Courses

This course will help students gain an understanding of the challenges and opportunities of providing healthcare to our ever-expanding aging population using principles of health systems science. Students will examine the unique challenges involved in managing elderly patients with multiple chronic conditions within an integrated health system. Increasingly, care of our aging population requires the collaboration of an interdisciplinary healthcare team to address broader issues related to mental health, exercise, nutrition, transportation, and home and end-of-life care. Students will explore how to work with an interdisciplinary healthcare team to promote patient-centered care while taking into account patient safety, outcomes, and cost. Students will also investigate the impact of lifestyle, socioeconomic, and environmental factors on aging to promote public health policy and preventative medicine. Students will apply knowledge learned on health systems integration practices in healthy aging to provide patient-centered, value-based care to all types of patient populations in a variety of clinical settings.

Course Director: Leslie Hoffman, PhD; Robert Sweazey, PhD
Email: lesahoff@iu.edu; rsweazey@iu.edu
Phone: (260) 481-0510
Primary contact for Adds/Drops: Leslie Hoffman, lesahoff@iu.edu
Home campus: Fort Wayne
Type of course: Online

Learning objectives:
By the end of this course, a student will be able to:

1. Identify the challenges of caring for an aging population within an integrated healthcare system and apply the principals of health systems science to guide management. - MK6, SBP3
2. Describe the unique processes of diagnosing and managing elderly patients with multiple chronic conditions. - MK2, MK4, SBP1
3. Discuss the challenges of providing value-based care to elderly patients and populations that takes into account patient safety, quality of care, and costs. SBP1, SBP2, SBP5
4. Achieve a better understanding of inter-disciplinary, integrative healthcare models employed for patient-centered aging care. - SBP1
5. Examine how broader issues and policies related to social determinants, mental health, exercise, nutrition, transportation, home, and end-of-life issues contribute to functional preservation and increased quality of life for aging individuals. - MK7
6. Be able to identify gaps in knowledge, formulate a learning question, identify resources to address the knowledge gap and convey findings to a group - PBLI1,
   ISC5

Course activities: Student are required to participate in one-hour online sessions each of which will cover a different topic related to how health systems integration can be used to provide comprehensive health care to aging individuals. Each session will have a short pre-reading and/or recorded presentation followed by a quiz or discussion forum questions to assess the student’s understanding of the topic and ability to apply the Information presented to real-world scenarios. The final project is a student-directed learning project in which the student identifies an area/question related to health systems integration in which they feel they lack knowledge. The student will then research the area/question, writes a short synopsis of findings, and develop a case related to the research area to present to the group.

Estimated time distribution:
Online: 100% (70% seminar: 30% research)
Assessments: Course participation (completion of online quizzes and discussion questions) - 40% Health Systems Integration in the Context of Healthy Aging self-directed learning written paper - 30% Online self-directed learning 15-minute oral presentation - 30%

Prerequisites: Scholarly Concentration enrollment
Interprofessional collaboration: No

This course provides introductory overview of public and population health approaches with an emphasis on aging populations. Students will understand public and population health concepts such as health policies, social determinants of health, financing of long-term care, and the long-term care workforce. Students will apply these concepts to develop relevant strategies for how they may enhance their role as a physician. Students will explore basic public health research designs and data sources to gain an appreciation for how research can be used to support healthy aging.

Course Director: Justin Blackburn, PhD, MPH
Email: jblackb@iu.edu
Phone: 317-278-0343
Primary contact for Adds/Drops: Leslie Hoffman, PhD, MS
Home campus: Fort Wayne
Type of course: Online

Learning objectives:
By the end of this course, a student will be able to:

1. Describe the epidemiology of diseases and conditions affecting older adults, including prevention and early detection, and population-based approaches to reducing the incidence and prevalence of disease (MK7).
2. Explain fundamental features of population and public health as it pertains to aging populations, including significant health policies, systems, and financing (SP3).
3. Articulate thoughtful and concise written narratives regarding the population and public health of older adults (IC3).
4. Relate social determinants of health among aging populations as it pertains to population and public health approaches and patient-physician interactions, health care decision-making, and health outcomes (SP2).

Course activities:
This course will involve approximately 30 hours of work, including viewing materials, video lectures, readings, discussion board posts, exercises/quizzes, and a final project.

Assessments:
90% Discussion board posts

• Discussion posts will be assessed by the primary instructor to gauge students'
  understanding of concepts sufficient to demonstrate both an understanding and
  application of the content to the field, as well as achievement of learning objectives.

10% Comprehension assessment quizzes

Prerequisites: Scholarly Concentrations Program enrollment
Interprofessional collaboration: No

This course is designed give medical students an opportunity to practice critical analysis of contemporary research articles related to the etiology, diagnosis and management of health disorders in the aged population. The class meets once every two weeks for one semester to discuss specific assigned articles. The discussion is facilitated by students and faculty mentors.

Course Directors: Leslie Hoffman, PhD; Robert Sweazey, PhD
Email: lesahoff@iu.edu; rsweazey@iu.edu
Phone: 260-481-0510
Primary contact for Adds/Drops: Leslie Hoffman; lesahoff@iu.edu
Home campus: Fort Wayne
Type of course: Online

Learning objectives:
By the end of this course, a student will be able to:

1. analyze and evaluate scientific research presented in published, peer
   reviewed journal articles. (PBLI1)
2. learn about current advances in the the etiology, diagnosis and management
   of diseases in the elderly. (PBLI1, SBP2)
3. share information accurately in an academic setting in both oral presentations
   and written documentation. (ISC5)

Course activities:
Students are expected to participate in discussion at every meeting. Online meeting will be held using Zoom. Readings and discussion will take approximately 4 hours each
month, with 1 or 2 articles being discussed each session. Estimated time distribution: 20% Library/Research; 80% Online Meets every other week for a 5-month period. Readings and discussion will take approximately 4 hours each month, with 1 or 2 articles being discussed each session.

Assessments:
Article presentation – 40%
Participation – 60%

Prerequisites: Scholarly Concentration enrollment
Interprofessional collaboration: No