Preparing medical students for contemporary clinical practice requires a strong Foundations curriculum that integrates biomedical knowledge, clinical skills, interprofessional teamwork, and understanding of how care is delivered across clinical, community, and hospital settings. As healthcare delivery has become increasingly complex, shaped by interdisciplinary care, diverse patient needs, evolving technologies, and systems-level pressures, undergraduate medical education must ensure that students are well prepared for early clinical learning and the transition to Clerkship, grounded in equity, community engagement, and continuous quality improvement.
While the Foundations curriculum introduced an integrated structure emphasizing early clinical exposure, community engagement, and systems-based learning, ongoing curriculum review identified opportunities to strengthen coherence, relevance, and clinical preparedness. In particular, there was a need to better support the transition from Foundations to Clerkship; modernize anatomy teaching to emphasize clinical relevance; strengthen community-based learning; more intentionally integrate equity-focused themes and underrepresented populations; clarify Year 1 orientation and integration experiences; and refresh health systems content to reflect evolving expectations. These needs were identified through curriculum review processes, learner feedback, and alignment with institutional priorities.
The MD Program implemented a coordinated set of Foundations curriculum innovations to address these gaps:
- Anatomy Teaching Renewal (MAPS): The MAPS curriculum was renewed across Years 1 and 2 to integrate anatomy with medical imaging, pathology, and surgery, emphasizing clinically relevant anatomy through case-based, multidisciplinary learning and hands-on experiences, including POCUS.
- Preparing Students for Clinical Learning (TTC-CIA): To further support students with the transition to clinical learning in Clerkship, the two-week Transition to Clerkship – Clinician in Action (TTC-CIA) curriculum was embedded at the end of Year 2. It provides structured, discipline-informed clinical scenarios focused on common clerkship activities such as handover, documentation, clinical reasoning, and interprofessional communication.
- ICE: Health in the Community (ICE:HC) updates and CEEs: The Health in Community curriculum, which includes tutorials and hands-on community service learning, underwent renewal toward a Community Engaged Experiences (CEE) framework that emphasizes flexibility, longitudinal exposure, and sustained relationships with community partners.
- Theme Integration: Curriculum review, guided by theme leads and community consultation, led to better integration of key longitudinal themes in Foundations, including the Leader theme, and care for Black, Indigenous and 2SLGBTQIA+ populations. This work strengthened these robust themes across the Foundations curriculum, and supports ongoing equity-focused education across the four years.
- Year 1 Integration Week: Integration week was introduced at the end of Year 1 to consolidate learning and spiral key concepts from across the year that prepare students for Year 2. The week pushes students to think across topics and create their own cognitive maps to prepare them for clerkship.
- HSR2 Curriculum Refresh: The second-year Health Sciences Research (HSR) curriculum was refreshed to better engage students in the critical appraisal of medical literature, a core skill in today’s increasingly complex evidence‑based medical landscape. HSR tutors now offer more flexible support to help students strengthen their research skills.
These curriculum innovations strengthened the coherence and clinical orientation of the Foundations curriculum by improving alignment between foundational science, early clinical exposure, and community-based learning, while maintaining a strong focus on equity and social accountability. The curriculum now reflects a clearer progression from foundational knowledge to applied clinical learning, supported by enhanced preparation for common clinical tasks and improved early orientation to institutional and clinical environments.
Renewed anatomy teaching integrated imaging, pathology, and surgical perspectives, while expanded community-engaged experiences and strengthened theme integration embedded learning related to social determinants of health, equity, accessibility, and underrepresented populations. These changes reinforce Foundations as a cohesive and intentional platform for subsequent stages of medical training.
The MD Program will continue to evaluate Foundations innovations through learner feedback, assessment data, and CQI processes. Ongoing work will focus on refining implementation, monitoring impact, and ensuring the Foundations curriculum remains responsive to evolving community needs, learner experiences, and institutional priorities.
