Electives

This course introduces students to the gross anatomical structure of the human body using cadaver prosections and digital 3D technology, including the innovative Microsoft HoloLens. It differs from most traditional anatomy courses (including ANAT 411) not only in its use of three-dimensional imaging technologies but also in its systemic rather than regional approach; the structure of the human body is learned by studying organ systems (e.g., the nervous system, the musculoskeletal system) rather than focusing on one region at a time (e.g., the thorax or the lower limb). This approach gives students the “big picture” of how the human body is organized, thereby providing a solid foundation for other courses that deal with the anatomy of the human body in greater detail. Cadaver demonstrations allow students to see anatomical systems in context and apply knowledge learned through virtual technologies.

This course will provide students the knowledge necessary to choose the appropriate methods needed to explore scientific questions, understand ethical research design, use safe laboratory practices and develop research skills that are highly valuable in the field of neuroscience. The topics covered in this course include basic laboratory skills, neuroanatomy, histology, neurophysiology and behavioral neuroscience. Successful completion of this course will equip students with the kinds of practical knowledge and hands-on experiences that can enhance competitiveness for internships, doctoral training programs or careers in research laboratories. Offered as ANAT 303, ANAT 403, NEUR 303, and NEUR 403.

Application of statistical techniques with particular emphasis on problems in the biomedical sciences. Basic probability theory, random variables, and distribution functions. Point and interval estimation, regression, and correlation. Problems whose solution involves using packaged statistical programs. First part of year-long sequence. Offered as ANAT 431, BIOL 431, CRSP 431, PQHS 431 and MPHP 431.

The descriptive and experimental aspects of animal development. Gametogenesis, fertilization, cleavage, morphogenesis, induction, differentiation, organogenesis, growth, and regeneration. Students taking the graduate-level course will prepare an NIH-format research proposal as the required term paper. 

The focus for this course on a special topic of interest in evolutionary biology will vary from one offering to the next. Examples of possible topics include theories of speciation, the evolution of language, the evolution of sex, evolution and biodiversity, molecular evolution. ANAT/ANTH/EEPS/PHIL/PHOL 467/BIOL 468 will require a longer, more sophisticated term paper, and additional class presentation. 

This course will survey the biological and behavioral changes that occurred in the hominid lineage during the past five million years. In addition to a thorough review of the fossil evidence for human evolution, students will develop the theoretical framework in evolutionary biology. Recommended preparation: ANTH 377, BIOL 225.

Laboratory research project. Student must obtain approval of a supervising Anatomy department professor before registration and list the professor's name on the schedule card.

In-depth consideration of special selected topics through critical evaluation of the literature. Student must obtain approval of supervising Anatomy department professor before registration.

In this team-taught course, students learn how anatomic relationships and considerations affect surgical decision making. It meets once per week during the eight-week summer session, with each week focusing on a different surgical specialty, including plastic, general, vascular, neurological, urological, orthopedic, and head and neck (otolaryngology). Students build on their pre-existing knowledge of human anatomy and learn through a combination of framing lectures and cadaveric surgical simulations directed by clinical surgical faculty. Prereq: ANAT 401 or ANAT 411 or MD Student.

This orthopaedic musculoskeletal anatomy course is offered to M.S. in Applied Anatomy students and fourth year medical students. The course will familiarize participants with surgical approaches used to treat musculoskeletal disease. Students will learn to correlate normal and abnormal anatomical findings with radiographical studies. Recommended preparation: ANAT 411.

This cadaver-based advanced anatomy course is offered to M.S. in Applied Anatomy students and fourth year medical students. Students will build on their understanding of basic gross, histological, pathologic, and embryonic anatomy of the head and neck. The course will familiarize participants with surgical approaches used to treat pathological conditions of the head and neck including cranial cavity, cranial base, orbit, maxillofacial, oral, otic, pharyngeal, and airway. Students are required to attend and participate in lectures, surgical labs, and discussions in order to successfully complete the course. Instructor consent is required. Recommended preparation: ANAT 411.

Imaging anatomy will reinforce the student's knowledge of anatomy and introduce the field of radiology. Students would be motivated to broaden their understanding of anatomy by being exposed to the application of that knowledge. The curriculum would introduce radiologic concepts, while stressing the normal anatomy of organ systems by imaging modalities. Anatomical structures will be recognized by projectional and cross-sectional modalities. The student will be expected to demonstrate the anatomical characteristics of that structure by oral or written account, for example course, area of supply, relations, morphology, etc. Recommended Preparation: Comprehensive knowledge of human anatomy, such as ANAT 411.

