The University of Massachusetts Medical Center proposes a Special Initiative project which will result in the development and implementation of an innovative Maternal-Child Health Clerkship, providing medical students with an understanding of the biopsychosocial aspects of pregnancy and parenthood and of the medical and ethical issues related to prenatal and perinatal care. The clerkship will focus on those issues which reflect growing needs in the care of women and children, including substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, domestic violence and abuse, and sexually transmitted disease, all by which contribute to the alarmingly high rates of infant mortality in poor, minority communities throughout Massachusetts. The proposed Maternal and Child Health Clerkship will provide an innovative twelve week continuity experience, integrating the required pediatric and obstetrics-gynecology clerkships in the third year, and offering the opportunity for students to follow families through the latter stages of pregnancy, birth, and initial infant care. The curriculum will emphasize the continuity of care of women and children in the ambulatory setting, focusing on community health care practice.
