Students in the Bioethics and Professionalism Honors Program complete a capstone research project by the end of their third year in medical school. These projects can be conceptual, empirical, pedagogical, or service oriented in nature. All honors students in this program are required to prepare an academic level poster (or equivalent) of their work and present it to faculty and students at the end of their third year. This fourth-year elective provides an opportunity for these honors students to learn how to prepare and submit their work for publication.

Objectives:
--To demonstrate an understanding of a variety of bioethical issues in medicine and health care.
--To demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the student’s selected capstone topic relating to bioethics and professionalism.
--To acquire knowledge and skills regarding the process of preparing and submitting a paper for publication based on the student’s capstone project.

Students will meet with their faculty advisors at the beginning and mid-course for feedback and be required to produce a detailed outline or draft of their paper. By the end of this elective, the student will have the final paper completed, a specific journal identified for submission and the paper will be formatted according to that journal’s specifications. Students must submit the paper to a journal approved by their faculty advisor and provide proof of submission to their advisor and the course director (Dr. Katherine Wasson) to complete the elective and receive credit. Faculty will assess whether the student has fulfilled these requirements. The course will be graded on a pass/fail basis.