• Leslie C Sheu, Brian C Toy, Emanuel Kwahk, Albert Yu, Joshua Adler, and Cindy J Lai.
• School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA. leslie.sheu@ucsf.edu
• J Gen Intern Med. 2010 May 1; 25 Suppl 2 (Suppl 2): S140S145S140-5.

BackgroundAlthough health disparities are commonly addressed in preclinical didactic curricula, direct patient care activities with affected communities are more limited.PurposeTo address this problem, health professional students designed a preclinical service-learning curriculum on hepatitis B viral (HBV) infection, a major health disparity affecting the Asian/Pacific Islander (API) population, integrating lectures, skills training, and direct patient care at student-run clinics.SettingAn urban health professions campus.MethodsMedical and other health professional students at University of California, San Francisco, organized a preclinical didactic and experiential elective, and established two monthly clinics offering HBV screening, vaccination, and education to the community.ResultsBetween 2004 and 2009, 477 students enrolled in the student-led HBV curriculum. Since the clinics' inception in 2007, 804 patients have been screened for chronic HBV; 87% were API immigrants, 63% had limited English proficiency, and 46% were uninsured. Serologically, 10% were found to be chronic HBV carriers, 44% were susceptible to HBV, and 46% were immune.DiscussionOur student-led didactic and experiential elective can serve as an interprofessional curricular model for learning about specific health disparities while providing important services to the local community.

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