Program Overview

Patient Physician and Society Program

The Patient Physician and Society (PPS) program is a curricular component that engages students in the social and behavioral sciences underlying the practice of clinical medicine. Through large group and skill-based small group sessions, students participate in discussions and debates, and practice the Zucker School of Medicine themes, including professionalism, interpersonal skills and communication, and physical diagnosis.

Program Structure

The PPS program is experienced via 12 curricular threads, which include:

• Communications
• Epidemiology
• Interprofessional Education
• Lifestyle Medicine
• Healthcare Financing and Policy
• Health Equity
• Ethics and Professionalism
• Patient/Caregiver Perspectives
• Reflection
• Patient safety and Quality
• Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine
• Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine

Teaching Methods

Most small group sessions in PPS are taught in longitudinal groups, which create a safe environment to build professional peer relationships, discuss challenging topics in healthcare, and learn from one another. Continuity groups led by faculty mentors allow students to develop their own professional identity using the tools of reflection and small group discussion. Large group sessions expose students to topics from ethics to epidemiology and provide a forum to bring patients into the classroom to discuss their illness and care integrated with the theme of the week and concepts taught through PEARLS, Structure, and MHDI.

Integration with Other Curricula

PPS content is integrated with MHDI, PEARLS, and Structure themes of the week and intimately tied to the clinical skills curriculum and assessment. This integration allows students to practice doctoring skills relevant to their early clinical experiences and reflect upon their professional and personal growth.