Development and Implementation of a Multidisciplinary Translational Course Using Rheumatoid Arthritis as a Model for Chronic Illness During the Medical Student Clerkship Year

We successfully developed and implemented a 1-week course during the clinical clerkship year using rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as a model chronic medical illness requiring multidisciplinary patient care. This course reviewed and integrated basic science concepts with a clinical focus and utilized multiple active learning sessions led by diverse health sciences programs faculty to demonstrate the critical importance of interprofessional health teams to help patients with chronic illness manage their care. The design of this course can be replicated for other chronic medical illnesses.