Renaissance School of Medicine Program Learning Objectives

• Anatomical Sciences, Ph.D.
  1. Upon completion of the program, students will be able to demonstrate advanced knowledge and comprehension of human anatomy and other subject areas pertinent to the student’s dissertation research.
  2. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to plan, design, and conduct question-based original research in basic science (i.e. non-clinical) fields related to vertebrate evolution and paleontology following scientific principles and protocol.
  3. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to demonstrate pedagogical competence in delivering cadaver-based, clinically-oriented gross anatomy and basic radiology to medical and allied healthcare students.
• Biomedical Sciences, M.S.
  1. Upon completion of the degree, students should have a solid foundation in advanced pharmacological sciences, enabling them to analyze and weigh the importance of research published in this area.  Furthermore, such expertise enables them to identify work that can contribute to their own research, and to identify new areas that are ripe for investigation.
  2.  Upon completion of the degree, students should have a solid foundation in molecular and cellular science.  As with Objective 1, the students should be able to engage critically with the research literature in these areas to solidify their understanding of pharmacological principles, and to enhance their ability in independent research.
  3. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to write an independent thesis that passes the judgment of at least two members of the faculty.  The thesis can be based on their independent laboratory research or on an extensive and critical review of the published literature in a specific field.  In either case, they work under the supervision of a member of the Program.
• Epidemiology & Clinical Research, M.S.
  1. Upon completion of the degree, students should be prepared as health care professionals for careers in clinical research and population health research.
  2. Upon completion of the degree, students attain the tools to conduct, interpret and evaluate results of clinical research studies through intensive didactic and highly mentored research experiences
  3. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to become competitive for national career development awards, training grants, and/or investigator initiated funding.
• Health Administration, M.H.A.

  The MHA Program uses a 20-point competency model, organized by four overarching domains: Management Functions (1-6); Health Systems & Policies (7-10); Leadership & Professionalism (11-16); and Business & Analytic Skills (17-20). 

  1. Organizational Management and Improvement: Assess opportunities to improve health services organization performance through application of organizational theory, development principles, and analytic methods.
  2. Workforce and Organizational Development: Apply methods for organizational, employee, and professional staff development that ensure a diverse and high performing workforce.
  3. Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement: Analyze and use data within organizations to improve performance.
  4. Information Technology, Management and Assessment: Analyze the value, risks and opportunities of information technology and associated data for improving performance of health services organizations.
  5. Strategic and Business Planning: Perform environmental, market and community needs analyses.  Using appropriate tools and techniques, develop strategic alternatives consistent with organizational goals. Prepare integrated plan involving multiple stakeholders and team members to evaluate and implement proposed programs, projects or business initiatives with the goal of improving health services delivery.  
  6. Financial Management: Explain financial and accounting information, prepare and manage budgets, and evaluate investment decisions.
  7. Health Care Issues and Trends: Explain important issues in health care, including circumstances causing major changes and reform in U.S. health care delivery.
  8. Health Policy & Economics: Understand economic theory and health policy processes, including the creation and implementation of policy and its impact on the delivery of health services.
  9. Health Law & Governance: Analyze governance and legal issues that arise in health organizations and respond appropriately.
  10. Population Health: Use epidemiological, market, patient outcome, and organizational performance data to improve quality, and manage financial and other risks associated with defined populations.
  11. Leadership & Change Management: Develop effective leadership approaches to communicate a vision, motivate stakeholders, build consensus, and lead organizational change efforts.
  12. Impact & Influence: Shape opinions, processes, or outcomes through example, persuasive communication, or use of informal power
  13. Professional Development:Demonstrate a commitment to continuous learning and self-improvement through reflection, goal setting, self-assessment, and the cultivation of professional networks.
  14. Collaboration & Working in Teams: Work cooperatively with others, create, participate on, and lead teams, including inter-professional.
  15. Personal & Professional Ethics: Apply ethical principles, social and professional values to analyze managerial, organizational and policy situations; demonstrate professional values and ethics.
