Welcome to the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. Through a variety of courses, the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health offers educational opportunities across the lifespan with an emphasis on supporting communities toward the goal of a healthier population. Links to further information about the required four-week family medicine and all elective course offerings can be found below.
The faculty and residents in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health enthusiastically embrace medical education. Our goal is to provide foundational clinical skills and knowledge that will shape the professional development of all Perelman School of Medicine students. We are passionate clinicians who provide comprehensive and coordinated care for individuals and for families through the use of clinical, biological, and behavioral sciences. We research issues that impact large populations and we focus on the social determinants of health that shape a person’s lived experience. We engage in quality improvement activities that add value for patients and providers in a complicated health care system. We engage our communities in partnerships with the goal of improving the health of all.
Contacts
Laura Kurash, MD
Director of Medical Student Education
Laura.Kurash@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Kent Bream, MD
Associate Director for Medical Student Education
Kent.Bream@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Mario DeMarco, MD
Site Director for Penn Family Care
Mario.Demarco@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Mzisa Pontrelli
Academic Program Coordinator
FamilyPractice.PreDoc@uphs.upenn.edu
Curriculum
One of the core clerkships during Module 4, the four-week rotation in Family Medicine introduces students to the specialty and primary care. Most importantly, students are asked to implement many of the skills they learned in the first three modules of medical school.
Upon completion of this clerkship, students will acquire skills in the following areas:
- Perform a competent patient interview in the primary care setting
- Identify pertinent historical and exam elements
- Make a differential diagnosis
- Develop and implement a treatment plan
- Manage acute and chronic disease, health prevention, behavior change
Students have complimented the course on "finally being able to practice medicine and not just watch others do it". The Family Medicine clerkship occurs during a shared block with Internal Medicine. During this clerkship, students rotate to Family Medicine residency training sites, Federally Qualified Health Centers or primary care physicians’ private offices in a number of different communities. Some of the best-rated sites are located outside of Philadelphia proper and may provide housing. All sites provide the opportunity to explore ambulatory medicine away from the tertiary care environment.
List of PSOM family medicine clerkship didactics
- Clerkship Orientation
- Oral case presentations and outpatient note-writing
- Chronic Disease: Hypertension
- Chronic Disease: Diabetes
- Chronic Disease: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease
- Musculoskeletal Medicine: Workshop I & Workshop II
- Evidence-Based Medicine: I & II
- Prevention
- Behavior Change
- Pain and Palliative Care
- Patient Centered Medical Home
- Geriatric Assessment
- Primary Care Dermatology
- Agenda Setting
- Reproductive Health
- LGBT Health Issues
- Social Health Resources
- Abdominal Pain
Electives
Medical student education electives include:
FAM300: Externship in family medicine
This four-week course is designed for upper-level students with interest in family medicine. Students will be involved in designing a four-week curriculum which meets their particular goals and interests in the field of primary care. Students will have the chance to work with members of the Department in various clinical settings, including the Family Medicine Center, Labor and Delivery floor, Procedure Clinic and opportunities in the West Philadelphia community.
Particular emphasis will be put on improving focus, time management, and assessment skills. Students will independently evaluate then present their patients to senior residents or attending physicians. During the course of the rotation, students will present a discussion on topic germane to family medicine.
Penn visiting clerkship program in family medicine and community health for 4th year students
During this clerkship, students rotate to Family Medicine residency training sites, or other primary care physicians’ private offices in a number of different communities. Students have the opportunity to spend time learning first-hand what it is like to be a resident within our Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, and they are also paired with a resident and faculty mentor and meet with our Residency Program Leadership Team to aid in their recruitment and preparation for the interview season and Match Process. Students who have faced obstacles in accessing medical training may wish to apply through the Penn CHOP Alliance of Minority Physicians Visiting Clerkship Program which emphasizes inclusivity and excellence, and all students may seek visiting electives in Family Medicine may start the application process.