Comprehensive course covering the underlying basic mechanisms of injury and cell death, inflammation, immunity, infection, and neoplasia followed by pathology of specific organ systems. Material will include histological ('structure') and physiological ('function') aspects related to pathology (human emphasis). Recommended preparation: ANAT 412 or permission of instructor. 

This course is constructed to reinforce the student's understanding of neuroanatomy. Through problem-based learning the student will set their own learning objectives based on a neurosurgical case. Presentations will use imaging, anatomic diagrams, and cadaveric dissection to demonstrate applications. Learning in this clinical context will increase motivation and understanding of this important subject. Primarily for medical students and graduate students, enrollment is by permission of instructor and completing ANAT 414, Neurological Anatomy. Prereq: ANAT 414.

A course of study designed especially for the preparation of teachers that involves the supervised practical application of previously studied theory. The teaching experience obtained will be obtained in ANAT 411 - Human Gross Anatomy. Teaching will be guided, supervised, and evaluated by the appropriate faculty from the department of anatomy. The three sections of ANAT 611 and the subjects covered are: Trunk Gross Anatomy (6 weeks), Musculoskeletal Gross Anatomy (3 weeks), Head & Neck Gross Anatomy (4 weeks). Required preparation: ANAT 411 and permission of instructor.

Thesis research, supervised by thesis advisor. Only students pursuing a Plan A (thesis) Master’s degree can register for this course, and once a student registers for ANAT 651, they must continue to register for it every fall/spring  semester through graduation. Variable credit (1-9 cr.), graded satisfactory/unsatisfactory. 

The course examines the interplay of politics, governmental structures, culture and religion and their impact on ethics questions that arise in the health arena. The course provides a broad overview of the basic tenets of several major faith traditions and examines how and why the interpretation of such tenets and their impact on bioethics issues varies across different societies. The specific domains in which we explore such issues, e.g., reproductive health, regenerative medicine, end-of-life issues, infectious disease, may be rotated each year.

Objectives: Students will be able to:

• Describe how religious views and interests affect policymaking with respect to a variety of health-related issues
• Enunciate strategies for the reconciliation of bioethics perspectives stemming from diverse religious interests in a pluralistic society
• Compare and contrast the perspective of various world religions with respect to specific bioethics issues

Prereq: Open to Graduate Students and Seniors only.

Topics will include comparative medical systems and concepts of health, medical history, illness narratives and narrative ethics, social determinants of health and health inequalities, analysis of representations of illness and medicine in literature and the arts, and medical rhetoric. Students who complete the course should develop a command of the basic problems, approaches, and literatures in the social and cultural contexts of health sickness, and medicine. Students will be able to identify epistemology, theory, methodology and data from neighboring disciplines and understand affordances and costs in each. 

This course will focus on both theoretical and practical issues in clinical ethics. Clinical ethics will be distinguished from other areas of bioethics by highlighting distinctive features of the clinical context which must be taken into account in clinical ethics policy and practice. Fundamental moral and political foundations of clinical ethics will be examined, as will the role of bioethical theory and method in the clinical context. Topical issues to be considered may include informed consent; decision capacity; end of life decision making; confidentiality and privacy; the role and function of ethics committees; ethics consultation; the role of the clinical ethicist; decision making in various pediatric settings (from neonatal through adolescent); the role of personal values in professional life (e.g., rights of conscience issues, self disclosure and boundary issues); dealing with the chronically non-adherent patient; ethical issues in organ donation and transplant; health professional-patient communication; medical mistakes; and other ethical issues that emerge in clinical settings.

This summer course provides an introduction to the macromolecules and small molecules that are the foundation of living systems. The focus is on mammalian biochemistry, with links to human biology and human disease. Topics include: protein structure and function; enzyme mechanisms, kinetics and regulation; membranes; hormone action; bioenergetics; intermediary metabolism, including pathways and regulation of carbohydrate, lipid, amino acid, and nucleotide biosynthesis and breakdown. One semester of biology is recommended. Suitable for students interested in careers in the health professions. This course is not open to undergraduate Biochemistry majors or Biochemistry graduate students.

Overview of the macromolecules and small molecules key to all living systems. Topics include: protein structure and function; enzyme mechanisms, kinetics and regulation; membrane structure and function; bioenergetics; hormone action; intermediary metabolism, including pathways and regulation of carbohydrate, lipid, amino acid, and nucleotide biosynthesis and breakdown. The material is presented to build links to human biology and human disease. One semester of biology is recommended. Prereq: CHEM 223 and CHEM 224.

