Pre-clerkship Electives

There is no elective requirement during the pre-clerkship years; however, there are several approved courses students may take for graduation elective credit. Refer to the Renaissance Curriculum Graduation Requirements for further details. Please note that these courses cannot be taken during the clinical years for graduation elective credit.

See the Pre-Clerkship Electives Policy for eligibility requirements.

Course descriptions are below, detailed course information can be found in the SOM Catalog

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Academic Enrichment Program (AMED 543)

Two-year elective designed to provide structured academic support in the pre-clerkship curriculum. This course will earn a maximum of 4 weeks of elective credit towards graduation with 1 academic year of participation. This elective is designed for students whose academic performance is considered at-risk, based on stated criteria.

2-4 Terms: MS1/MS2 Fall and Spring

Course Director

Devang Patel, MD
dpatel@ihv.umaryland.edu

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Biostatistics for Health Professionals (PREV 621)

This elective is not administered by the School of Medicine, please reach out to the course leadership for information about timing/signing-up for elective

Description: coming soon!

Primary registration will be given to MS1 students participating thin the Maryland Infection, Immunization, Intervention, and Impact (M4I) Program.

1 Terms: MS1 or MS2 Spring

Course Director

Iyabo Obasanjo
iobasanjo@som.umaryland.edu

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Climate Change, Health and Society (CIPP 650)

This elective is not administered by the School of Medicine, please reach out to the course leadership for information about timing/signing-up for elective

Causes and impacts of climate change will be examined, emphasizing impacts on human health and society in Maryland and Baltimore, including health equity, environmental laws, and governmental policies. Case studies will be presented, and students will work in teams to suggest ways to address climate change-driven environmental challenges and support the development of innovative ideas to address these challenges.

1 Term: MS1 Spring

Course Director

Marianne Cloeren, MD, MPH
mcloeren@som.umaryland.edu

Shailvi Gupta, MD, MPH

Snehal Patel, MD, MHS

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Combined Accelerated Program in Psychiatry Longitudinal Elective (PSYH 548)

The Combined Accelerated Program in Psychiatry (CAPP) was initiated in 1970 by the Department of Psychiatry as a major effort to explore new approaches to medical education. In the present day, this elective is neither accelerated nor combined, but it is a wonderful opportunity to gain early clinical exposure. Students with any interest in psychiatry, or a general desire to hone their history taking and patient interview skills are welcome to apply. The elective includes meeting with and interviewing patients, shadowing across a diverse set of psychiatric levels of care, and exploring specialty topics in the field - plus the benefit of being in a small cohort with ample faculty mentorship. This program runs through the first and second years of medical school with clinical work in the summer. In admitting students to this elective, there is no requirement for any pledge of a career in psychiatry; just a desire to get to know our patients.

“As an extrovert and a people person, I knew the preclinical years of solo study were going to be a big strain. By joining CAPP, I had this amazing opportunity to be refreshed each week. Sometimes we would meet patients and hear their stories and I'd be reminded why I wanted to enter the field to begin with.”
“Amidst the bookwork of pre-clinicals, CAPP served as a reminder of my passion for clinical medicine when we weren’t getting patient exposure otherwise."
“I made some of my closest friends through CAPP, worked with wonderful faculty, and it was something I looked forward to each week.”
"Learning from real patients with psychiatric illnesses has allowed me to gain insight into their struggles, further developing my empathy during clinical engagement".

