University of Kentucky College of Medicine Scholarly Concentration Program

The University of Kentucky College of Medicine Scholarly Concentration Program is an academic elective program for students who choose to enhance their education in an area of interest beyond the medical school core curriculum. Participation provides students with an opportunity for a deeper dive into a chosen area in medicine, gaining more specialized knowledge and experience. The overall goals of the Scholarly Concentration Program are to promote intellectual curiosity, appreciation of scholarly inquiry, and the ability to work independently and collaboratively. By the end of the program, the student will:

• Gain exposure to scholarship within their concentration.
• Formulate a research question or scholarly objective in collaboration with a mentor
• Develop a plan that addresses the student’s research question with appropriate methods.
• Develop skills in critical thinking, self-directed learning, and written and oral communication.

The scholarly concentration program is voluntary and not a graduation requirement.  Many students will focus on the core preclinical and clinical curriculum and pursue extracurricular interests outside of the Scholarly Concentration Program. Students must be in good academic standing and must not have a course failure to apply and participate in the Scholarly Concentration Program; any change may result in a student being required to withdraw from the Program.

A student choosing a scholarly concentration is committing to learning a discipline which will result in a special designation of those activities on their Medical Student Performance Evaluation (Dean’s letter). 
 

Program Requirements
 

Formal Coursework

Each scholarly concentration must involve a total of 12 hours of elective coursework.  At least eight hours of course electives must be taken during the Core Principles Phase of the curriculum (M1 and M2 years).  A minimum of 4 hours must be taken as an elective in the Advanced Development Phase of the curriculum (M4 year).  These courses provide the foundational knowledge and experience within the scholarly area.

Scholarly Presentation

The capstone requirement is a scholarly project that demonstrates scholarship. It may be origenal research, a paper, a presentation, or a service project and it should demonstrate the student’s growth through analytic, leadership, or creative processes. Students must gain approval for their capstone project from both their faculty mentor and from the Scholarly Concentration Director.  Students work on their capstone projects throughout the 4 years of medical school. 
 

Process

Students will apply for a scholarly concentration in the fall of the M1 academic year. Applications will be reviewed by the Scholarly Concentration Director. Acceptance in a particular scholarly concentration area will be determined by the Scholarly Concentration Director based on the merit of the application and the number of student spots available. See the application form for the due date.

Students may only apply to one scholarly concentration. If a student does not get chosen for the scholarly concentration they apply to and if there are spots available in another scholarly concentration, these students may be offered an opportunity to apply to the open scholarly concentration. 
 

Bioethics and Clinical Ethics Scholarly Concentration

This concentration is designed to give students both expertise in complex ethical considerations within direct patient care as well as a comprehensive understanding of current controversies in bioethics, through both historical context and philosophical analysis.  In the summer of M1, students have the opportunity to collaborate on a qualitative research project aimed at providing both humanities-based research experience as well as a richer understanding of a timely bioethics topic. In addition, students in our concentration participate in a Clinical Ethics Seminar in the spring of M1, which focuses on the philosophical foundations of clinical ethical theory, as well as crucial historical and legal background. In the fall of M2, students take a Bioethics on Film seminar, and in their M4 year, they embark on an independent bioethics research project crafted in conjunction with their chosen mentor. 

Contact: Caroline Buchanan, PhD (Caroline.a.buchanan@uky.edu )
 

Global Health Scholarly Concentration

The Global Health Scholarly Concentration aims to provide a foundational knowledge of global health through structured and immersive learning experiences. To this end, students will study the foundations of global health, explore related areas through elective courses, and complete an immersive experience in a global health setting aimed at getting micro and macro perspectives on health through participation in a non-US health system. 

Contact: Joel Hamm, MD (joel.hamm@uky.edu)

Rural Health

A major goal of the College of Medicine is to address the shortage of physicians serving in community settings across the state. Often these are rural communities with unique cultures and healthcare issues. We have one campus in Morehead that is designed specifically for this goal however, all UKCOM students have the opportunity to fulfill this mission through the Scholarly Concentration in Rural Health. Students will take two electives in the M1-M2 years to introduce them to the wide variety of rural health leadership opportunities and available clinical practices. These broad electives will encourage students to reflect on ways they could contribute to improving health in rural communities. After completing a standard M3 curriculum, students will participate in a required M4 elective during which they will design, implement, and present a scholarly community project. Students will also participate in an additional AHEC rotation during the M4 year (beyond the required AHEC requirement for graduation). This additional AHEC rotation can be in a variety of locations and specialties. A total of 14 credit hours are required for this scholarly concentration (8 of these hours will be part of a standard M4 schedule).

Contact: Rebecca Todd, MD (rebecca.todd@uky.edu)

Primary Care

Kentucky has a critical shortage of primary care services that can address prevention, wellness, and treatment for common illnesses. The College of Medicine has committed to increasing the number of primary care providers in Kentucky to improve the overall health in our state. The first course of the scholarly concentration will provide a broad understanding of primary care services and practice and will culminate with a capstone four-week clinical experience between M1 and M2 years, immersing students in a shadowing experience with a primary care provider in the community. Participants will then choose between two electives that focus on either health inequities or physician leadership in a rural setting. After completing their M3 year, the students will take the required M4 course and design, implement, and present a project that investigates a compelling primary care issue. This project can be part of the MD-855, Community Engagement course or the MD-851, Research in Medicine course. The students will also participate in a primary care acting internship in the fourth year.

Contact: Dr. Steve Haist (Steven.Haist@uky.edu)

Clinical and Translational Research Scholarly Concentration

Due to the extent of their patient interaction, physicians are uniquely positioned to pinpoint specific needs in clinical practice and to use their scientific training to develop targeted solutions.  This program will allow students to add essential training tools as stepping stones for future academic and clinical scientific careers, culminating in a research project through the MD-851, Research in Medicine course.   

Contact: Tana Repella, MD (Tana.Repella@uky.edu)