An examination of the flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA to protein. Topics include: nucleic acid structure; mechanisms and control of DNA, RNA, and protein biosynthesis; recombinant DNA; and mRNA processing and modification. Where possible, eukaryotic and prokaryotic systems are compared. Special topics include yeast as a model organism, molecular biology of cancer, and molecular biology of the cell cycle. Current literature is discussed briefly as an introduction to techniques of genetic engineering. Recommended preparation: BIOC 307. 

The concept of cancer hallmarks has provided a useful guiding principle in our understanding of the complexity of cancer. The hallmarks include sustaining proliferative signaling, evading growth suppressors, enabling replicative immortality, activating invasion and metastasis, inducing angiogenesis, resisting cell death, deregulating cellular energetics, avoiding immune destruction, tumor-promoting inflammation, and genome instability and mutation. The objectives of this course are to (1) examine the principles of some of these hallmarks, and (2) explore potential therapies developed based on these hallmarks of cancer. This is a student-driven and discussion-based graduate course. Students should have had some background on the related subjects and have read scientific papers in their prior coursework. Students will be called on to present and discuss experimental design, data and conclusions from assigned publications. There will be no exams or comprehensive papers but students will submit a one-page critique (strengths and weaknesses) of one of the assigned papers prior to each class meeting. The course will end with a full-day student-run symposium on topics to be decided jointly by students and the course director. Grades will be based on class participation, written critiques, and symposium presentations. Offered as BIOC 420, MBIO 420, PATH 422, and PHRM 420. Prereq: CBIO 453 and CBIO 455.

Mechanisms of regulation of pathways of intermediary metabolism; amplification of biochemical signals; substrate cycling and use of radioactive and stable isotopes to measure metabolic rates. Recommended preparation: BIOC 307 or equivalent. Offered as BIOC 452 and NTRN 452.

This is an advanced course that covers the biochemical mechanisms of action of major classes of common cancer therapeutics. The course will start with a review of fundamental cellular and biochemical mechanisms relevant to the initiation and progression of cancer. A common gastrointestinal cancer such as colon cancer, and a common hormone dependent cancer such as breast cancer, will be used as common threads during the rest of the course. The role of biomarker testing in disease prevention, cancer diagnosis, and specific treatment design will be discussed. The biochemical mechanisms of major classes of cancer therapeutics will be covered. Examples of current treatment approaches using chemotherapeutic agents, hormones, and immunotherapy will be used. Finally, emerging and developing new technologies and approaches in cancer screening and prevention, diagnosis, and treatment will be discussed. Offered as BIOC 353 and BIOC 453. Prerequisite: Graduate student standing.

The task of a sensory system is to collect, process, store, and transmit information about the environment. How do sensory systems convert information from the environment into neural information in an animal's brain? This course will explore the ecology, physiology, and behavior of the senses across organisms. We will cover introductory neurobiology and principles of sensory system organization before delving more deeply into vision, olfaction, audition, mechanosensation, and multi-modal sensory integration. For each sensory modality, we will consider how the sensory system operates and how its operation affects the organism's behavior and ecology. We will also explore the evolution of sensory systems and their specialization for specific behavioral tasks. Offered as BIOL 322 and BIOL 422. Counts as a SAGES Departmental Seminar course. Prereq: Graduate standing.

The physiology, genetics, biochemistry, and diversity of microorganisms. The subject will be approached both as a basic biological science that studies the molecular and biochemical processes of cells and viruses, and as an applied science that examines the involvement of microorganisms in human disease as well as in workings of ecosystems, plant symbioses, and industrial processes. The course is divided into four major areas: bacteria, viruses, medical microbiology, and environmental and applied microbiology. 

This course is designed for pre-allied health students to introduce key overarching medical topics, including bioethics, public health and health disparities, as well as to integrate key MCAT topics from other courses into a clinically applicable context. Further, select human anatomy and physiology topics will be introduced. An important component of this course is the IQ process, which will reinforce scientific inquiry, self-reflection and constructive criticism. This course will have limited enrollment and is by permission only. 

This course is the second semester in a 2 semester series designed for pre-professional health students to introduce key overarching medical topics, including bioethics, public health and health disparities, as well as to integrate key MCAT topics from other courses into a clinically applicable context. Further, select human anatomy and physiology topics will be introduced. An important component of this course is the IQ process, which will reinforce scientific inquiry, self-reflection and constructive feedback. 

