Seminar on Family Centered Care and Developmental Disabilities

Medical students receive an introduction to developmental disabilities and family centered care through the Seminar on Family Centered Care and Developmental Disabilities, a required component of the pediatric rotation for all third year medical students at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ.

The Boggs Center coordinates the seminar eight times each year in collaboration with other divisions at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Department of Pediatrics.

A key component of the seminar is visits to families in their homes, to increase awareness of and sensitivity to the strengths and needs of families who have a child with a developmental disability.

Project Contact: Deborah M. Spitalnik, PhD; Caroline N. Coffield, PhD

Elective on Healthcare for Children and Adults with Developmental Disabilities

For third and fourth year medical students interested in a more thorough learning experience about disability, The Boggs Center coordinates the two-week pediatrics elective, Healthcare for Children and Adults with Developmental Disabilities (PEDS-9254A). Designed to increase students’ sensitivity to the complex and mult-faceted nature of providing health care to indivdiualsl with developmental disabilities and their families, the course combine experiential and didactic learning opportunities to expose students to a range of settings, contexts and providers. The elective is individually designed with each student to best align with their interests and meet their needs.

Project Contact: Caroline N. Coffield, PhD

Project Mentorship

The Boggs Center will work with interested students to complete project-based experiences related to disability as an independent project, research project, or Distinction in Service to the Community (DISC) project. Bogg Center faculty and staff are able to serve as project advisors, faculty mentors and/or facilitate connections with community sites that serve the disability community.

Project Contact: Caroline N. Coffield, PhD