Community Engagement I and II (Fall and Spring)
The ideology driving the course is that health equity cannot be achieved without engagement between individualsand communities in the context of social determinants of health, and the researchers, policy-makers, and clinicianswho work in those spaces. This course begins with a theoretical framing for this orientation before turning to in-depth critical analysis of the history, present, and future of community engagement. This is both a discussion-based seminar course, as well as a class in which students will be exposed to the practical and methodological toolbox of community engagement. By the end of the semester, students will appreciate the science behind community engagement, the methods for both engagement and evaluation, and the rigor such anapproach requires. Course content expertise will come from the team of faculty instructors, community memberswho will be active educators in the classroom, and the collective experiences of the students. We will explore topicssuch as the purpose and applications of community engaged research; partnership formation and maintenance; issues of power, trust, race, and class; ethical issues; and community engaged research’s relationship tocultural knowledge systems. Active engagement in the course will provide participants with the knowledge and skillsnecessary to co-develop and participate in projects, as well as a critical awareness of the advantages and limitationsof community engaged research methods including community based participatory research (CBPR). The coursewill reflect an interdisciplinary perspective while using CBPR’s philosophical commitment to co-teaching and co-learning.
In Community Engagement 1, students also learn about community-based programming, how research can be leveraged to support community-based programming and how community and academic partners can collaborateto improve community health. Ultimately, the intent is for students to engage in a collaborative research projectand learn the basics of research field methods that they will then apply in Community Engagement II (January-April 2023). Through this experience, students gain an appreciation for the value and conduct of community-based and community-engaged research as a tool to improve community health.
Critical Social Science and Urban Bioethics (Fall)
This course introduces students to the theories and methods of critical social science. Students will gain anappreciation for the role and importance of political, religious, economic, and social lenses, and of understanding disease and illness as biocultural phenomena. The course will cover theories and methods social scientistsuse and how their application relates to knowledge and attitudes in medicine and bioethics. Students will gain adeeper appreciation for the relationship between methods and knowledge while learning about limitations andstrengths of various methodologies employed across multiple disciplines. Through using frameworks fromsociology, public health, and other disciplines, we will examine how social science teaches us more about the ‘what’that in turn helps us as bioethicists to think better about the ‘ought’. This course also includes a qualitative component whereby students will gain practical exposure to issues of conceptualization, theory, research design and strategies for framing questions. This qualitative training will include special emphases on case studies, ethnography, mixed methods research, interview-based research, andcomparative research. We will examine ethical responsibilities of qualitative researchers and call on students tothink collectively and critically about forms of writing that academics master when presenting such work to peersand the public.
Immigration, Health and Urban Life (Spring)
This course provides an interdisciplinary overview and introduction to issues at the intersection of immigration, health, and urban life in the United States. In this course students will gain skills necessary to develop an integrated and holistic approach to health and policy of immigrant groups as well as gaining a deeper understanding of ethical implications associated with these topics. We will engage with methodologically diverse scholarship in multidisciplinary fields including sociology, bioethics, public health, medicine, history, public policy, and urbanstudies. We will spend time considering the implications of precarious legal status and its impact on access to, and interactions with, the US healthcare system by understanding the life experiences and demographics of specific population groups including undocumented immigrants, refugees, and asylees. We will cover epidemiological topics including risk factors and disease patterns while also focusing on health, humanrights, and ethical implications of issues pertaining to access to health care and health literacy. Students will have the opportunity to develop in depth knowledge about particular groups and issues through class assignments and a final project.
Bioethics and Critical Thinking in Dentistry (Spring)
This course introduces dental residents to the theoretical and practical foundations of bioethics. After an introduction to the history of bioethics and its theories, tools, and strategies for identifying and resolving ethical dilemmas, students will critically explore four key components of contemporary dental ethics: ‘Ethics at the Chairside’ covering topics such as confidentiality, truth telling, andcultural competency; ‘Oral Health Disparities’ which introduces the social determinants of health intothe oral health equation; ‘Research and Industry,’ designed to teach residents to critically think aboutconflicts of interest and professionalism; and ‘Policy Perspectives,’ which covers oral health and social justice and the relationships between dental practitioners, health care reform, and oral health.
This course aims to provide students with introduction to the importance of the dentist- patient relationship and to the process of ethical decision-making for the welfare of public. Further, this class will educate competent general practitioners capable of understanding the theories and principles that undergird bioethics as it relates to dental ethics, to feel comfortable using bioethics language to advocate for patients on macro and micro-level settings and to feel empowered to identify key issues in ethical dilemmas.
Dental Ethics and Jurisprudence (Summer)
This course introduces dental students to the theoretical and practical foundations of bioethics and ethics issues in dental care. After an introduction to the history of bioethics and its theories, tools, and strategies for identifying and resolving ethical dilemmas, students will critically explore issues in contemporary dental ethics: Ethics at the Chairside, which covers topics such as autonomy, confidentiality, truth-telling, and cultural competency; Jurisprudence and Industry, including Conflicts of Interest, professionalism and publication copyrights; Oral Health Disparities, which introduces the social determinants of health into the oral heal equation; and Policy Perspectives, which covers oral health and social justice and the relationships between dental practitioners, health care reform, and oral health. Class sessions are a mix of didactic facilitated small group discussion. Your success in this course depends on your desire to engage in the material and immerse yourself in the ethical issues and language relevant to dental ethics and healthcare ethics generally. Class discussion and class engagement enriches the experience as you learn from your peers. Each week there will be time devoted in class to small group case discussions. These cases simulate actual situations likely to arise in the course of practicing dentistry and cover a wide variety of scenarios like chairside and operatory interactions with patients; practice management, including office interaction with colleagues, staff or insurance companies; and practicing in economically disadvantaged constituencies, academic settings, or hospitals. Course Goals include: to educate competent general practitioners capable of understanding the theories and principles that undergird bioethics as it relates to dental ethics; feel comfortable using bioethics language to advocate for patients on macro and micro-level settings; feel empowered to identify key issues in ethical dilemmas. Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to: recognize ethical dilemmas and identify the principles underlying them; demonstrate understanding of applicability of the ADA code of ethics; distinguish between ethical and legal aspects of providing dental care; apply appropriate critical thinking strategies for resolving bioethics dilemmas; appreciate the role of social determinants of health on the oral health of our population; recognize and plan for the complexities of the dental practice/industry relationship; and appreciate the various ways dental professionals can impact health policy