Primary Care Week

The second-year GSP students take responsibility for planning and implementing the annual Primary Care Week, a week-long program of  lectures, panels, films or other activities that focus on issues relating to generalist medicine.  Sessions are open to the entire student body and faculty of the UVA School of Medicine, as well as other interested persons.

With the support and guidance of the GSP faculty, students begin planning Primary Care Week during the spring of their first year. They select a date, choose a theme for the week, consider topics for individual events, and identify speakers. Students work with Professor Marcia Childress, the director of the UVA Medical Center Hour, to co-sponsor a lunch-hour program that addresses an issue related to primary care. The Medical Center Hour is a program of the UVA School of Medicine Center for Biomedical Ethics and Humanities.  It provides a weekly forum for the exploration of topics in medicine and society. Together with Professor Childress, students will explore topics, identify a speaker, and plan a follow-up program with the guest speaker if possible.

As they plan the Primary Care Week, students will work with the GSP faculty and administrator to develop a schedule and plan the logistics, including publicity, venue for programs, and refreshments.

Primary Care Week affords students an opportunity to pursue issues of interest to them while at the same time developing leadership and organizational skills necessary for implementing a school-wide program.