S&D Elective: Improving Scientific Communication and Addressing Misinformation
2020-2021 academic year
MEDC 30119 | 50 units
Course Type: Elective - Non-clinical

Director:
    Arora, Vineet   
Primary Instructor:
    Arora, Vineet 0 varora@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu  
    Serritella, Sara  serritella@uchicago.edu  
Contact:
    Arora, Vineet  773-702-8157  varora@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu   
Campus:
    UCMC
Location on first day:
    
Included in Lottery:
    No
Included in MedReg:
    No
Course can be dropped:
    No
Visiting Students:
    No
Last reviewed:
    2/24/2021

Overview

The pandemic has exposed the need for better scientific communication among physicians and scientists to address misinformation and myth. This is a critical skill for future physicians and scientists. Using principles from scientific communication and based on a existing course taught by Sara Serritella (at Institute for Translational Medicine who will be the co-director of the course) for UChicago undergraduates, we will offer a course for first year medical students to learn to use scientific communication principles to identify and address misinformation.

We will adapt an existing course taught by ITM to teach students how to effectively communicate about COVID and vaccination using principles of effective scientific communication to the public. A syllabus we will use to modify for this course is attached and will be adapted using readings on misinformation and trust.

We anticipate this course will be serve as an alternative to the "content-driven" S&D electives for students who are doing basic, translational, and clinical research given that fewer electives may be offered this Spring. While we are submitting this as a preliminary elective plan, we are happy to submit a final syllabus to the committee as soon it is finalized.

Objectives

Identify sources of medical misinformation that can affect patients

Use effective communication strategies to address a public health need

Evaluation

Participation
There will be a final presentation related to scientific communication addressing misinformation that will be evaluated

Schedules Offered

This course is offered on a Quarterly Basis during the following quarters:
    Spring Quarter


SunMonTuesWedThuFriSat
AM - - - - - - -
PM - 2:00 -3:30 - - - - -

Schedule Notes

Enrollment minimum of 8

Course Eligibility and Prerequisites

Max enrollment

20

Eligibility

    First Year


Prerequisites