The Medicine & Society Program (MedSoc) was created to address the needs of students who have an interest in both medicine and the greater good of society. Incoming first-year students are selected each summer to join the four-year program which consists of a yearlong seminar in medical anthropology, a community health internship, several courses in medical anthropology, and a senior thesis or capstone project.

The program's intellectual and programmatic roots are in the field of medical anthropology, which is broadly defined as the study of human health and illness across culture, time, and location. Medical anthropologists examine the role of culture and society in shaping experiences with illness. The discipline seeks an understanding of such wide-ranging issues as responses to health threats, alternative medicine in modern society, the human genome project, the ethics of genetic testing, social and behavioral factors affecting infectious diseases, and the causes of health disparities in the developing world. Individual health is seen within a broader framework of social networks and the larger public and private efforts to prevent disease and promote health, both domestically and internationally.

For students interested in exploring relationships among culture, behavior, and health, MedSoc offers a pathway from the perspective of the social sciences. Addressing the important social and cultural foundations of health and illness in human societies, this program also emphasizes service and research at health-related sites throughout St. Louis.

For each of the Ampersand Programs you wish to rank in your top four choices, you will need to complete a separate statement of interest (no more than 500 words) answering a program specific question. Look for the program specific questions on the program webpage.