  16. Critical Thinking: Evaluate a situation, issue, or idea by understanding and challenging assumptions, considering competing points of view, and anticipating potential effects within and beyond the health care system.
  17. Communication Skills (Written & Verbal): Write and speak in a clear, logical manner and prepare effective business communications.
  18. Quantitative Skills: Analyze data and interpret quantitative information to inform organizational decision making and performance improvement.
  19. Performance Measurement: Identify and use data within organizations to improve performance.
  20. Problem-solving & Decision-making: Use multiple sources of information, generate creative solutions, and apply structured decision-making methods to solve problems.  
• Health Education & Promotion, Advanced Graduate Certificate
  1. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to explain the role of advocacy in influencing health policies and systems to achieve more equitable health outcomes.
  2. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to demonstrate effective communication of health educational information with diverse populations.
  3. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to apply evidence-based health promotion strategies such as behavioral change theories and techniques
• Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care & Bioethics, M.A.
  1. Through engagement in the medical humanities, graduates will have an enhanced capacity to understand and respond to the patient as a person.
  2. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to understand the human capacity for compassion that underlies the moral life and effective clinical care.
  3. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of the paradigm cases and approaches to topics in bioethics.
  4. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to understand the philosophical and religious traditions that inform contemporary debates.
• Medicine, M.D.
  1. Graduates will be able to gather relevant and accurate patient information by performing a history and physical exam, and utilizing laboratory and imaging data.
  2. Graduates will be able to perform procedures* and interpret diagnostic tests* with an understanding of their indications and limitations.
  3. Graduates will be able to develop reasoned differential diagnoses of patients' clinical problems that are informed by the medical literature.
  4. Graduates will be able to apply clinical problem solving skills to develop integrated therapeutic plans for the acute and longitudinal management of health problems
  5. Graduates will be able to provide safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable, patient-centered and evidence-based health care.
  6. Graduates will be able to integrate principles of disease prevention, health promotion and education into the health care of individuals and communities.
  7. Graduates will be able to demonstrate current knowledge of the biomedical sciences pertinent to human health and disease across the lifespan.
  8. Graduates will be able to acquire, manage, integrate and apply current and evolving knowledge to the care of patients and populations.
  9. Graduates will be able to demonstrate understanding of genetic, environmental, psychological, socioeconomic, cultural and spiritual factors that influence human health and disease.
  10. Graduates will be able to use reflective skills and audit methodology to evaluate personal practice experiences to inform systematic, practice-based quality improvement.
  11. Graduates will be able to recognize personal limitations, as individuals and as team members, actively seek help and advice as appropriate and modify future behavior in response to feedback.
  12. Graduates will be able to demonstrate adaptive expertise through the ability to critically appraise and incorporate new scientific developments for clinical problem-solving and patient care.
  13. Graduates will be able to demonstrate effective audience- and context- appropriate writing skills in reflective essays, researched reports, medical records and professional communications including email and digital/electronic records.
  14. Graduates will be able to use effective, audience- and context-appropriate verbal and interactive skills in communications with peers, medical professionals, and patients.
  15. Graduates will be able to exhibit professionalism through compassion, altruism, integrity, respect, responsibility and sensitivity in meeting obligations to patients, community and team members inherent in the practice of medicine.
  16. Graduates will be able to use sound moral reasoning and judgment to evaluate, render and defend decisions regarding patient care and health care policies.
  17. Graduates will be able to demonstrate sensitivity and responsiveness to patients' personal characteristics such as race, color, sex, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic or marital status.
  18. Graduates will be able to coordinate care and utilize cost effective resources to promote health, prevent disease and provide optimal and safe patient care
  19. Graduates will be able to work collaboratively as members of inter professional teams to assess, coordinate, and improve patient care.
  20. Graduates will be able to participate in evaluation of personal medical errors, system errors and implementation of potential solutions.
• Microbiology & Immunology, Ph.D.
  1. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to fully understand 1) the molecular mechanisms by which common microbial pathogens (virus, bacteria, fungus, parasite)  infect a host, establish a program of virulence, and lead to pathogenesis;  and 2) modern principles underlying the field of immunology, including the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the mammalian immune response.
