Integrated Science Selectives

The selective trains students to understand and communicate the impact of good nutrition on patient health and to work well with registered dietitians in interdisciplinary teams. In-person modules include case-based learning and meal preparation. Self-study online modules are paired with clinical shadowing of RDs and nutrition MDs

The course will introduce students to both medical and public health approaches to improving community health from a present-day and historical perspective. Through a comparative lens, students will examine the methodologies employed in conventional medicine alongside those of public health, delving into the nuances of each approach and critically analyzing the effectiveness of each strategy. Through an exploration of global healthcare systems, students will engage in debates surrounding the potential impact of adopting a universal health insurance model in the US, addressing both enhancements and enduring disparities in health outcomes. Ultimately, students will cultivate a nuanced understanding of the US public health landscape, equipping them with the knowledge needed to collaboratively drive future advancements in population health.

Students will develop a strong foundation in planetary health while building a network of multi-disciplinary leaders in the field. Following a roadmap of lectures, self-directed learning activities, case studies, and field trips, students will confidently integrate environmental determinants of health into their professional practice.

The Alpine Non-Surgical Musculoskeletal (MSK) and Spine Care selective is a 4-week block that will focus on outpatient MSK diagnosis and management. Differential diagnoses will be emphasized within a MSK framework including symptom patterns, physical exam, imaging, and diagnostic injection interpretation. Students will be expected to learn management principles for acute and chronic conditions, including MSK health maintenance, secondary prevention, rehabilitation, medications, injections, and indications for surgery. Weekly didactics and scheduled self-study time will be used to facilitate medical knowledge development and application. The course will be pass/fail with grades based on attendance, participation, professionalism, and completion of assignments.

Students will use a clinical immersion to identify and learn how to effectively address an impactful knowledge gap in medicine. Training will include entrepreneurship, team building, regulatory issues, project/trial design, intellectual property, biotechnical/bioengineering resources, and effective communication of ideas and projects.

This course seeks to provide understanding of the current state of the art in ML/AI across multiple clinically relevant areas including imaging, health records, and genomics; to provide future practitioners with the knowledge to examine and critically think about performance assessments of AI systems; and to provide future practitioners with the understanding necessary to consider the ethical implications of AI deployments into clinical practice.

This four-week advanced elective is designed for fourth-year medical students seeking an in-depth exploration of health equity and social justice at the local level with a focus on immigrant, refugee, and newcomer health.

The Cancer Biology Course offers a 4-week integrated experience teaching key oncology concepts important for the care of cancer patients. Classroom learning will involve interactive sessions with case-based learning and application to clinical cases. We will focus on specific topics including how cancers develop, mechanisms of growth and resistance, as well as categories of oncology treatments such as hormonal therapies, targeted treatments, and immunologic approaches. The clinical component will allow students to build their skills seeing new oncology patients in multidisciplinary, tumor board settings, emphasizing radiology and pathology input in addition to specialists from medical, surgical, and radiation oncology. Learners will also have the opportunity for a broader, generalist oncology clinical experience at the VA or Denver Health, seeing patients of various tumor types.