The specific aim of this project is to design, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive, cultural competency curriculum for medical students targeting cardiovascular and pulmonary disease health disparities. The curriculum applies theories of adult learning, effective cross-cultural communication, and intercultural sensitivity and will be adapted for other health professions learners. The curriculum educates learners about cultural and environmental factors influencing the health status of diverse groups, for which cardiovascular and pulmonary disease health disparities exist, and to help learners develop the attitudes, knowledge, behaviors, and skills to effectively and efficiently care for those individuals. Learners will: 1) Recognize characteristics of the medical culture, their own beliefs, and how those interrelate, 2) Recognize biases in the health care system and how these influence access to care, 3) Describe development of health beliefs, values, traditions, practices, and attitudes and their implications for health care and disease occurrence, 4) Identify health issues of underserved and vulnerable populations and recognize how these affect health, and contribute to disparities, 5) Explain how these issues influence health seeking behavior, adherence and responses to treatment or behavioral recommendations, 6) Recognize cultural concepts related to health disparities and how they influence the health care encounter, 7) Recognize how traditional and alternative therapies complement/conflict with cultural health belief models, 8) Enhance communications with culturally diverse patients and convey health information using a culturally sensitive approach, and 9) Identify women's health disparities and the possible strategies for improving women's health. Educational methods include required reading; lectures; panels; case-based discussions; workshops; simulations; reflective writing; self directed learning; community projects; and clinical rotations. Evaluation methods include pre and post assessments of attitudes and knowledge, and observed skills assessments using standardized patients.
