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Indiana University School of Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
MD Education Program

Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Scholarly Concentration

Lifestyle choices regarding physical activity, nutrition, stress management, and social support are major factors contributing to health outcomes. Changes in these behaviors can lead to better health outcomes, reduced health care costs and improved community health. Through this concentration, students learn how to help patients implement evidence-based lifestyle choices with a team of exercise physiologists, nutritionists, mental/behavioral health counselors, social workers, and other health professionals.

Locations

Some concentration coursework can be completed online; some coursework takes place in Muncie. The scholarly project typically takes place in Muncie.

Curriculum and Timeline

Students completing the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention concentration fulfill the same core curriculum as students in other concentrations. The didactic components provide a strong academic and experiential foundation in public health and lifestyle medicine that will be vital for completion of the core curriculum project and product.

Topic-Specific Course

Introduction to Public Health

Lifestyle Medicine

Core Curriculum

Fundamentals of Research and Scholarship

Scholarly Concentration Project

Scholarly Concentration Product

Recommended Pathway

This table shows that the first two topic specific courses should be completed during the summer between the first and second year of med school. The third topic specific courses should begin between the first and second year of med school and conclude on or before phase one in year two. The two remaining courses, project and product, are also longitudinal. The project can begin as soon as phase one in year two of med school, while the product should begin during phase three and conclude on or before the end of fourth year.

Students determine if a concentration pathway will fit in their schedule by contacting concentration co-directors. 

Scholarly Project Topic Examples

Students work with faculty to complete a project in a relevant topic based on student interests. Students are welcome to come up with their own project idea. Potential project topics include, but are not limited to:
  • Infusion of lifestyle medicine into primary care
  • Maternal and infant health
  • Nutrition education and its effectiveness
  • Barriers to good nutrition
  • Addiction prevention and management
  • Vaping preventative education
  • Increasing access to primary care

Student Testimonials

Headshot of student Julie VaughanWhy did you choose the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Scholarly Concentration?

I am really interested in family medicine. And with that, I'm really interested in preventative medicine — sort of the true primary care where you keep people from getting sick, and then you try to keep them healthy. My big interest within medicine is preventative care. So I saw that the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Scholarly Concentration fit that to a tee. It’s certainly not limited to people going into primary care, but it’s pretty perfect for those going into primary care.

What scholarly project have you chosen to undertake, and why?

For my project, I'm doing a video-based intervention trying to tackle food insecurity. What we've done is work with food pantries to come up with a list of foods that are commonly stocked at those food pantries, and then using that curated list, we develop nutritious recipes that people can make using more limited food options or pantry basics.

Then we make cooking videos on how to make those recipes and upload them to YouTube – and all of that is freely accessible. The ideal audience we're trying to reach is food-insecure individuals, particularly families who are food insecure. But it's a really neat project and I've really loved doing it.

How has your work with your Scholarly Concentration come up in residency interviews?

It has come up in every single residency interview I’ve had! It is usually brought up in response to research, community service, passion within medicine, or as an example of taking initiative/filling a need. Every person who has asked has expressed how impressed they are with the project. Several of them have actually asked for the YouTube channel link and have become a subscriber. One had already made a recipe from my video before the interview! 

Brooke StraderWhy did you choose to participate in the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Scholarly Concentration program?

I chose to participate in the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Scholarly Concentration program because I am passionate about family medicine and helping people with their health goals. The best way to help individuals better their health is to promote healthy life choices in order to prevent major diseases.

How will your participation in this scholarly concentration contribute to your overall career aspirations in medicine?

Doing research into an area of health promotion for the State of Indiana has helped me become more in tune with the needs of my community. I will most likely end up doing some sort of research in my future career, so this project will help me hone those skills to use as a family medicine physician.

Co-Directors

24958-Fromm, Larry

Larry B. Fromm, PhD

Adjunct Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Bio and Contact Information

16199-Litt, Michael

Michael D. Litt, PhD

Adjunct Associate Professor of Medical & Molecular Genetics

Bio and Contact Information

Faculty Profile Picture Placeholder IUSM Logo

Lynn A. Witty, MD

Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine

Bio and Contact Information

map shows the health promotion and disease prevention concentration located in muncie
MD Student News

In their words: Scholarly Concentration Q&A with Health Promotion and Disease Prevention co-directors

Larry Fromm, PhD, and Michael Litt, PhD, share details on the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Scholarly Concentration, in which students learn how to help patients implement evidence-based lifestyle choices with a team of exercise physiologists, nutritionists, mental/behavioral health counselors, social workers and other health professionals.