Instructor: Paul Cox, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine
Description: Doctors, Neurobiology and Relationships will focus on how understanding the brain, mind and relationships helps health professionals provide care, healing and comfort to patients. The seminar’s primary goal is to help students appreciate the centrality of the doctor-patient relationship in healing mental illness. Students will leave the seminar understanding how mental illnesses are brain illnesses that can be treated effectively with medications, therapy (relationships), and other medical interventions (e.g. electrical). The science content is limited to that necessary to develop an appreciation of its role in understanding relationships. This is more of a person-focused seminar on being a doctor than a science seminar.
Format: The seminar will meet for two hours each week. The time will be divided between informal lecture presentations, discussion, and student presentations. Reading material will be provided. There is no required text.Coursework will consist of class participation in discussions related to topics presented in class or from reading, as well as 4 brief (1 page) reflective papers. Topics include reflections on 1) neuroanatomy relevant to relationships, 2) important attachments in your life, 3) rupture and repair of important relationships in your life, and 4) how this seminar changed your understanding of the treatment of mental illnesses. Students must satisfactorily complete the 4 papers. Papers should be less than 1 page, turned in on time (Wednesday 5 pm the day prior to the seminar), and show evidence of a good faith attempt to complete the assignment. Grading: Students will be required to prepare four 1-page reflective papers on assigned reading. The course grade will be based on the quality of their written papers (15% each for two of the first three papers and 30% for 4th and final paper which is more comprehensive in scope and can be up to 2 pages in length) and quality of their participation in class discussions (40%).
About the Instructor: Paul Cox, MD is an Associate Clinical Professor member in the Department of Psychiatry in the School of Medicine. His is a clinical educator, seeing patients 20-30 hours a week in addition to teaching. He has been the Director of the Psychiatry clerkship for the 3rd year medical students since 1995. In addition to medical student education, he is interested in group therapy and social cognitive learning theory.