Program Overview

Introduction to the Daniel Noyes Brown Primary Care Scholars Program

The Daniel Noyes Brown Primary Care Scholars Program is a four-year longitudinal mentorship program for students interested in primary care. This program is led by a small group of faculty from the Center for Family and Community Medicine, the Department of Pediatrics, and the Department of Internal Medicine. It offers a structured longitudinal experience at community-based outpatient sites, enhancing students' exposure to urban primary care delivered to the community surrounding the medical center.

Program Description

The program does not involve extra coursework; instead, it affords students the critical advantage of having clinical experiences at the same site with the same group of committed primary care faculty. Students will have the advantage of a true mentoring experience in foundational courses, including the first-year clinical practice clerkship, physical diagnosis course experience, primary care clerkship, and pediatric clerkship-outpatient block.

History of the Program

The program is funded by a private endowment to the School of Medicine in honor of Dr. Daniel Noyes Brown. Dr. Brown was a graduate of VP&S's Class of 1932 and a pioneer in group medical practice, aiming to provide comprehensive medical care to communities that had previously only had access to general practitioners.

Program Directors

The program is directed by:

• M. Christine Krause, MD, a clinical educator in VP&S's Department of Pediatrics, Division of Child and Adolescent Health.
• Heather Paladine, MD, the residency director of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/CUIMC's Family Medicine Residency Program.
• Natasha Mehta, MD, a clinician-educator in the Division of General Internal Medicine.
• Daniela C. Diaz, MD, a clinician-educator who teaches medical students and residents and is engaged in patient care and quality improvement work.

Program Benefits

Students in the program benefit from:

• A consistent mentoring experience across all four years.
• Interaction with students in different years who share similar values.
• The opportunity to work in the same clinic for several years, seeing the same patients more than once and appreciating the cultural and social context of the community.

Conclusion

The Daniel Noyes Brown Primary Care Scholars Program is a unique opportunity for medical students to engage in a longitudinal mentorship program focused on primary care. With its emphasis on community-based learning, mentorship, and the values of comprehensive patient care, the program aims to encourage students to pursue careers in primary care medicine.