In the United States, similar thematic approaches have been reported in the past, in particular as complementary pathways to the content approaches used in the first 2 years of the medical school curriculum at the same institution [24], [25] and [26]. Utilizing these thematic streams, course material would be centered around concepts rather than specific small

focused courses. This entailed elimination of these smaller and more narrowly focused courses taught by one department or division, and integration of material and faculty into larger interdepartmental courses. The basic stream ZD1839 molecular weight outline used as a template for curriculum reform at UCSF were based on 5 streams [7]: • Biomedical sciences stream: Material was incorporated the basic science disciplines that form the core knowledge for understanding human health and disease into integrated systems and with clinically relevant examples to dental practice. During the identification

and development of these four thematic streams, the committee realized that important elements were missing, namely the development of the critical thinking skills and the acquisition of skills needed for students to become life-long learners, and hopefully stimulate more students to pursue academic careers. The committee thus Galunisertib supplier proposed a fifth stream for this purpose that would also help with the integration of the other four streams [7]. • Scientific methods stream: The scientific literature Evodiamine would be explored so that students developed the reasoning tools to better analyze and solve problems related to the practice of dentistry. The goal of the stream courses was not to have every student become a scientist, but to have students become “men and women of science” [13] and [28]. The courses would be planned and taught by epidemiologists, statisticians, public health dentists, dental clinicians, and by basic, clinical and translational researchers to present

the basics of research methodology, with examples from the dental literature. Similar approaches have been developed in dental schools in Japan with integrated bioinformatics approaches [23]. For example in 2005, TMDU started a new module-based curriculum aiming at more integration of basic and clinical sciences. In this new curriculum an extended research project course (7 weeks to 3.5 months) was introduced, since cultivating a research mind is one of the university’s educational goals. AT UCSF, new information technology was brought into the curriculum. The first online information website for the new curriculum was based on a WebCT® platform. As curriculum planning progressed, a template was created for the School of Dentistry courses, and faculty training provided to assist in the utilization of these tools.