Premium
Effective Strategies for Integration of Basic & Clinical Neuroscience
Author(s) -
Norden Jeanette Jean
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.24.1_supplement.63.3
Subject(s) - clinical neuroscience , multidisciplinary approach , basic science , medical education , psychology , modular design , neuroscience , medicine , neurology , computer science , sociology , social science , operating system
The Brain & Behavior Module at the Vanderbilt Medical School is a 13 week interdisciplinary module for second year medical students that encompasses both basic and clinical material (anatomy, pharmacology, radiology, pathology, and behavioral science) relevant to the Neurology and Psychiatry Clerkships. As Director of the Module, my role is to integrate basic and clinical neuroscience vertically (within a group of lectures) and horizontally (between lectures over the 13 weeks of immersion). There are inherent challenges to the success of such intense modular courses, for the students, the faculty, and for the module Director. Our experience has been that integration ‐ which goes to decreasing stress and neurophobia in students ‐ is best achieved by an interweaving of the basic and clinical sciences in multiple venues by all participating faculty, allowing for synergistic reinforcement of the knowledge to be acquired. Multiple examples of how basic science and clinical faculty cooperate in this endeavor will be discussed in the hope that some parts of our model may be helpful to others involved in such multidisciplinary courses/modules.