{"id":27,"date":"2023-07-25T14:14:45","date_gmt":"2023-07-25T14:14:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/curriculum\/curriculum-overview\/foundation-phase\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T18:38:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T18:38:22","slug":"foundation-phase","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/curriculum\/foundation-phase\/","title":{"rendered":"Foundation Phase"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Medical Science Overview<\/h2>\n<p><u>Medical Science Directors<\/u>: <a href=\"mailto:emily_moorefield@med.unc.edu\" aria-label=\"email address\">Emily Moorefield, PhD<\/a> and <a href=\"mailto:evan_raff@med.unc.edu\" aria-label=\"email address\">Evan Raff, MD<\/a><\/p>\n<p>There are nine individual Medical Science courses distributed throughout the three semesters of the Foundation Phase. They include: The Patient, Molecules to Cells, Circulation, Homeostasis, Body Regulation, Reproductive and Genitourinary Health, Neurons to Networks, Life Stages, and Integrated Systems.<br \/>\n<a class=\"btn btn-primary btn-lg  oscitas-bootstrap-container\" aria-label=\"View Medical Science Course Descriptions\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/curriculum\/foundation-phase\/medical-science-course-descriptions\/\">View Medical Science Course Descriptions<\/a>\n<div role=\"tablist\" class=\"panel-group  oscitas-bootstrap-container\" id=\"unc-accordion-0\">\n\n<div class=\"panel panel-default oscitas-bootstrap-container\">\n\n    <div id=\"panel-heading-details-0-0\" class=\"panel-heading oscitas-bootstrap-container\" role=\"tab\">\n\n        <h3 class=\"panel-title oscitas-bootstrap-container\">\n\n            <button class=\"accordion-toggle oscitas-bootstrap-container collapsed\" \n                id = \"button-details-0-0\"\n                data-toggle=\"collapse\"\n                data-parent=\"#unc-accordion-0\"    \n                aria-controls=\"#details-0-0\"  \n                aria-expanded=\"false\" \n                href=\"#details-0-0\">\n                First Semester            <\/button>\n\n        <\/h3>\n\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div id=\"details-0-0\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse  oscitas-bootstrap-container\">\n\n        <div class=\"panel-body oscitas-bootstrap-container\">\nThe first semester will begin with a course called \u201cThe Patient\u201d in which students will learn about the patient as person, body, family member, and community member. This course will include an introduction to gross anatomy as well as epidemiology and health systems. Then in \u201cMolecules to Cells,\u201d students will learn about biomedical science including biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, microbiology and immunology, and physiology. In addition, students will also consider basic principles of pathology and pharmacology. Finally, the first semester will end with the \u201cCirculation\u201d course which will include an introduction to blood and the cardiovascular system.<br \/>\n<\/div>\n\n    <\/div>\n        \n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"panel panel-default oscitas-bootstrap-container\">\n\n    <div id=\"panel-heading-details-0-1\" class=\"panel-heading oscitas-bootstrap-container\" role=\"tab\">\n\n        <h3 class=\"panel-title oscitas-bootstrap-container\">\n\n            <button class=\"accordion-toggle oscitas-bootstrap-container collapsed\" \n                id = \"button-details-0-1\"\n                data-toggle=\"collapse\"\n                data-parent=\"#unc-accordion-0\"    \n                aria-controls=\"#details-0-1\"  \n                aria-expanded=\"false\" \n                href=\"#details-0-1\">\n                Second Semester            <\/button>\n\n        <\/h3>\n\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div id=\"details-0-1\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse  oscitas-bootstrap-container\">\n\n        <div class=\"panel-body oscitas-bootstrap-container\">\nIn the spring semester of the first year, \u201cHomeostasis\u201d will introduce students to the respiratory and renal systems. Following \u201cHomeostasis,\u201d the \u201cBody Regulation\u201d course will focus on the endocrine and gastrointestinal systems as well as nutrition. The first year will end with the \u201cReproductive and Genitourinary Health\u201d course.<br \/>\n<\/div>\n\n    <\/div>\n        \n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"panel panel-default oscitas-bootstrap-container\">\n\n    <div id=\"panel-heading-details-0-2\" class=\"panel-heading oscitas-bootstrap-container\" role=\"tab\">\n\n        <h3 class=\"panel-title oscitas-bootstrap-container\">\n\n            <button class=\"accordion-toggle oscitas-bootstrap-container collapsed\" \n                id = \"button-details-0-2\"\n                data-toggle=\"collapse\"\n                data-parent=\"#unc-accordion-0\"    \n                aria-controls=\"#details-0-2\"  \n                aria-expanded=\"false\" \n                href=\"#details-0-2\">\n                Third Semester            <\/button>\n\n        <\/h3>\n\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div id=\"details-0-2\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse  oscitas-bootstrap-container\">\n\n        <div class=\"panel-body oscitas-bootstrap-container\">\nIn the second year, medical students will begin the fall semester with \u201cNeurons to Networks,\u201d a course in which they will study the nervous system and special senses. Then the \u201cLife Stages\u201d course will introduce learners to the life cycle and behavioral health. Finally, the curriculum will end with a course called \u201cIntegrated Systems,\u201d which will contain themes of autoimmunity and cancer. Topics will include malignant hematology, dermatology, orthopedics, rheumatology, immunology, and more.