As you will soon discover, the health of your patients is most often determined by their environment, opportunities and choices. During your time here, you will learn a great deal about the power of clinical medicine, but you will also learn a great deal about its limits. Often the most effective intervention for your patients and their families is not found on a prescription pad, but in their homes and communities.
LEADS is a track within the school of medicine dedicated to addressing the needs of the underserved and disadvantaged. The goal of LEADS is to expand your repertoire as physicians – to help you connect what you see in your examination room with what happens in the world around you – and to provide you with the vision and skills to be leaders and advocates for your patients and their needs.
The goal of LEADS is to help you learn how to improve your patients’ opportunities and choices and to empower you to act on their behalf. The LEADS Program does this through leadership and advocacy skills development and by providing guidance and mentorship through your Mentored Scholarly Activity.
The LEADS Program formally starts in January but there are many advantages to beginning a conversation with us earlier. The selection of LEADS Track Scholars is competitive, based on evidence of commitment to community service and to the underserved. We ask that students submit a structured application to the program steering committee, and minority and disadvantaged students are especially encouraged to apply. Applications will be due early in the spring semester.
To be considered for the Track, students must be enrolled in the LEADS spring elective course. We strongly encourage interested students to meet with us during their first semester and to consider beginning the groundwork for their summer projects during the fall of their first year. While this is not a requirement, special consideration will be given to applicants who have already invested in an appropriate project.
Again welcome to the UCD School of Medicine.
We look forward to the opportunity to work with you.
… Sincerely, Mark Earnest MD, PhD. and Shale Wong M.D., MSPH
