1. Dr Ann Wylie
Dept. Primary Care, King’s College London
Division of Medical Education King’s College London
ann.wylie@kcl.ac.uk
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2.  Health promotion (HP) is now core in many
curricula
 It is taught and assessed at KCLSM
throughout all years
 Since the introduction and development of
this core HP and number of positive
outcomes have been noted
 The approach to integrating core HP was
based on sound pedagogy and educational
findings – such as ensuring relevance to other
learning

3.  There was limited interest in HP SSMs and
Public health related core content
 Students rarely looked to HP as a potential
for publications and bursaries
 The HP SSMs were rarely oversubscribed
 Conference interest by students was
associated with clinical and scientific work
 Research in HP and Med Ed was limited

4.  Since 2006 core HP has been taught in years
1,3 and 4(2nd
yr – there is a SSM option), final
year core started 2007
 Assessment approaches include
presentations, portfolios and short answer
 Students do well, especially with
GP/community related year 4 presentation
assessments
 Tutors involved have reported high levels of
satisfaction/interest/new learning for them

5. The data from 2007/8 and 2008/9 were
reviewed relating to;
 Students doing HP related SSMs
 Students requesting and designing HP SSMs
 Students undertaking HP research needing
ethical approval
 Students submitting HP conference abstracts
 Student applications for bursaries for
electives and other HP studies
 Student publications linked to HP work

6.  Health promotion SSMs have increased 5 fold
 Self designed HP SSMs in years 2, 3, 4 and 5
have also increased, including 3 with
complex multi focal themes needing ethical
approval
 Students have successfully applied for grants
and bursaries – notably the Bygott (£750)and
Wellcome (£1000) awards

7.  The increased workload has required
additional HP specialists for teaching/second
marking etc
 A internal student prize has been established
given the high levels of HP/Community based
SSMs and the quality of student work
 A conference award has also been
established to support students with
accepted abstracts

8. Taught SSMs include:
 Exploring needs of families with Sickle cell disease
 Teaching children about health
 The role of maternal literacy in health outcome
 Cuban health
 Health promotion interventions – evaluating
 Tackling inequalities
 Smoking policies – exploring impact
 Drug and alcohol communities provision
 Victims of torture and assessing needs
 Health promotion for prisoners
 Health /social issues for older people in areas of deprivation
 Natural family planning
 The “good doctor” – role of humanities

9. The self designed SSMs include:
 Evaluating a school mentoring scheme
 Anti-bullying polices and their implementation
 Obesity prevention for children with special needs
 Obesity prevention and management
 Developing and piloting obesity protocol for pregnant women
 Breast screening and resistance
 Breast feeding and evaluating campaigns
 Efficacy of sexual health interventions
 Natural family planning – why is it challenged
 Health of medical students
 HIV and stigma
 Malaria prevention and other SSMs linked to TB in Asia

10. The major HP focus in core is in year 4 – the penultimate
year
 Some students have looked at the impact of different
placements on them and their well being – looking at
personal health and career options with 4 current students
doing application for academic and HP/PH related posts
 Students have had 3 papers published, 2 in press, 5 in
draft
 7 conference presentations
 One student has contribution to three chapters in book in
press
 7 newly qualified doctors in academic/HP/PH posts

11. A positive and supportive attitude to core HP has fostered
additional interest for this field
The GMC(Dec 2008)reported favourably on this aspect of
curriculum at KCLSM
“Areas of innovation and good practice .. We commend the School on the following
areas of innovation and good practice: ,,the integration of public health teaching in
Phase 4, where students undertake a pregnancy study looking at longitudinal health
aspects (see paragraph 42).”
“The School adequately addresses issues and techniques involved in studying
..integrating public health in Phase 4 in which students undertake a Community
Pregnancy Study looking at longitudinal health aspects, including antenatal
screening, ethical dilemmas and decision making...the School is undertaking an
international longitudinal joint study, with links to Monash University in Australia,
on the impact of health promotion in the curriculum. We encourage the School to
disseminate any findings from this”

12. HP is part of core curricula for many schools but it
will remain marginal. Our approach suggests:
 Acceptance is possible if it is well integrated and
relevant to other content/learning experiences
 Additional opportunities through SSMs foster
wider interest
 Constant review and amendments, linked to
feedback and evidence, is imperative, as this is
an emerging epistemology