<br \/>\n<\/div>\n\n    <\/div>\n        \n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Patient Centered Care (PCC) Overview<\/h2>\n<p><u>Course Directors<\/u>: <a href=\"mailto:thomas_koonce@med.unc.edu\" aria-label=\"email address\">Tommy Koonce, MD<\/a> and <a href=\"mailto:christopher_klipstein@med.unc.edu\" aria-label=\"email address\">Christopher Klipstein, MD<\/a><\/p>\n<p>This course develops basic clinical skills and reasoning essential to the practice of medicine through clinical experiences, longitudinal contact with medical professionals, and intentional integration with the concepts from the Medical Science and Social and Health Systems courses. PCC is designed to enable the student to learn the core clinical skills\u2014History-Taking, Physical Examination, Communication, Clinical Reasoning, Patient-Centered Care, and Professionalism\u2014 necessary for future patient care. The Patient Centered Care course is based primarily on weekly small group sessions where students learn clinical skills. In addition to these small group sessions, students will participate in Clinical Skills Encounters (CSEs) with standardized patients in the school\u2019s Simulation, Experiential Learning, and Training (SET) Center. This course meets once a week for three hours each semester of the Foundation Phase.<\/p>\n<h2>Social and Health Systems (SHS) Overview<\/h2>\n<p><u>Course Directors<\/u>: <a href=\"mailto:necochea@email.unc.edu\" aria-label=\"email address\">Ra\u00fal Necochea, PhD<\/a> and <a href=\"mailto:alyerly@email.unc.edu\">Annie Lyerly, MD, MA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Social and Health Systems 1, 2, and 3 courses are taught in weekly small-group seminars throughout the three-semester Foundation Phase. These courses explore: (1) social and cultural forces that shape health, illness, and disease; experiences of patients and roles of physicians; (2) ethical dimensions of medical professional work; major issues in bioethics and public health ethics; (3) health insurance, health care reform, and policy issues related to population health. SHS courses provide students with interdisciplinary tools to think critically about social contexts and influences on health and medicine, and introduce them to a range of issues central to the medical profession. Students engage in interactive seminar discussions, hone oral presentation skills, and write analytical papers. Longitudinal faculty relationships facilitate student reflection on professional goals. Faculty members from clinical, social science, and humanities backgrounds bring significant experience in interdisciplinary research and teaching. SHS courses complement and integrate with topics in the Medical Science and Patient-Centered Care courses, and prepare for SHS 4 &amp; 5 courses in later phases of the curriculum.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Medical Science Overview Medical Science Directors: Emily Moorefield, PhD and Evan Raff, MD There are nine individual Medical Science courses distributed throughout the three semesters of the Foundation Phase. They include: The Patient, Molecules to Cells, Circulation, Homeostasis, Body Regulation, Reproductive and Genitourinary Health, Neurons to Networks, Life Stages, and Integrated Systems. Patient Centered Care &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/curriculum\/foundation-phase\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Foundation Phase\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79967,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":10,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"templates\/front-page.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"layout":"","cellInformation":"","apiCallInformation":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-27","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","odd"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Foundation Phase - MD Curriculum<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/curriculum\/foundation-phase\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Foundation Phase - MD Curriculum\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Medical Science Overview Medical Science Directors: Emily Moorefield, PhD and Evan Raff, MD There are nine individual Medical Science courses distributed throughout the three semesters of the Foundation Phase. 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