Phase 1 (Years 1 and 2) Curriculum
Phase 1 includes both the first and second year of the program.
Overview
The information provided here pertains specifically to the Chicago campus. For a detailed overview of the phase 1 curriculum, you can access it on the main college website.
Links
Phase 1 Course Directors
| Blocks | Course Director | Course Director | Course Director | Course Coordinator(s) |
| Block 1: Body Systems & Homeostasis 1 | Michael Caffrey, PhD Biochemistry 312-996-4959 caffrey@uic.edu | Radhika Sreedhar, MD Academic Internal Medicine 312-413-3627 sreedhar@uic.edu | - | Chad McCoy 312-996-9033 chad1980@uic.edu |
| Block 2: Pathogenesis | Mahesh Patel, MD Infectious Diseases, Medicine 312-413-9286 mp3@uic.edu | Ameet Kini, MD Pathology 312-413-9415 kini@uic.edu | - | Hannah Peters, MEd 312-996-8580 hrpeters@uic.edu |
| Block 3: Skin, Muscle & Movement | Emily Klopp, PhD Anatomy & Cell Biology 312-413-1275 dklopp@uic.edu | Pim Jetanalin, MD Academic Internal Medicine 312-996-5014 pimlin@uic.edu | - | Hannah Peters, MEd 312-996-8580 hrpeters@uic.edu |
| Block 4: Circulation & Respiration | Patrick Belvitch, MD Internal Medicine 312-355-5888 pbelvitc@uic.edu | Mayank Kansal, MD Internal Medicine 312-355-4315 mmkansal@uic.edu | Jayashree Sarathy, PhD Physiology and Biophysics 312-413-0407 jvenka1@uic.edu | Angelica Glogowski, MPH 312-996-5853 aglogo4@uic.edu |
| Block 5: Digestion & Homeostasis 2 | Waddah Alrefai, MD Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology 312-569-7429 walrefai@uic.edu | Amarah Amatur, MD Nephrology 312-413-7797 aamarah@uic.edu | - | Hannah Peters, MEd 312-996-8580 hrpeters@uic.edu |
| Block 6: Brain & Behavior | Diana Mnatsakanova, MD Neurology 312-996-6496 dmnatsak@uic.edu | Victoria Gotay, MD Psychiatry 312-996-4981 bjohn30@uic.edu | - | Angelica Glogowski, MPH 312-996-5853 aglogo4@uic.edu |
| Block 7: Regulation & Reproduction | Jayashree Sarathy, PhD Physiology and Biophysics 312-413-0407 jvenka1@uic.edu | Daniel Toft, MD Internal Medicine jtoft@uic.edu | Randa Hasssan, MD Obstetrics & Gynecology 312-391-7878 randah@uic.edu | Angelica Glogowski, MPH 312-996-5853 aglogo4@uic.edu |
| Block 8: Synthesis Capstone | Gina Choi, MD Family Medicine 312-996-2580 ginalee1@uic.edu | Pavan Srivastava, MD Medicine/Pediatrics 312-355-0212 psriva1@uic.edu | Fred Zar, MD Internal Medicine 312-996-5014 fazar@uic.edu | Chad McCoy 312-996-9033 chad1980@uic.edu |
| Doctoring and Clinical Skills (DoCS) | Josh Thompson, MD Family and Community Medicine 312-996.2901 josht87@uic.edu Julie Loza, MD Family & Community Medicine 312-996-2901 jloza@uic.edu | Euna Chi, MD Academic Internal Medicine 312-413-3627 echi3@uic.edu Isabel Angulo, MD Academic Internal Medicine 312-413-3803 angulo@uic.edu | Kelsie Alvarez, MD Academic Internal Medicine 312-996-2901 kavants@uic.edu Gina Choi, MD Family Medicine 312-996-2580 ginalee1@uic.edu | Malwina Kuczynska, MD 312-413-2017 tmkuczy2@uic.edu |
| Medical Colloquia | Christina Wells, MD Family Medicine cwells2@uic.edu | - | - | Brian Miller, 312-996-5853 bmille34@uic.edu |
| Block 9: Transition to Clerkships (TTC) | Michelle Barnes, MD Academic Internal Medicine/ Pediatrics mbarnes@uic.edu | - | Annette Zacharia, MD Academic Internal Medicine azachar1@uic.edu | Kelly Lynn Hogan, MA/MFA 312-355-0521 klhogan@uic.edu |
Where to Purchase?
- Physical books can be ordered from the UIC Medical Bookstore. The UIC Medical Bookstore in Chicago is located on-campus at:
Student Center West
828 South Wolcott Ave.
Chicago, IL 60612
312-413-5550 - Requirements in addition to course texts and materials: View the Educational Technology Requirements. Note that some of this information can also be found in Phase 1 Blackboard under Block 0, Module 1.
- Scholar Rx: ScholarRx is a digital learning platform specifically designed for medical education.New in 2024-2025, the College of Medicine has purchased access for your phase 1 faculty and you to a novel digital learning platform known as ScholarRx, or USMLE-Rx. ScholarRx consists of several important resources, and we recommend you start with this primer on the use of the platform: Getting started with USMLE-Rx.
Scholar Rx helps break complex concepts into simple building blocks. The platform provides many questions that allow you to practice using basic science knowledge to solve clinical problems. High-yield content is presented via “Bricks,” which offer an interactive learning experience, with flash cards and summary questions. You will often have pre-work for classes assigned from this platform. Our faculty have adapted some bricks and created some of their own. The ScholarRx Brick Exchange parallels the First Aid content outline, to provide a firm foundation in medicine.
- Textbooks & related materials: The list of textbooks and other materials can be found in Blackboard on the left-hand navigation.
Updated August 6, 2025
M1 Summer Opportunities
For help accessing summer opportunities, M1 students should visit the General Phase 1 Information tab on the Phase 1 Curriculum Blackboard site for their class to explore the Summer Opportunities information for current program listings, research search engines and suggestions from fellow students. Any questions or concerns can be directed to your Office of Student Affairs (OSA) -Lead who would be happy to assist.
First year required classes run through the middle of June, so please plan accordingly.
Year 1 & Year 2 Block Schedules
Many courses include mandatory attendance sessions that are not designated as such within the block schedules. Students must consult course syllabi and orientations materials for course-specific attendance requirements.
Changes can occur throughout the academic year due to faculty emergencies, lecture hall issues, etc. For this reason, it is NOT recommended that students print out a copy of the schedule in advance.
Only the Year 1 and Year 2 calendars as viewed from the Curricular Affairs Live Block Schedules (below) can be considered authoritative at this time.