Evolutionary medicine and psychiatry in medical education: a scoping review.

Abstract

Background: Evolutionary medicine (EvMed) and evolutionary psychiatry (EvPsych) apply principles of evolutionary biology to deepen understanding of disease vulnerability, mental health, and clinical reasoning. Despite growing conceptual maturity and relevance across biomedical domains, the extent and nature of their integration into medical and psychiatric education remain unclear.

Objective: This scoping review aims to map the education-focused literature on EvMed and EvPsych across undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing professional training contexts, and to characterize the types of educational initiatives, frameworks, and evaluation strategies described.

Methods: A scoping review methodology was employed to search multiple databases and supplementary sources systematically. Eligible sources included conceptual curriculum frameworks, descriptive studies of curricular provision or learner attitudes, and interventional or evaluative educational studies. Data were charted and categorized by educational context, study design, and primary educational contribution. Findings were synthesized narratively.

Results: The final 19 articles include conceptual advocacy, curriculum mapping studies, and a smaller number of implementation and evaluation reports. While there is broad agreement regarding the theoretical value of evolutionary perspectives for enhancing clinical understanding and integrative reasoning, formal curricular integration remains uneven. Reported barriers include limited curricular time, faculty expertise, and perceived controversy. Existing educational interventions are typically modular, case-based, and of short duration, with outcomes primarily focused on learner knowledge and attitudes.

Conclusions: EvMed and EvPsych possess a coherent conceptual foundation but remain variably embedded within formal training pathways. Future work should prioritize rigorous evaluation, competency alignment, and scalable implementation strategies to support sustained curricular integration.

Lay summary: Evolutionary medicine (EvMed) applies evolutionary biology to explain why humans are vulnerable to disease. This review maps how EvMed and evolutionary psychiatry are taught in medical training. Although widely valued, integration remains uneven. Stronger evaluation and curriculum development are needed to embed evolutionary thinking in clinical education.