4 Terms: MS1: Fall and Spring; MS2: Fall and Spring (4 credits total; 8 possible)

Course Director

Ann Hackman, M.D.
ahackman@psych.umaryland.edu

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Comparative Health Care Law & Policy (PREV 666)

This elective is not administered by the School of Medicine, please reach out to the course leadership for information about timing/signing-up for elective

This course will examine several aspects of health care delivery and regulation of health care in a variety of different countries. Topics for exploration will include how other countries: (1) provide, pay for, and regulate various aspects of health care; (2) resolve health care disputes, including medical malpractice claims; and (3) address certain bioethics issues, specifically organ donation for transplantation and end-of-life care. The seminar will use examples from other countries with different legal and health care systems to compare and contrast with each other as well as with the U.S. health care system

The course is offered in the Spring Term

Course Director

Diane Hoffmann
dhoffmann@law.umaryland.edu

Course Administrator

Gehan Girguis
ggirguis@law.umaryland.edu

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Creating Leaders Integrating Medicine & Business (CLIMB): Fundamentals of Leadership and Teamwork (AMED 541)

This course is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of effective teamwork and leadership, and to develop a personal action plan for leadership development. Core objectives include understanding yourself, emotional intelligence, teamwork, conflict resolution, negotiation, power dynamics & influencing without power, and personal branding. Participants will complete personalized assessments that will guide the development of a personal leadership development plan.

2 Terms: MS1: Fall and Spring (4 credits total)

Course Director

Kimberly Lumpkins, M.D. MBA
klumpkins@som.umaryland.edu

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Critical Issues in Global Health (PH 727)

This elective is not administered by the School of Medicine, please reach out to the course leadership for information about timing/signing-up for elective

This course is designed to give advanced, interprofessional and MPH students an overview of the global health problems facing the world today. The World Health Organization's (WHO) Social Determinants of Health Model will be applied to teach students to critically analyze the root social and organizational determinants of global population health and equip them with the essential tools and skills needed to navigate the world of global health. Drivers of global health outcomes will be examined including globalization, the political economy, governance, global health actors, health systems and workers, and the cross-cutting issues of gender inequality, climate change, conflict, migration and refugees. Using seminars, lectures, readings, case studies and interactive assignments the course will leverage interprofessional faculty across the UMB campus (e.g. Law, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing, Medicine, Social Work, and Graduate School) as well as external global health experts from international agencies.

1 Term: MS1: Spring (4 credits total)

Course Director

Yolanda Ogbolu, Ph.D., CRNP, Chair PPEP
ogbolu@umaryland.edu  

Coordinator

Nancy McDowell
nmcdowell@umaryland.edu

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Critical Issues in Health Care (LAW 548B)

This elective is not administered by the School of Medicine, please reach out to the course leadership for information about timing/signing-up for elective

This course is open to students from the Schools of Law, Medicine, Social Work, Nursing, Pharmacy, Dentistry and the graduate schools at UMB and UMBC. The course is designed to: (1) provide students with an opportunity to reflect on the legal, ethical and policy issues surrounding a number of health care delivery problems; (2) expose participants to the basic skills necessary to analyze problems from a legal, ethical and policy perspective; and (3) offer participants from different disciplines an opportunity to interact and share information and perspectives about their professions with one another. A variety of teaching techniques, including case studies, simulations, and video clips will be used to explore such topics as medical malpractice, rights of patients to refuse treatment, informed consent and substituted consent in medical decision making, regulation of experimental drugs, and health care reform. The course will be taught by faculty from a variety of disciplines. During the course, students will have an opportunity to work in multidisciplinary teams to analyze a particular health care problem and develop a position paper on a health care policy issue. More...

Course Director

Diane Hoffmann
dhoffmann@law.umaryland.edu

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Disaster Medicine and Emergency Management (EMER 552)

Disasters (either accidental or intentional) can occur at any time. A robust medical response is crucial to saving lives. Thus, future physicians must understand best practices in emergency management and disaster preparedness and response. This elective seeks to familiarize students with concepts related to the disaster cycle as well as emergency management. The first year will discuss concepts through didactic lectures while the second year will focus on case studies of real world events. Students will also have the opportunity to meet with and learn from leaders in various state level organizations such as Maryland’s Office of Preparedness and Response, Maryland’s Coordination and Analysis Center and the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism.

