policymaking process requires competence in a range of skills. Among these skills are those related to compromise, project management, and personnel mobilization. This course will introduce learners to these skills and the strategies they may use in their development.

This course will be examine the theoretical and practical implications of the modern healthcare system through the lens of critical race theory. CRT is a lens that seeks to unmask and illuminate structural and societal implications of race and racial disparities in the current healthcare system. After completing some required background readings, students will be permitted to explore any aspect of the issues raised and produce a basic research project.

A detailed inquiry into the theory, practice, and history of the narrative form in the context of the modern medico-industrial complex. Through the humanities and humanities-based analysis, students will be afforded the opportunity to develop their own creative skills, but also be able to gain new avenues to better connect with their patients. After completing some required background readings, students will be permitted to explore any aspect of the issues raised and produce a basic research project.

America has been described as a 'death denying culture'. Dying in America is a complex process. Legal, cultural, and medical barriers often prevent patient from dying in the manner, at the time, and in the location of their preference. A detailed inquiry into the physiological, legal, and social process of death and dying. This course will allow students to delve deeply into the philosophical and legal issues involved in death in America. After completing some required background readings, students will be permitted to explore any aspect of the issues raised and produce a basic research project.

Catholic Healthcare Ethics has played a significant role in the development of secular bioethics and continues to influence medical practice, at times controversially, in Church-owned and operated healthcare facilities and hospitals. This course will allow students to delve deeply into a current area of debate within Catholic Healthcare Ethics. After completing some required background readings, students will be permitted to explore any aspect of the issues raised and produce a basic research project.

"The past is never dead. It's not even past." - William Faulkner

The history of the field of medicine is the story of its current state. In this elective, students will develop a research question related to an area of individual interest, develop a bibliography, and stake a historian's position. After an initial period of inquiry and investigation, the student will produce a paper on their chosen topic relating to a particular period, movement, or figure in the history of medicine.

Students may develop an individualized research plan of their choice under the direction of a faculty member. Students should work with a faculty member to submit the form Elective Proposal to Educational Affairs at least eight weeks prior to the projected start date. This elective requires prior approval.

Students may develop an individualized research plan of their choice under the direction of a faculty member. Students should work with a faculty member to submit the form Elective Proposal to Educational Affairs at least eight weeks prior to the projected start date. This elective requires prior approval.

Students may develop an individualized research plan of their choice under the direction of a faculty member. Students should work with a faculty member to submit the form Elective Proposal to Educational Affairs at least eight weeks prior to the projected start date. This elective requires prior approval.

Students may develop an individualized course on a topic of their choice under the direction of a faculty member. Students should work with a faculty member to submit the form Elective Proposal to Educational Affairs at least eight weeks prior to the projected start date. This elective requires prior approval.

Students may develop an individualized course on a topic of their choice under the direction of a faculty member. Students should work with a faculty member to submit the form Elective Proposal to Educational Affairs at least eight weeks prior to the projected start date. This elective requires prior approval.

Students may develop an individualized course on a topic of their choice under the direction of a faculty member. Students should work with a faculty member to submit the form Elective Proposal to Educational Affairs at least eight weeks prior to the projected start date. This elective requires prior approval.

A theoretical understanding of ethical principles relating to health care is essential for all physicians. However, the application of these principles to actual situations of ethical conflict requires a different type of educational experience. In this course, the students will work closely with WMed clinical ethicists as they conduct ethics consultations, engage in ethical research and analysis, meet with patients and teams, and work with hospital ethics committees.

This selective course is designed for students who are interested in psychiatric ethics. This may be due to an interest in either advanced application of medical ethics or psychiatry as a medical specialty. As a specialty, psychiatry frequently encounters ethical dilemmas. Some of these are shared with other medical specialties while others are unique to psychiatric practice because of the nature of mental illness. Students interested in taking this selective should be prepared to respectfully engage in challenging discussions about the ethical care of psychiatric patients.
The course will consist of two components. Part of the rotation will be spent observing the ways in which involuntary treatment proceedings occur throughout the community in the form of adult and juvenile drug and mental health courts. Additionally, there will be directed readings and small group discussion discussing ethical issues relevant to psychiatry and doing ethical case analysis. Students will need to prepare before class by completing assigned readings and individual activities (or tasks) in order to participate in class. The first day of the elective will discuss the mechanics of the course, expectations, and general overview of the topic. Finally, the students will be expected to complete a capstone project on a topic relevant to psychiatric ethics.

