Through innovative curriculum, we prepare our residents to recognize and respond to the social and structural factors that shape health outcomes.
Trainees engage in focused learning on caring for all patient populations, including but not limited to patients impacted by housing insecurity, substance use, food insecurity, and inadequate insurance coverage. Just as importantly, our program fosters welcoming, respectful environments for all members of the healthcare team—recognizing that physician wellness and a culture of belonging are essential to delivering exceptional care. This commitment is reflected throughout our core training and through various optional learning experiences.
Health Disparities Track
The Health Disparities Track is an optional two-year curriculum designed to foster the ability to recognize and address social factors that can act as barriers to health. PGY-2 and PGY-3 residents interested in joining the track learn about health disparities through didactics, mentorship, and a primary care experience in the UAB Providing Access To Healthcare (PATH) Clinic, a free diabetes clinic for patients who are uninsured.
The Cooper Green Experience
Every PGY-1 spends a month at Cooper Green, a vibrant, mission-driven clinic where no one is turned away for inability to pay. Here, residents care for recently discharged patients and those needing urgent visits. It’s a rotation that equips trainees with the insight and skills to care for underserved communities with compassion, confidence, and commitment.
Addiction Medicine Experience
Caring for patients with substance use disorders takes more than clinical knowledge; it takes empathy, curiosity, and a deep understanding of the forces that shape addiction. During the addiction medicine experience, interns join a team of dedicated specialists to learn harm reduction strategies, explore the impact of stigma, and connect with patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings. It’s an eye-opening experience that transforms the way trainees approach addiction and equips them to deliver compassionate, evidence-based care.
Residents receive instruction on how to navigate difficult clinical encounters with confidence and compassion via reflective writing and group discussions. In each session, we create spaces for open, meaningful dialogue about bias and its impact on healthcare teams and patients alike. Residents also have access to just-in-time learning through the Closing the Divide program, which provides optional training with practical tools and frameworks to recognize and respond to bias in real clinical encounters.
Come Roll With Me
At our program, we believe great doctors care for all patients—so we partnered with the Departments of Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy for this initiative. Come Roll with Me is a hands-on, eye-opening initiative that puts disability awareness front and center. Residents step into the shoes (and wheels!) of patients with disabilities through interactive sessions that include navigating the campus in a wheelchair, learning safe transfer techniques, and hearing directly from patients about their real-life healthcare experiences. It’s a powerful experience that equips trainees to deliver compassionate, patient-centered care.