Integrated, systems-based curricula are widely prevalent and explicitly called for by many accreditation bodies. Integration can have many benefits, including increasing learner interest in foundational science disciplines, helping learners organize and apply knowledge, and improving learning transfer as students enter the clinical setting. However, integrated curricular structures can also present challenges for faculty members responsible for managing both traditional and emerging foundational science disciplines from anatomy and pharmacology to behavioral science. Many questions remain for the faculty charged with managing these disciplines: Do integrated curricula, where exposure to a discipline is intermittent as opposed to clustered, improve long-term knowledge retention? What are the models to assess longitudinal discipline competency across integrated course examinations? What are the logistical challenges that may cause foundational science instructional hours to be reduced? How can selection of content, instructional methodologies and course materials be modified for an integrated curriculum to maximize learner competency? Discussing our answers to these questions will allow us to better evaluate how we are teaching and assessing foundational sciences content within integrated curricular models. In this session, we will present current literature on the practice and outcomes of discipline integration and provide a forum for peer-to-peer networking.
 

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