Program Overview

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Genes to Society: A Curriculum for the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

The Genes to Society curriculum is a comprehensive program designed for medical students at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. This curriculum aims to provide students with a deep understanding of the complex relationships between genes, environment, and society, and how these factors impact human health and disease.

Mission and Objectives

The mission of the Genes to Society curriculum is to educate medical students in the fundamental principles of genetics, genomics, and epidemiology, and to provide them with the skills and knowledge necessary to apply these principles in clinical practice. The objectives of the curriculum include:

• Differentiating between palliative care and hospice
• Recognizing the skills required to deliver good palliative care
• Outlining an approach to symptom management
• Establishing a framework for communicating bad news to individuals and their families
• Giving examples of the multidimensional aspects of palliative care
• Appreciating the role of the physician in the interdisciplinary team in delivering palliative care
• Examining personal response to caring for the dying patient
• Distinguishing the expected course of normal grieving from complicated bereavement

Curriculum Overview

The Genes to Society curriculum is a four-year program that includes a variety of courses, clerkships, and personalized programs. The curriculum is designed to provide students with a comprehensive education in the principles of genetics, genomics, and epidemiology, as well as the social and environmental factors that impact human health.

Courses and Clerkships

The curriculum includes a range of courses and clerkships, including:

• TIME: End of Life and Palliative Care
• Genes to Society
• TIME: Patient Safety and Quality Improvement
• Longitudinal Ambulatory Clerkship
• TIME: Substance Use Disorders
• Scholarly Concentrations
• Transition to the Wards

Personalized Programs

The curriculum also includes personalized programs that allow students to pursue their individual interests and career goals. These programs include:

• Colleges Advisory Program
• Office of Medical Student Affairs
• Office of Assessment and Evaluation
• Office of M.D. Admissions
• Office of the Registrar

Course Details: TIME - End of Life and Palliative Care

This clinical four-day course is offered twice a year to ensure that every student has the opportunity to complete it before graduation. Students must have completed at least one core clerkship before taking this course in the eighth week of a core clerkship block. The interdisciplinary faculty use a variety of teaching methods, including:

• Lecture
• Assigned reading
• Team-based learning
• Small group interactions
• Use of standardized patients

Students participate in a hospice home or inpatient visit and have time for self-reflection. Invited speakers from the community also participate.

Course Directors

The course directors for TIME - End of Life and Palliative Care include:

• Lauren Elizabeth Berninger, DO MBE, Assistant Professor of Medicine, with expertise in Hospice and Palliative Care
• Renee Boss, MD, Rembrandt Foundation Professor of Pediatric Palliative Care, Professor of Pediatrics, with expertise in Neonatology, Hospice and Palliative Care
• Mark T. Hughes, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, with expertise in Internal Medicine, Hospice and Palliative Care

Time Commitment and Course Length

The course runs for four days.