Endowed by Dr. Gaylon and Mrs. Susan McCollough, the McCollough Institute for Pre-Medical Scholars offers a minor in Interdisciplinary Studies of Medicine to a cohort of 40 aspiring physicians. The program forms a living-learning community that investigates the big-picture questions at the heart of the art of medicine, with an emphasis on academic excellence, leadership, community service, and undergraduate research.
Medical schools and practicing physicians recognize that medicine requires far more than the traditional preparation in biology, chemistry, and anatomy. Physicians regularly face novel situations and must critically assess complex information to reach sound decisions for individual patients. The McCollough Institute prepares future medical leaders to meet that challenge, using interdisciplinary study to develop the judgment, perspective, and humanity that excellent care demands.
The program is built around two foundations courses that introduce interdisciplinary perspectives on medicine. In them, McCollough Scholars study the history and philosophy of medicine, the ways culture shapes the practice of medicine, and the promises and perils of medicine as it relates to aging and death. These courses establish the foundation for exploring the art of medicine in greater depth across the rest of the program.
In the first and final semesters, Scholars take part in a weekly lecture series that brings them into direct conversation with leading medical researchers and practicing physicians. Between these bookends, Scholars deepen their study through three interdisciplinary elective seminars, each focused on a particular dimension of medicine.
The minor culminates in a capstone seminar devoted to an intensive examination of one aspect of medical practice. Together, this sequence of courses, seminars, and lectures equips McCollough Scholars for admission to outstanding medical schools and lays a foundation that will enrich their lives and their service to the medical art.
The Institute also hosts the McCollough Medical Scholars Forum each year in the early spring semester. [link to the Forum here]. https://mccolloughscholars.ua.edu/mccollough-medical-scholars-forum/