2 Terms: MS1: Fall and Spring; or MS2: Fall and Spring (4 credits total)

Course Director

Gregory Jasani, M.D.
GJasani@som.umaryland.edu

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Global Burden of Disease (PH 723)

This elective is not administered by the School of Medicine, please reach out to the course leadership for information about timing/signing-up for elective

This course is designed to provide advanced, interprofessional and MPH students an overview of the global burden of disease focusing on communicable and non-communicable diseases facing the world today. Topics central to global non-communicable and communicable disease will be addressed and the impact they will have on health outcomes globally. Modes of transmission, geographic distribution and prevention will be considered from an epidemiological perspective. Using the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals this course will also teach students to critically assess the burden and causes of desease morbidity and mortality globally and equip them with the essential tools and skills needed. The course will use seminars, lectures, readings, case studies and interactive assignments while leveraging interprofessional faculty across the UMB campus (e.g. Law, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing, Medicine, Social Work, and Graduate School) as well as external global health experts from local and international agencies.

1 Term: MS2: Fall (4 credits total)

Course Director

Yolanda Ogbolu, Ph.D., CRNP, Chair PPEP
ogbolu@umaryland.edu

Coordinator

Nancy McDowell
mmcdowell@umaryland.edu

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Global Health (GLHT 547)

This elective is designed to teach students about achieving better health outcomes for vulnerable populations and communities around the world. The elective is designed for students interested in a deeper look at Global Health. Those who study or practice global health work to eliminate health disparities in low-resource settings around the world through research, education and collaborative intervention. Global health emphasizes a broad, multidisciplinary approach to understanding emerging health challenges, considering social, cultural, economic and environmental factors that underlie health inequities.

This course will be a mixture of concepts, implementation and research skills – and participants will obtain background understanding of the vocabulary, problems and concepts in global health in order to develop tools for success in global health careers. Concepts learned in this global health track are applicable to the local Baltimore population, as global health concepts are especially relevant to populations as diverse as that of the US and of the state of Maryland. A knowledge of fundamental global health concepts will prepare students for interactions with patients of different sociocultural backgrounds, refugees, immigrants, vulnerable populations and underserved communities both overseas and in the US.

2 Terms: MS1: Fall and Spring (4 credits total)

Course Director

Shailvi Gupta, MD MPH FACS
Shailvi.gupta@som.umaryland.edu

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Humanism Symposium (MSPR 500)

The Humanism Symposium is an elective course that offers medical students, SOM faculty, and members of the Baltimore community the opportunity to examine the full range of what it means to be a humanistic physician. The course is led by a select group of junior and senior students (by application only) with faculty leadership. Humanism meets for 2.5 hours once per week for 16 sessions from October to April. It addresses topics across specialties, from medical ethics to cultural differences, spirituality to physician self-care. Over the six-month course, students will engage in roundtable discussions, learn about the intersection of art and medicine at the Baltimore Museum of Art, get acquainted with their peers and the city of Baltimore through organized outings, and design a final creative project. This course enables and encourages students to explore the joys and challenges of medicine and to strengthen their sense of empathy and duty as they face the rigors of medical school. For the faculty who lead classes or participate in sessions, we hope it will serve as a reminder of the compassion that the practice of medicine demands.

2 Terms: MS1: Fall and Spring; or MS2: Fall and Spring (4 credits total)

Course Directors

Ada Offurum, M.D.
aibe@som.umaryland.edu

John Allen, M.D.
john.allen@som.umaryland.edu

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Medical Education and Academic Leadership Elective - MedLE (AMED 540)

This is an elective designed to expose students to the tenets of adult learning, the process of curriculum development and scholarly activity in medical education. You will be working with and learning from leadership in OME (Drs. Patel, Retener, Shah, Lacap, and Martinez)

2 Terms: MS1: Fall and Spring (4 credits total)

Course Director

Devang Patel, M.D.
dpatel@ihv.umaryland.edu

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Medical Spanish (SPAN 547)

