Preventive Medicine

Scholarly Activities 

Trainees are required to participate in the following scholarly activities: completion of a research project, attendance at one national meeting per year, submission of an abstract to a national meeting, attendance at the required weekly preventive medicine seminars and the monthly departmental research forum, formal presentation at the departmental research forum, presentation and defense of MPH project, and completion of the teaching requirements. In addition, trainees are encouraged to attend appropriate local, state and regional conferences, academic and clinical presentations at the Medical Center, departmental grand rounds, and departmental research forums in behavioral medicine, pediatrics and primary care. Trainees who complete research projects that are appropriate for publication are encouraged to write manuscripts for peer reviewed journals.

The weekly preventive medicine seminar is an integral educational activity for trainees. The seminar schedule is designed to supplement and enhance learning experiences that take place through MPH course work and practicum activities. Preventive medicine core faculty, with input from trainees, develop a two year schedule of seminar blocks that cover topics including community organizing, public health policy, occupational and environmental health, study design and data management, public health practice, clinical prevention, clinical epidemiology, program management and administration, managed care and community medicine. In addition to providing trainees with important didactic training, the seminar speakers serve as important role models with expertise in diverse areas of public health and preventive medicine.

The monthly departmental research symposium provides trainees with the opportunity to learn about research from faculty members who are in the process of conducting a variety of studies. During the second year of training, trainees are required to present their research projects during one of the monthly meetings. They receive valuable feedback regarding study design, analysis plan and study limitations from experienced researchers in the department (Table 6).