  2. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to create an experimental workflow designed to identify an unknown microbe that is the causative agent of a worldwide pandemic, decipher critical virulence factors, and identify immunology-based intervention methods.
  3. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to deliver a formal seminar presentation on their dissertation research with effective communication techniques (verbal and visual) and address audience questions in a constructive manner.
• Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology, Ph.D.
  1. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to be well versed in the fundamentals of pharmacology.
  2. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to have a broad understanding of current topics of research in cell biology.
  3. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to have a broad understanding of current tools and techniques used in pharmacological research.
• Nutrition, Advanced Graduate Certificate
  1. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to identify the principal food sources and functions of macro and micronutrients in the body.
  2. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to summarize the nutrition components of disease prevention for common diseases and conditions.
  3. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to critically evaluate evidence-based literature to determine potential benefits and drawbacks to emerging nutrition trends.
• Nutrition, M.S.
  1.  Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to integrate evidence-informed guidelines, research principles and critical thinking into practice.
  2. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of nutrition and genetics, environmental and molecular factors, as well as food in the development and management of disease.
  3. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to explain and take into consideration how nutrients, nutritional supplements and hydration influences physical activity and wellness.
• Physiology & Biophysics, Ph.D.
  1. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to have a clear understanding of cellular structures of each organ system as it relates to its function.
  2. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to have a clear understanding of the normal physiological processes of each organ system.
  3. Upon completion of the degree, students are introduced to integrative approaches in biomedical research. Emphasis will be placed on the primary physiological concepts of control, communication, signal processing, metabolism, and replication.
• Population Health & Clinical Outcomes Research, Ph.D.
  1. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to identify the determinants of health and factors associated with disease prevention.
  2. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to understand the context for population health and clinical science research questions, as well as the organization, politics, and financing of the health care system.
  3. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to design, implementation of rigorous methods, and analyses of a mentored student research project experience including an in-depth focus on scientific writing and professional presentations (e.g., requiring manuscripts, presentations, and grant submissions).
  4. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to appraise the performance of the health system in terms of access to care, safety, quality of care, resource consumption, cost-effectiveness, health equity and disparities, and accountability.
• Professional Nutrition Practice, M.S.
  1. The program will prepare graduates who are culturally competent and develop inclusive nutrition programs and services.
  2. The program will prepare graduates to critically evaluate the evidence supporting various nutrition interventions when determining the most appropriate nutrition plan for individuals or communities.
• Public Health, M. P. H.
  Upon completion of the degree program, students will be able to:

  1. Develop statistical reasoning and literacy in the field of biostatistics.
  2. Understand patterns of disease and injury and related risk factors in human populations, how this knowledge is derived, and how this knowledge is used to control health problems in populations.
  3. Understand environmental and occupational factors including biological, physical, and chemical factors that affect the health of a community and its workers.
  4. Understand the organization, cost, financing, quality, and equity of the health care delivery system; the role of the health care delivery system in maintaining the health of populations; and current health management and policy issues.
  5. Understand the behavioral, social, and cultural factors related to individual and population health and health disparities over the life course.
  6. Understand the foundations of the public health profession, and demonstrate professional, culturally competent knowledge and practice.
  7. Collect, manage, and organize data to produce information and meaning; understand how the information and knowledge exchange process can be designed to achieve specific objectives.
  8. Synthesize the literature in an area of public health, including identification of gaps in knowledge and strengths and limitations in study design.
  9. Recognize system-level properties that result from interactions among humans and social systems, and how these interactions affect the relationships among individuals, groups, organizations, communities, and environments.
  10. Use problem solving skills to address public health problems.
• Scholars in Biomedical Sciences, Advanced Graduate Certficate
  1. Graduate basic science students of all backgrounds receive an understanding of the method and critical analysis of clinical, patient-oriented research.
  2. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to undertake a high-quality didactic program in human patient research with an emphasis on the ethical and responsible conduct of clinical research.
  3. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to have exposure to career development opportunities in translational medicine and provide experience in scientific presentation.