Medicine and Health Pathway
Do you have a passion for helping others? Have you always loved science? You can merge your interests and pursue a career providing compassionate medical care so people may live healthy lives.
DePauw’s Medicine and Health Pathway can send you on your way.
As you pursue the Medicine and Health Pathway, you will learn in a hands-on, problem-based environment, while simultaneously developing the complementary practices required of a medical professional. Traditional courses including Organic Chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology, Statistics, and Microbiology are taught by student-focused professors who are experts in their fields and in methods for maximizing student learning.
On- and off-campus opportunities, including study-abroad programs in global health and internships at the local hospital and with health professionals across the country, will prepare you for future success in a health career. You will learn to work collaboratively; adapt and persist in the face of challenges; be aware and respectful of cultural differences; and most important, consistently engage in self-reflection and improvement.
HOW DOES A DEPAUW EDUCATION RELATE?
A modern understanding of health requires much more than traditional scientific knowledge. Today’s health professionals know that, as much as health is affected by one’s genetic make-up, it is equally influenced by the person’s environment. The physical structures that surround us, the air we breathe, and the society in which we function all influence our well-being and overall health.
DePauw’s general education requirements in arts and humanities and the social sciences, and the Privilege, Power, and Diversity course will support your exploration of this intersection of scientific, cultural, and social knowledge. Courses such as Medical Narratives, Social Psychology, Human Cultures, Ethical Theory, and Religion, Healing and Medicine will push you to develop the competencies desired by today’s medical, nursing, dental, and other health professions schools.
As these courses engage you in content, they also help you develop as a writer and a speaker, so you will graduate confident in your ability to communicate your expertise to any audience.
What DePauw courses could I explore?
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Bio 101 - Molecules, Genes, and Cells
You will learn how the structure and function of cells contribute to biological processes, how cells use energy, and how genetic information flows within the cell.
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Chem 170 - Stoichiometric Calculations
This course teaches students how to understand the quantitative nature of chemistry and chemical reactions. Some of these reactions form the basis for a broader understanding of the molecular dynamics of living systems.
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Chem 130 - Structure and Properties of Inorganic Compounds
An introduction to structure, bonding, properties and simple reactions of inorganic compounds. Understanding acids and bases and the unique properties of water help you to know how important and unique water is to sustaining life.
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Chem 260 - Thermodynamics, Equilibrium and Kinetics
This introduction to the theoretical principles governing the favorability of reactions, extent of reactions and rate of reactions will enable you to build your scientific reasoning and quantitative skills.
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Psy 100 - Introductory Psychology
This course will help you to understand how scientists study the mind and behavior, how the brain functions, and the factors that influence how we think and act, with regard to both normal and atypical behavior.
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Phys 120 - Principles of Physics I
This course teaches you some fundamental concepts of physics, including momentum, energy, conservation laws, particle interactions, Newton’s laws, oscillations, orbits and planetary motion. Understanding these concepts will enhance your scientific inquiry and reasoning skills while also teaching you some of the basic mechanisms operating in and on the human body.
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Bio 102 - Evolution, Organisms, and Ecology
You will learn how individual organisms and populations respond to their complex abiotic and biotic environments within one lifetime and over many generations, adapting their strategies of sensing their environments, growth, acquisition of materials and energy, and reproduction.
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Chem 120 - Structure and Properties of Organic Molecules
This course introduces you to the basics of chemical bonding, structure and behavior in the context of organic molecules. Mastery of organic chemistry develops your knowledge of the basic chemical properties that underlie the mechanisms operating in the human body.
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Chem 240 - Structure and Function of Biomolecules
This course focuses on the four essential biopolymers: nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. By focusing on the links among molecular details, global biological function, and everyday life, you will learn to think creatively to apply your knowledge to answer scientific questions.
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Kins 255 and Kins 256 - Anatomy and Physiology
These courses help you to understand an integrated study of the normal function and structure of organs and organ systems within the human organism. You will examine the fundamental principle of homeostasis and regulation of physiological processes integral to human health and function.
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Phys 130 - Principles of Physics II
This course builds on PHYS 120 and covers fundamental concepts of physics, including electric and magnetic fields, circuits, Maxwell’s equations, electromagnetic waves, waves, interference and diffraction.
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Soc 100 - Contemporary Society
This course asks you to examine the interpersonal, cultural and structural patterns that affect social life. You will learn about stratification, marginalization, and pathways to social change.
WHO ARE ALUMNI ENGAGED IN CAREERS RELATED TO MEDICINE & Health?
- Jeff Bohmer ’95, M.D., emergency room physician and vice chairman of the Emergency Department at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital.
- Bret Cornn ’92, physician assistant.
- Shannon Fayson ’11, M.D., otolaryngology resident surgeon at University of Michigan Medical Center.
- Lesly Solares ’16, doctor of occupational therapy.
WHAT OTHER RELEVANT EXPERIENCES ARE AVAILABLE?
- Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
This program builds your scientific reasoning skills through clinically based research and enables professional development through shadowing, medical school application workshops, and grand round meetings. - Hendricks Regional Health Summer Internship Program.
These internships help you understand the business of health care. If you are interested in learning more about how health care is delivered in a cost-effective manner, keeping the patient-centered focus, this would be a great opportunity for you.
WHAT OTHER OFFICES AND PROGRAMS MIGHT I CONNECT TO?
- Departments of Biology
- Biochemistry and Chemistry
- Psychology and Neuroscience
- Kinesiology
- Global Health Program
- Hubbard Center for Student Engagement
- Timmy Global Health Future Medical Professionals
- DePauw CPR Initiatives
- Growing Inclusive Excellence in STEM initiative funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- Minority Association of Premedical Students
- Asher Office of Undergraduate Research.
WHO ELSE CAN TELL ME MORE AND ANSWER MY QUESTIONS?
- Colleen McCracken Renick
health professions adviser