The vision for the Section of Community Health Sciences is to create and sustain a community of scholars who are interested in the intersection of pediatric medicine with the social and humanistic sciences, pediatric health policy and health outcomes, and community outreach and advocacy.
Research
Individual and collaborative research projects are described within the individual faculty member web pages, which are accessible by the links given above. Globally, the activities of the Community Health Sciences Section and its three sub-sections are given below:
1. ELSI (ethical, legal and social implications) of Genetics and Emerging Technologies.
This subsection will work with other sections of IMPS to examine the ethical and policy issues raised by translational research and to help design translational research that is scientifically and ethically sound.
2. Pediatric Health Policy and Health Outcomes. This subsection will employ quantitative and qualitative research methods to examine the intended and unintended consequences of various policies and practices on pediatric health. Epidemiological research is an integral component for studying health outcomes. Researchers also explore attitudes and beliefs of health care professionals and families to understand how the personal influences the professional and health outcomes.
3. Community Outreach and Advocacy.
This subsection will strive to create a bridge between IMPS and the wider community. The goal will be to ensure that the scientific advances of IMPS are used to serve the local as well as the global community. Outreach and advocacy will also focus on promoting sustainable tangible benefits for the local community,
Conferences
Research in Progress: Wednesdays from 1:30-3:00 pm.
If you would like to be on the mailing list, please contact Sharon Dunn at 2-6602 or at sdunn@peds.bsd.uchicago.edu.
Research Ethics Consultation
We offer research ethics consultation services for all members of the Institute of Molecular Pediatric Sciences (IMPS) for their research involving human subjects. This ensures that the research can be undertaken in a way that is respectful of our patients and their families, and responsive to all regulatory affairs requirements. We provide this service at all stages of research design and encourage IMPS scientists to involve us prior to seeking grant-funding and IRB-approval.
Education
Postdoctoral Fellowships
Fellowship opportunities are available through many of the faculty within Community Health Sciences. Those interested in postdoctoral research training may contact the faculty member of their choice by using the links above to individual web sites. In addition, the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics has fellowship opportunities on ethics and policy of genetics and emerging technologies. http://medicine.uchicago.edu/centers/ccme/index.html
Resident Education
R in R: Research in Residency (Course Directors: Chien, Hoehn, Bubeck-Wardenburg, Myers).
This course uses a heuristic model to support residents in a scholarly investigation during their 3-years of residency training (required for 18 categorical pediatrics per year; optional for 4 medicine-pediatrics per year). It teaches basic research and presentation skills to pediatric residents by asking residents to: (1) pose a health-related question during their first year of residency, (2) design an evaluation of this question during their second year, and (3) analyze and present their findings during a “senior poster session” in their third year.
Ethics Elective (Ross, course director).(One month)
Third year residents may elect to spend one month with the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics. The residents participate in clinical ethics consultation, the required coursework of the Ethics fellowship, and complete a reading elective with a faculty member. The goal is to provide in-depth ethics exposure to issues related to pediatric medicine.
Courses Taught in the Medical School
HGEN33900 01 Medical Genetics (Waggoner), Spring Quarter
This course introduces first year medical students to the definition of basic genetic concepts and the role of genes in disease processes and susceptibilities. In addition, students are taught to appreciate the high incidence and broad spectrum of human genetic diseases, to learn the technique and grasp the importance of taking a family history, and to understand the procedures and tools used for diagnosing genetic diseases.
HGEN30100 01. Application of Scientific Advancements to Disease Detection and Management. (Waggoner) (Open to medical students, residents and fellows only).
This course focuses on understanding genetic research, including the human genome project and how these advances are translated to clinical practice. Genetic diseases will be used to facilitate a scientific literature review to gain a better appreciation of how genetic advances contribute to the understanding of the physiology of the disease processes. Sessions will focus on understanding the science, but specifically concentrate on how the information can be used to improve diagnosis, affect counseling of families, and result in better therapeutic options in patient care.
PEDS 36200 01 Outpatient Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (Msall, Smith, Gray). (Open to medical students only).
This course exposes the student to a variety of instructional and clinical experiences that cover the spectrum of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. The clinics include, bur are not restricted to Developmental and Behavioral Clinic; Neurodevelopmental Pediatric Clinic (Down Syndrome, Autistic Spectrum, Cognitive-Adaptive Disabilities); Genetics Clinic; Hyperactivity, Inattention and Learning Skills Clinic; Pediatric Rehabilitation Program; Erikson Institute-Fussy Baby Program, and 0-3 Diagnostic Clinic. Lectures cover such topics as developmental assessment for ages birth to 3 years, early detection and management of autistic spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, developmental genetic disorders, early emotional development, hearing loss, learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders. The elective includes visits to schools serving children with special needs. The student is expected to prepare a presentation on a related topic.
Reading Electives: Many of the faculty engage in one-on-one reading electives with medical students. Please contact the faculty member directly.
Courses Taught in the College
BIOS 29281: Intro to Medical Ethics (HIPS 21400). (Ross) Winter quarter
This course explores the ethical issues raised by modern medicine. We begin with an introductory examination of the foundations of medical ethics. We also discuss the doctor/patient relationship: how it evolved since World War II and how it should evolve in the twenty-first century. We examine moral issues raised by human experimentation, organ transplantation and the human genome project.
BIOS 29310 Medicine and Society: Things, Bodies and Persons (BPRO 22500, HIPS 22501 HIST 22501, Phil 22501). (Lantos, Winter; Curlin and Brudney) Winter quarter even years.
This course takes a structural approach to fundamental bioethical problems. We examine the implications of categories such as "persons," "bodies" or "things" to understand the moral principles that drive decisions in controversial areas of biology and medicine. Using this structural approach, we analyze issues at the beginning of life (genetic screening, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, contraception, abortion), the end of life (euthanasia, assisted suicide) and those that affect quality of life (enhancement therapies, life-style changes).
BIOS 29311 Autonomy and Medical Paternalism/ BPRO 22600, HIPS 21901, HIST 25102, Phil 22601. (Brudney, Lantos and Winter) Winter quarter, odd years
This course is an in depth analysis of what we mean by autonomy and how that meaning might be changed in a medical context. In particular, we will focus on the potential compromises created by serious illness in a person with decision-making capacity and on the peculiar transformations in the meaning of autonomy created by advance directives and substituted judgment.
HSTD 31601: Epidemiology of Childhood Diseases (Lipton) Spring Quarter
This course will familiarize the student with issues unique to research on children as well as the epidemiology of specific childhood diseases. For each topic we will cover general epidemiology and touch on appropriate study designs, confounders and sources of bias, and we will examine a particular syndrome or an important study. At the completion of this course the student will 1. have a working knowledge of the epidemiology of several of the important pediatric diseases; 2. understand the role of the growth trajectory of the child (both physical and psychological) in the natural history of disease; 3. recognize the interrelationship of family and social factors in pediatric disease; 4. be able to identify some of the unique methodological issues inherent to epidemiologic research on children.