The elective in Maternal Child Health is a 4-week elective that is designed to allow the learner to explore elements of obstetrics and pediatrics through a primary care model. The elective centers on the junction point in family health that includes prenatal care, labor and delivery and the postpartum care of both the parent and infant. During the elective, students will work closely with the Family Medicine OB faculty to engage in prenatal care at Penn and 2 other community health clinics. There will be a particular focus on introducing the student to patients who are at or near full term. A portion of time will also be spent on the Family Medicine OB service at HUP with the opportunity to learn how to evaluate patients in triage, manage labor, participate in vaginal deliveries and provide postpartum care and counseling to patients who have recently delivered. This includes contraception counseling, pediatric anticipatory guidance and breastfeeding education. Clinical skills including newborn examinations, circumcisions, Nexplanon placements and management of obstetrical emergencies will also be emphasized. A special component of the elective will be the chance to follow a patient from prenatal care through to delivery. The student will be notified and participate in the labor floor management and delivery of patients seen in the prenatal setting. Therefore, the student can be “on call” for the patients that they select to follow. Additional learning will take place in the family medicine clinic where students participate in resident conferences, spend time in the procedure clinic and participate in the pediatric visits for patients who they cared for on the labor and delivery or postpartum floor. An independent study reading list will augment the traditional instruction for the course: Penn URM Visiting Clerkship Program—Alliance of Minority Physicians
FAM305: Addiction medicine consult service elective
Medical Students can join the addiction consult team at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. This interdisciplinary team consists of an Addiction Medicine specialty physician, Addiction Medicine medical student, Addiction-specialized social worker and a certified peer recovery specialist. This service provides comprehensive and patient-centered care related to addictive disorders such as: management of complex withdrawal- opioid, benzodiazepine, stimulants and/or alcohol, management of OUD with acute or chronic pain or perioperative condition, new buprenorphine-naloxone start with questions on pathways or complex needs, new Methadone Start, harm reduction counseling or resources. counseling on starting medication for substance use disorder (SUD), overdose follow up, patient directed discharge (“AMA”) prevention, and in hospital substance use mitigation.
FP325: Primary care sports medicine elective
This elective offers a fantastic opportunity for MS3 and MS4 students interested in primary care/sports medicine and/or orthopedic surgery. This 4-week rotation is led by Dr. Arch Dhanota, the Chief Medical Officer and Head Team Physician for the Philadelphia Eagles and a member of the Department of Family Medicine and Community Medicine. Dr. Dhanota has partnered with the National Football League to develop an elective rotation in Sports Medicine as part of the NFL’s Diversity in Sports Medicine Program Pipeline Initiative. Under the supervision of Dr. Dhanota, students will observe and participate in the care of sports medicine patients on a multidisciplinary team in NFL club settings. One student per year is selected by application only. An email will be sent to students encouraging them to apply.
Course Director:
Arsh S. Dhanota MD
Penn Sports Medicine
800 Spruce Street, 8th FL
Philadelphia, PA 19107
FAM327: LGBTQIA+ elective
This two or four-week elective offers an opportunity for students to further learn how to provide trauma-informed and patient-centered care to our LGBTQIA+ patients. Students will rotate primarily at Penn Family Care and Pennsylvania Hospital to gain further knowledge in providing gender-affirming hormone treatments and care coordination for patients interested in gender-affirming surgery and procedures. Students will also rotate at the CHOP Gender Clinic to learn further about gender-affirming care in adolescence and puberty.
FAM 350: Elective in maternal and child health
The elective in Maternal Child Health is a 4 week elective that is designed to allow the learner to explore elements of obstetrics and pediatrics through a primary care model. The elective centers on the junction point in family health that includes prenatal care, labor and delivery and the postpartum care of both mother and infant. During the elective, students will work closely with the Family Medicine OB faculty to engage in prenatal care at Penn and 2 other community health clinics. There will be a particular focus on introducing the student to women who are at or near full term. A portion of time will also be spent on the Family Medicine OB service at HUP with the opportunity to learn how to evaluate women in triage, manage labor, participate in vaginal deliveries and provide postpartum care and counseling to women who have recently delivered. This includes contraception counseling, pediatric anticipatory guidance and breastfeeding education. Clinical skills including newborn examinations, circumcisions, Nexplanon placements and management of obstetrical emergencies will also be emphasized. A special component of the elective will be the chance to follow a patient from prenatal care through to delivery. The student will be notified and participate in the labor floor management and delivery of patients seen in the prenatal setting. Therefore, the student will be “on call” for the patients that they select to follow. Additional learning will take place in the family medicine clinic where students participate in resident conferences, spend time in the procedure clinic and participate in the pediatric visits for patients who they cared for on the labor and delivery or postpartum floor. An independent study reading list will augment the traditional instruction for the course.
FAM400: Sub-internship in family medicine
This four-week course is designed for upper-level students with interest in Family Medicine or general inpatient medicine. Students rotate on the inpatient Family Medicine service at Presbyterian Medical Center and serve in the capacity of an Intern managing a full patient load. In this role, students will be engaged in all aspects of patient care including participation in rounds, clinical decision making, family meetings and patient handoffs. Students will be expected to be fully involved in working up patients from the time of admission and providing ongoing care until discharge and transition back to the ambulatory setting. In addition, the student will be allowed and expected to attend all teaching and QI activities related to the family medicine service. The team has a night-float structure, so there is no overnight or weekend call for interns on the primary team. This rotation meets the requirement for a Sub-Internship in Module 5.