IMPROVING PUBLIC HEALTH
TEACHING FOR MEDICAL
STUDENTS AT UQ
Professor Charles Gilks
Head of School of Public Health
CAPHIA forum, Perth; September 2014
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Core premises
Public Health concepts are poorly valued and
badly taught in current medical curricula
Students understand social justice but want
to practice curative medicine
All doctors need to understand the concept of
Health as well as Disease and ill-health
Doctors today need to be well equipped to
practice Evidence-Based Medicine
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Specific context at UQ
1. Undergraduate health taught at three campuses; with
two distinct u/grad programmes for entry to MB BS
2. No defined “pre-clinical” stream for undergraduates
3. Very large medical student intake: 550 students per
year with 33% o/seas; but not covering costs …
4. Strong School of Public Health next to SoM with staff
keen to teach, but little interaction or shared vision
5. Limited advocacy for Public Health teaching in the
School of Medicine: $$$ and expertise
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Changes at UQ
• New heads of School: SoM and SPH
• Major Faculty reorganisation: SBMS joins
• UQ is moving from MB BS to MD in 2015
• Campus closure: one site for first-year u/g
Major opportunities to reintegrate Public
Health teaching across the clinical course
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Undergraduate teaching
1. Adopted B Health Sci approach for year one St Lucia
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Social Determinants of Health underpin approach
More focus on epidemiology and biostatistics
Expand Environmental Health teaching
Link better with health students / allied professions
2. Majors in Public Health, PH nutrition, Health Promotion
and Environmental Health Herston campus
3. Students better prepared for a broader clinical course
with stronger Public Health content
4. More awareness of / interest in MD MPH
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MD teaching
• Appointed MD coordinator
• Review cases used in PBL/CBL
– Relevant Public Health content
– Epidemiology and patterns of disease
• Social determinants of Health
– Inequality within Australian Society
– Mainstream Indigenous Health
– Inequality across Societies – global health
• Evidence-based medicine
– Biostatistics: Case-control; Cohort; and
RCTs
– Health economics: CEA, DALYs; QALYs
• Elite MD MPH stream
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Degree Timeframe
Research Options
Research & Higher Degree Pathways in MD
Encourage
research
experience in
undergrad BSc
across UQ & SOM
e.g. summer
research &
volunteer
placements &
optional Hons year
BSc = Y1 Y2
Y3
Preferred degrees
Biomed Science
Health Science
optional Hons year
Eligible students
for RHD or MPH
may begin
application prep
& seek approval
GPA > or = 5.5
EOI
Approved project
Approved
advisor
Concurrent MPhil or MPH students work
part time on degree alongside full time
MD. May apply skills training to their
own project in Y2. Finish ~2-3 years
Approved
students may
enrol MPhil or
PhD or MPH
Upgrade to
PhD here
†Intercalated
RHD or MPH
interrupt here
Year 1 MD
Year 2 MD
3 units research
skills training
2 units research
skills training
Capstone
Research
Intercalated finish RHD/MPH
close to MD graduation =
5year MD-MPhil /MPH or
6 year MD-PhD
Year
3&4 MD
Junior
Doctor
PGY1-2
Y3 Elective
for research
*All MD students
eligible to apply
Foundation Research Skills
for a RHD
Training
Graduate
MD-RHD
MD-MPH
*Approved students enrol in MPhil, MPH or PhD at end Y2. Concurrent or Intercalated are possible.
Intercalated interrupt MD in Y3. Concurrent continue MD full time & RHD or MPH part time.
† Intercalated MPhil or MPH interrupts MD for 1 year, intercalated PhD for 2 years
D Eley 26 June 2014
Graduate School
PH teaching outcomes
• All clinicians have an understanding of EBM
and core Public Health concepts and how
this impacts their speciality or practice;
• PH Physician pathways (MD MPH)
– Public Health Physician cadre in QLD
– Health Workforce assessment
– Global Public Health practitioners
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Conclusions
UQ recognises the need to improve Public
Health teaching for medical students
Started to reintegrate teaching and revise
curriculum and content, taking advantage
of a series of opportunities and changes
Hope to report progress back periodically
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Thank you