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The educational mission of the Department of Social Medicine is to provide
students with the intellectual and analytic resources to recognize and
respond to key social, cultural and ethical dilemmas in contemporary
medicine. The Department's faculty engage students around these issues
by introducing them to the specialized literatures and methods in medical
anthropology, social history of medicine, medical ethics and the medical
humanities; providing students opportunities for supervised experiences
in community, international and clinical settings that join service
with learning; and fostering personal development and commitment to
humane and ethical medical care. The Department's overriding educational
goal is to start students along the pathway of life-long learning and
commitment to social medicine.
The Medical Anthropology Program plays an active part in the department's
educational programs for Harvard medical students. Many of the "selectives"
in social medicine are taught by faculty in medical anthropology, including
courses on the social roots of disease; culture, poverty and infectious
diseases; international health and human rights; Latino health; women's
health; and social and ethical dimensions of new medical technologies.
The Department also offers clinical electives in medical anthropology
for advanced medical students (a clerkship in Medical Anthropology and
one in Haiti).
The Division of Medical Ethics is committed to educating HMS students
on a wide range of issues in ethics and values in medicine by introducing
them to complex social issues confronting medical professionals today
and laying the groundwork that will prepare students to handle the ethical
challenges they will encounter throughout their medical careers. Through
a broad range of course offerings and a very active program of extra-curricular
events and activities, HMS students are exposed to a wide variety of
issues and provided with the skills to systemically address moral and
ethical dilemmas.
The Division sponsors a longitudinal Medical Ethics Track to provide
students who would like to concentrate in medical ethics with a pathway
for pursuing their interest during their four years of medical school.
Course work, mentoring by Division faculty members, summer research,
and clinical ethics experience are the integral parts of the Medical
Ethics track.
The Harvard Program in the History of Medicine is an interfaculty program
jointly sponsored by the Harvard Medical School and the Faculty of Arts
and Sciences. At Harvard Medical School, teaching and research are based
in the Department of Social Medicine. History of Medicine courses constitute
an important aspect of the required selectives in Social Medicine at
Harvard Medical School. In recent years, courses on the social history
of medicine, the history of ethics and values in health care, as well
as other instruction have been offered.
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