Welcome - A Letter from Our Clerkship Director, Jason Chao, MD, MS
Our mission is to "ensure that every student who should become a family physician, does become a family physician."
On behalf of the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at Case Western Reserve University, I would like to welcome you to our department. It is a pleasure to introduce you to one of the nation's top-ranked departments of family medicine’s Predoctoral Educational Division. Promoting family medicine through innovative curriculums, community outreach programs and faculty interaction is our passion.
Medical students can take advantage of the many resources our family medicine department offers through early clinical experiences with the Community Primary Care Preceptorship program, third-year curriculum and numerous electives. Teaching opportunities are enriched by the diversity and special interests of our faculty within our Family Medicine Department. The Family Medicine Interest Group is a student-run organization that compliments medical student experiences in our department by educating medical students about the many opportunities in family medicine.
Additionally, our department also boasts one of the most productive and varied Family Medicine research divisions nationally. We are also the editorial home of the country’s premier academic Family Medicine journal, the Annals of Family Medicine. We welcome medical student interest in research.
Medical students at outside universities interested in electives with Case Western Reserve University who have completed a core clerkship in either Family Medicine or Internal Medicine should contact Stephanie Cummings to inquire about Acting Internships and elective opportunities with the Department of Family Medicine.
Jason Chao, MD, MS
Clerkship Director
The Predoctoral Division Faculty/Staff
- Jason Chao, MD, MS - Family Medicine Clerkship Director
- Angela Miller-Bennett, MD - Family Medicine Interest Group Advisor
- Lisa Navracruz, MD – CWRU Director, Physical Diagnosis and Patient-based Programs
- Stephanie Cummings - Predoctoral Education Coordinator
Third-Year Curriculum Information
Family Medicine is integrated into the required third-year clerkships. The recent curriculum change now combines Family Medicine with Internal Medicine and Geriatrics in a twelve-week clerkship. In addition to regular didactics, students are placed in clinical sites working one on one with a family physician. The focus is on refining basic clinical skills; diagnosis and management of primary care problems; application of health promotion, disease prevention and patient education; appreciation of comprehensive, continuous care; and sensitivity to biopsychosocial and familial influences on medical problems.
Family Medicine Interest Group
The Family Medicine Interest Group at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine focuses on educating medical students who are considering primary care about the many opportunities in family medicine.