Why was LOCUS established?

Doctors are leaders in their communities; they serve as health care providers, as advocates for patients, and as agents of political change. Yet most American medical schools do not provide opportunities for students to develop leadership skills. Not surprisingly, the system produces an abundance of expert subspecialty physicians with limited experience and skills for health leadership. Medical educational research has confirmed that many medical students lose their motivation and interest for community health service as they progress through medical training.

Medical students, faculty and staff of the UW Department of Family Medicine established LOCUS in 1998. The idea for the program came from students who had strong interests in remaining actively involved in community service during medical school. Some of these students had community health experiences prior to entering medical school; they felt isolated in the classroom and divorced from the problems that motivated them to pursue medical careers. These students wished to strengthen their leadership skills and work with others who had similar goals. Their vision was to create a program to support medical students who: 1) enter medical school with a strong commitment to community service; 2) acknowledge problems in our current health care system and wish to enhance health care for medically underserved populations; 3) recognize that effective leadership skills may be combined with medical skills to improve health care; 4) wish to join a community of like-minded students, staff and faculty; and 5) are self-directed learners who are willing to enhance their skills through participation in the program and completion of a community health project. The result of their vision was the LOCUS program.

The goal of LOCUS is to help students maintain their motivations, sustain their activities and enhance their skills in community health service as they progress through medical school. To accomplish this goal, LOCUS fellows will:

Participate in self-directed leadership skill development.
Explore different concepts and styles of leadership.
Increase self-awareness.
Acquire the knowledge and skills to work effectively with communities.
Gain experience working with communities through longitudinal projects.
Become active members of the LOCUS community, sharing ideas and contributing to program development.

LOCUS serves as a focal point for community health-related service opportunities at UW-Madison and around the city and state. The program has employed a number of new ideas in medical education at the UWMS:

Introduction to Community Oriented Primary Care (COPC)
Partnerships with the State of Wisconsin Division of Public Health and the Dane County Medical Society and with faculty in Population Health Sciences to engage students with community health leaders and programs
Service learning programs for students to build knowledge and skills and engage in self-reflection as they perform community services
Opportunities for individual mentoring by community physicians and for small group discussions regarding students' personal and professional goals