Welcome to the MD Program

The School of Medicine has gained national and international recognition for its constantly evolving curricular innovations that have aimed at adapting adult learning theory to medical education.

Educational emphasis has shifted from the teaching of facts to students learning the skills they need to be effective lifelong learners. Current educational initiatives are targeted at improving the integration of the basic sciences and clinical medicine, shifting teaching and learning to ambulatory and community settings, integrating case-based learning throughout the curriculum, and emphasizing computer literacy and information management skills.

Convention and Innovation Combined

The four-year curriculum incorporates successful aspects of conventional (lecture-based) medical school curricula with innovative aspects of self-directed learning found in case-based curricula. These aspects include case-based and student-centered learning; early clinical skills learning coupled with sustained, community-based learning; the incorporation of population and behavioral perspectives into the clinical years; peer teaching; computer-assisted instruction; and biweekly seminars on professional responsibility. The curriculum also addresses the historically unmet as well as changing health care needs of our population and progressive learning needs of future physicians.