Medical Schools’ Collaborative

We are a first-of-its-kind group of medical school faculty, staff and students focused on promoting longitudinal, developmental-based curricula in serious illness communication for all medical students. We began with listening to each member’s perspectives and developed a shared goal for the Collaborative.
 
Our Mission
Upon graduation, medical students will have acquired the foundational knowledge, skills, and inspiration to engage as residents in goal-oriented conversations with seriously ill patients, with a commitment to lifelong learning and deliberate practice.
 
Our Work
The work to date has encompassed four streams. In 2018, we developed five core competencies in serious illness communication for implementation at each medical school in Massachusetts. Then in 2019 and 2020, each school conducted standardized curriculum mapping against the competencies. In 2021, schools hosted focus groups of current medical students to assess their experiences with serious illness communication during their training. Up next, we are using all of this information to develop a shared approach to faculty development. By sharing early lessons on the opportunities, challenges, and sustainability of our statewide collective action, we aim to influence tomorrow’s emerging physicians.

Our Members

​Our collaborative includes expert faculty in palliative care and geriatrics, administrative leaders, and students from the four medical schools in Massachusetts.