This course will examine the theoretical and practical implications of the modern healthcare system through the lens of critical race theory. CRT is a theoretical framework that seeks to unmask and illuminate structural and societal implications of race and racial disparities in the current healthcare system. After completing some required background readings, students will be permitted to explore any aspect of the issues raised and produce a basic research project.

A detailed inquiry into the theory, practice, and history of the narrative form in the context of the modern medico-industrial complex. Through the humanities and humanities-based analysis, students will be afforded the opportunity to develop their own creative skills, but also be able to gain new avenues to better connect with their patients. After completing some required background readings, students will be permitted to explore any aspect of the issues raised and produce a basic research project.

America has been described as a 'death denying culture'. Dying in America is a complex process. Legal, cultural, and medical barriers often prevent patient from dying in the manner, at the time, and in the location of their preference. A detailed inquiry into the physiological, legal, and social process of death and dying. This course will allow students to delve deeply into the philosophical and legal issues involved in death in America and across cultures. After completing some required background readings, students will be permitted to explore any aspect of the issues raised and produce a basic research project.

The patient's preferences are more important than the physician's. Informed consent respects autonomy. IRBs protect human subjects. Rational humans have full moral status. Eugenics is wrong. Physician-assisted suicide and abortion are controversial topics. Animal models have led to the successful development of important treatments. Cancer research is a worthwhile aim.
Bioethics is rife with conventional wisdom. This aim of this elective is to think creatively about the underlying assumptions of bioethics, then challenge them. Do rational humans really have full moral status? Do IRBs really protect human subjects?

Catholic Healthcare Ethics has played a significant role in the development of secular bioethics and continues to influence medical practice, at times controversially, in Church-owned and operated healthcare facilities and hospitals. This course will allow students to delve deeply into a current area of debate within Catholic Healthcare Ethics. After completing some required background readings, students will be permitted to explore any aspect of the issues raised and produce a basic research project.

"The past is never dead. It's not even past." - William Faulkner

The history of the field of medicine is the story of its current state. In this elective, students will develop a research question related to an area of individual interest, develop a bibliography, and stake a historian's position. After an initial period of inquiry and investigation, the student will produce a paper on their chosen topic relating to a particular period, movement, or figure in the history of medicine.

This course is a two-week elective for fourth-year medical students designed as experiential learning in organizational leadership. The student will be assigned to an executive in one of Kalamazoo's healthcare organizations to explore concepts on leadership, attend an executive meeting and discuss leadership and management issues related to the meeting, organization and healthcare in general.

The Skilled Observer in Art and Science demonstrates how artists and scientists use intuition, cognitive processing, and skills in pattern recognition to reveal the connective tissue that makes complex systems work. We live in time when science is distrusted, and art is mystified. The Skilled Observer in Art and Science explains why acumen in these areas is essential. It places emphasis on the neuroscience of human activity by looking at how art and science intersect in the biological sciences, physics, chemistry, mathematics, geoscience, medicine, and architecture.

The appropriate provision of medicine often depends on how we understand the mind. This is true not only of psychiatry, but also of treatments that require information about the patient's conscious states. Which interventions are wanted/needed/appropriate depends in large part on what we understand about the relevant mental states and processes. More generally, whether a given state or process is pathological depends in large part on our understanding of the mind.

This elective will offer students the opportunity to explore in detail the ways in which our understanding of consciousness and the mind inform medical practice.

Public health ethics are often viewed as requiring foundational principles that are distinct from those of medical ethics. In particular, public health ethics requires greater consideration of the role the state has in the provision of medicine and greater emphasis on collective and public goods. These considerations will become even more applicable and relevant has public health crises associated with pandemics and climate chance increase in severity and frequency.

This elective will offer students the opportunity to explore in detail the foundational principles of public health ethics, and the implications these principles have for public health interventions.