{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]],"date-time":"2026-07-01T08:38:00Z","timestamp":1782895080823,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":21,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]],"date-time":"2026-07-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782864000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Physiol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Capstone projects are active and integrative, compared to passive learning from didactic lectures. Although some healthcare programs utilize these modalities, capstone projects have not been reported in a premedical master\u2019s program. We introduced a joint physiology-pharmacology capstone project in a premedical master\u2019s program.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The joint capstone project was introduced in Spring 2022 across dual campuses with a total of 72 students. Students were divided into teams, and each team selected a disease-drug pair from a list of faculty-provided options. Students investigated the disease-related physiologic changes in multiple organ systems, general treatment strategy, novel drug development, and the new drug\u2019s mechanism of action and side effects. Finally, each team generated a slide set and delivered a presentation. Each student was required to submit a reflection about the capstone project. The Block 4 Physiology exam assessed learning objectives derived from the core concepts presented in the students\u2019 capstone projects. At the end of the semester, an anonymous survey collected students\u2019 evaluations and feedback.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Student performance on the joint capstone project was excellent, with an average of above 93.5% on all physiology, pharmacology, and common domains. The mean performance on questions related to capstone diseases (self-learning) was similar to the average performance on the teacher-taught content in the Block 4 exam of the Physiology course. There were 72 (100%) responses to the evaluation survey. The majority of students (77.8% - 88.9%) agreed and strongly agreed that the joint capstone project facilitated self-directed learning of the pathophysiology, clinical trials, drug development, and therapeutic management of diseases. Students felt strongly that the joint capstone project enhanced the integration of physiology, pharmacology, and diseases. Teamwork was highly appreciated by students as well. In students\u2019 reflections, integration, teamwork, and future application were the most common themes.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A joint Physiology-Pharmacology capstone project in a premedical master\u2019s program could be an effective and efficient strategy to enhance premedical students\u2019 ability to integrate physiology, pharmacology, and disease. This project cultivates self-directed learning and teamwork.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fphys.2026.1871233","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]],"date-time":"2026-07-01T07:10:38Z","timestamp":1782889838000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Introduction of a joint physiology-pharmacology capstone project in a premedical master\u2019s program"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Qing","family":"Zhong","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical Sciences, Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine","place":["Ivins, UT, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rachel M.A.","family":"Linger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical Sciences, Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine","place":["Englewood, CO, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jacquelyn","family":"Waller","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical Sciences, Rocky Vista University Montana College of Osteopathic Medicine","place":["Billings, MT, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Joel A.","family":"Roberts","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical Sciences, Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine","place":["Englewood, CO, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","first-page":"1","article-title":"Postbaccalaureate premedical programs in the U.S.: results of a national survey","volume":"18","year":"2018","journal-title":"AAMC"},{"key":"B2","unstructured":"Common program requirements (Residency). 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