A Population Health Approach to Promote Significant Learning in an Undergraduate Pathophysiology Course
Authors: Reddix Rhoda 
Published: May 2023

Background: Pathophysiology is an integrative biomedical science that is foundational for health professions education. Historically, students consider pathophysiology challenging due to its breadth, depth, and complex pathogenic mechanisms underlying diseased states. According to Dr. Lee Fink, students excel, especially in challenging subjects when learning is significant, meaningful, and integrates the human dimension. Study Objective: To promote significant learning in an undergraduate pathophysiology course using a population health approach focused on disease prevalence and disparities. Hypothesis: Students will demonstrate an increased understanding of renal disease, an awareness of disparities in renal disease in Louisiana, and the importance of primary prevention. Methodology: Thirty-eight students in the Human Medicine Track (HMT) of the Biology Program at the university completed the Pathophysiology I course during the 2021 and 2022 Fall semesters. The pathophysiology module on acute and chronic kidney disease (CKD) integrated a service-learning component in partnership with the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) of Louisiana and the Boys and Girls Club (BGC) of Metro Louisiana. The HMT students created lessons, and demonstrations, with pre-/post assessments for BGC 3rd,4th and 5th-grade youth. Topics included maintaining healthy kidneys, CKD prevention, and dialysis. They also utilized tools on the NKF website to solve renal disease case studies. Qualitative analysis of the HMT students’ pre-and post-module reflections was conducted to assess the students’ perception of their learning. Results: Quotes and descriptive statistics were used to present the data. 98% indicated that the educational experience exceeded or met their expectations. 92% of the students expressed an increased understanding of CKD. “The project helped increase my knowledge and improved my understanding about renal disease by being able to create age-appropriate kidney health information for younger kids.” 100% of the students indicated an increased awareness of disparities in renal disease in Louisiana, “chronic kidney disease prevalence is affected by race, income, and educational level.” “I never realized how many suffer from kidney disease in the Baton Rouge community until this project.” Contributing factors stated in descending order include: socioeconomic disparities, low income, lack of access to health care and health insurance, poor education, and nutrition. “I now understand the extent of socioeconomic factors that influence or raise the risk of renal disease and why implementing early education is vital”: Conclusion: Integrating significant learning experiences in pathophysiology that are meaningful, and relevant to students will enhance their interest and understanding of the disease.

Funding by Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University

This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2023 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.