Recognizing the demand for bilingual health care professionals, the School of Medicine offers Medical Spanish as an elective course for credit to first year medical students. This course is offered each semester for students with at least an intermediate level of Spanish speaking proficiency and is designed to elevate their skill level from lay conversation to the ability to conduct a full medical interview. Through classroom didactics the course focuses on medical vocabulary acquisition, comprehension, and insight into cultural nuances that impact the physician-patient interaction, as well as discussion of biases, health disparities and social determinants of health with the goal of helping them to become physicians who are able to communicate clearly with Spanish-speaking patients who are not fluent in English, and provide culturally sensitive and responsible care. To receive credit, students must complete 30 hours of Medical Spanish classroom time, 10 hours of self-directed learning, and 40 hours of practical experience where they apply their skills and serve Spanish-speaking clinics in the area.

2 Terms: MS1: Spring and MS2: Fall (4 credits total)

Course Directors

Sandra Quezada, M.D., M.S.
squezada@medicine.umaryland.edu

Runa Watkins, M.D., M.S.
rwatkins@medicine.umaryland.edu

Erick Hernandez-Ochoa, M.D., M.S.
ehernandez-ochoa@medicine.umaryland.edu

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Occupational and Environmental Longitudinal Medicine (OEM 547)

In this new two-year elective, the first of its kind in the nation, you will learn how to think about your patients’ work as an important social determinant of health. You will consider case studies involving the organ systems you are studying, to apply what you are learning to clinical situations. You will learn to evaluate work and environmental hazards as causes of illness. You will learn important principles of prevention, including how to prevent avoidable work disability. Considering cases as sentinel events, you will learn to apply population health principles to prevent similar cases in others, which will include issues such as reporting and interacting with public health agencies. Case studies will map to the MS 1/2 curriculum, for example, when learning about brain and behavior, we will apply this information to decision making around opioid prescriptions and impact on work. When learning about the heart, we will discuss decision making around returning a commercial truck driver to the road following a heart attack and consider issues around federal regulations and liability.

This elective emphasizes adult learning principles and has minimal lecture content. In the first year, there are 60 hours of content, which will include structured self-study problem-solving exercises, interactive e-learning modules, some reading, with six monthly 3-hour small group seminars from November through April. Seminars will include some lectures (including guest faculty experts in organ or system of interest) but will largely consist of team-based learning and presentations of topics. First year education will also include three field trips (workplace walkthrough or other field experiences such as Workers’ Compensation Commission hearings), with advance preparation and debriefings. Second year will have 40 hours of content similar to first year but minus the field trips. Second year 3-hour small group seminars will be held monthly from August through January. Both first and second year students will come together for “movie night” seminars at faculty homes, including dinner.

4 Terms: MS1: Fall and Spring; MS2: Fall and Spring (4 credits total)

Course Director

Marianne Cloeren, MD, MPH
mcloeren@som.umaryland.edu

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Point of Care Ultrasound Longitudinal Elective (EMER 550)

The point of care ultrasound (POCUS) rotation will expose the medical student to the core POCUS applications. This elective will reinforce the current renaissance curriculum focusing on teaching pertinent POCUS studies concurrent with the coursework. The elective will run for the 20 non-clinical months and allow students to develop hands-on skills in image acquisition and bedside interpretation of images. Students will keep a log of their ultrasound images that will be reviewed by the faculty. In addition to the practical hands-on and didactic teaching, there will also be independent work including web materials to study during the rotation.

4 Terms: MS1: Fall and Spring; MS2: Fall and Spring (4 credits total)

Course Director

Sarah Sommerkamp, M.D.
ssommerkamp@som.umaryland.edu

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Primary Care Longitudinal Elective (PCT 547)

There is a serious and increasing primary care shortage in our state and country. The Primary Care Longitudinal Elective will allow students who show an early interest in primary care to better determine their ultimate career path. This longitudinal track allows for mentorship by family medicine physicians, general internists, and general pediatricians while providing the interested student with an opportunity to learn via ongoing relationships with patients and their mentor. The goal is to provide medical students an opportunity for early clinical engagement in primary care through longitudinal mentorship with primary care attendings/residents, a primary care-focused didactic series, and a summer externship in an underserved primary care practice at an AHEC site in Maryland. Students receive 1 month credit upon successful completion of PCLE.

4 Terms: MS1: Fall and Spring; MS2: Fall and Spring (4 credits total)

Course Directors

Nel Trasybule, MD
ntrasybule@som.umaryland.edu

Nisha Divakaruni, MD
ntrasybule@som.umaryland.edu

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Role of Personal Genomes in Medicine (MEDC 540)

This elective exposes students to the use of personal genetic and genomic information in clinical medicine. It covers principles of advanced medical genetics and genomics, complex disorders, genomic testing methodologies, as well as ethical, legal, and social issues associated with decision-making, consent, and individualized genomic testing. Hands-on experience with genomic data will occur via in-depth review of personal or anonymous pharmacogenomic data and a group project to analyze exome sequence data and interpret genetic variants. Students and faculty will discuss how to practically apply precision medicine concepts and implications on treatment choice. Overall, this course will challenge students to investigate how individualized genomic medicine is profoundly changing clinical practice.

MS1 students; MS2 students with OSA approval
1 Month (May/June) (4 credits)

Course Director

Miriam G. Blitzer, Ph.D.
mblitzer@peds.umaryland.edu 

Linda Jeng, M.D., Ph.D.
ljeng@som.umaryland.edu

Kristin Maloney, M.S., M.G.C.
kmaloney1@som.umaryland.edu

Administrator

Rhea Cosentino
rcosenti@medicine.umaryland.edu 

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Rural Health Equity and Access Longitudinal Elective

(R-HEALE)

The Rural Health Equity and Access Longitudinal Elective (R-HEALE) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine addresses the critical healthcare access challenges and disparities faced by Maryland's rural populations, particularly on the Eastern Shore. Designed to prepare medical students for careers in rural health, the program offers immersive experiences including interactions with rural patients and practitioners, procedural and didactic learning, and a deep dive into the social determinants affecting rural health. Students gain longitudinal clinical experience, aiming to increase the number of graduates practicing in rural settings. The elective, developed in collaboration with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, seeks candidates a commitment to serving underserved rural communities, highlighting the stark healthcare provision challenges such as primary care shortages, health professional shortages, and significant health disparities in these areas.  For additional information visit R-HEALE.

Elective: 4 Terms: MS1: Fall and Spring; MS2: Fall and Spring (4 credits total)
Program: 8 Terms: MS1: Fall and Spring; MS2: Fall and Spring (4 credits total); MS3/MS4: Clerkship, Ambulatory placement, and additional coursework

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Social Justice Longitudianl Elective (SJT 547)

The Social Justice Longitudinal Elective is a four-year elective course that will offer students the opportunity to learn and better understand the meaning of social justice. In this track, we will incorporate an understanding of what social justice means in different populations, evaluate the social factors that increase disparities, and discuss ways we can effectively address these issues. This curriculum will be tailored to students and will intertwine societal issues and social determinants of health. Educating and exposing students to issues that marginalized groups face is important in developing skills to treat all patients effectively. This track will incorporate guest lecturers, class assigned readings, discussion blogs, and service learning. A themed lecture series will occur each semester that will include six 2-hour lectures per semester.

2 Terms: MS1: Fall and Spring (4 credits total)

Co-Course Directors

Laundette Jones, Ph.D., M.P.H.
lpjones@som.umaryland.edu

Andrew Delapenha, M.D., M.P.H.
andrew.delapenha@som.umaryland.edu

James Mendoza, M.D., M.A.
james.mendoza@som.umaryland.edu

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