The purpose of this course is to give an introduction to the physiology of the major human organ systems, as well as selected associated pathophysiologies. The course will provide a physiological basis for subsequent study and research in Molecular Medicine. The integration of clinical faculty into the course will emphasize the importance of bringing scientific knowledge to bear on clinical problems, a theme which will be stressed throughout the Molecular Medicine curriculum. The course will also acquaint students with medical terminology.

This course provides a rigorous problem-centered training in the epidemiology, prevention, treatment, and control of infectious diseases and, more generally, global health. This is an advanced epidemiology that embraces an active learning environment. Students are expected to invest time out of the classroom reading and working with classmates. Classes will be conducted with discussions, debates, group projects, and group presentations. By taking this course, students will develop a framework for interpreting, assessing, and performing epidemiologic research on issues of global importance. The course will be divided into three modules:1) Global Health Epidemiology 2) Helminth Epidemiology, and 3) Epidemiology of Disease Elimination. Each module is worth 1 credit hour and may be taken separately. Each module will have a separate project and/or exam. The final exam time will be used for group presentations and panel discussion. Active class participation is required through discussions, case studies, and group projects. Offered as PQHS 484, INTH 484, and MPHP 484.

This short course will use readings and case studies to explore the motivating factors in the emergence of global health interventions over the last 200 years, with a focus on its roots in public health practice, its expanding scope in the early to mid- 20th century, and the strengths and weaknesses of modern global health interventions. Readings and seminar discussions will involve consideration of the changing definitions of "public health", and of the spaces in which public health interventions are expected to occur.

This course will focus on understanding how diet and nutrition impact health and wellness throughout the life cycle. There are core concepts in human nutrition that all health care providers should understand to optimize their care of individuals, themselves, and the community. These core concepts are the focus of this course. Students who complete all course modules and assignments with a passing grade will earn 2 credits. In order to earn 3 credits, students must complete all course modules and assignments with a passing grade and complete an additional 20 page paper on a nutrition topic approved by the instructor.

On-line lecture only course which explores the significance and consequences of oxygen and oxygen metabolism in living organisms. Topics to be covered include transport by blood tissues, oxygen toxicity, and mitochondrial metabolism. Emphasis will be placed on mammalian physiology with special reference to brain oxidative metabolism and blood flow as well as whole body energy expenditure and oxidative stress related to disease. The course will cover additional spans of physiology, nutrition and anatomy.

Trillions of microbes are estimated to exist on the planet, yet only ~1,400 are known to cause human
disease. In this course for post-baccalaureate PRIME (PATH 314) and graduate (PATH 414) students in
School of Medicine programs, the study of microbiology is focused on pathogens of high clinical
relevance. The core material covers the classification, replication cycle, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and
treatments for bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic pathogens. Extensions of these topics include the host
response to infection, the human microbiome, infectious proteins (prions), and antimicrobial resistance.
Lectures are further infused with the clinical and research insight of faculty experts from the Center for
Global Health and Disease, Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), University Hospitals Division of Infectious
Disease & HIV Medicine, the Department of Pathology, and the CDC-funded National Prion Surveillance
Center. Previous coursework in microbiology is not required.

Introductory immunology providing an overview of the immune system, including activation, effector mechanisms, and regulation. Topics include antigen-antibody reactions, immunologically important cell surface receptors, cell-cell interactions, cell-mediated immunity, innate versus adaptive immunity, cytokines, and basic molecular biology and signal transduction in B and T lymphocytes, and immunopathology. Three weekly lectures emphasize experimental findings leading to the concepts of modern immunology. An additional recitation hour is required to integrate the core material with experimental data and known immune mediated diseases. Five mandatory 90 minute group problem sets per semester will be administered outside of lecture and recitation meeting times. Graduate students will be graded separately from undergraduates, and 22 percent of the grade will be based on a critical analysis of a recently published, landmark scientific article. Prereq: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

This course, taught by several faculty members, encompasses the full range of factors that contribute to the development of neurodegeneration. Subjects include pathological aspects, neurodegeneration, genetic aspects, protein conformation and cell biology in conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and prion diseases. Students read assigned primary literature and present and discuss these in class.

This is an introductory course covering normal cell and molecular biology as well as cell physiology. Additional topics to be discussed in the course will include cell structure and function, as well as correlates to cellular and molecular pathology. MCAT prep is incorporated into the curriculum.

An interdisciplinary introduction to the fundamental principles of molecular and cellular biology as they relate to the pathologic basis of disease. Lectures, laboratories, conferences.

On-line lecture only course which explores the significance and consequences of oxygen and oxygen metabolism in living organisms. Topics to be covered include transport by blood tissues, oxygen toxicity, and mitochondrial metabolism. Emphasis will be placed on mammalian physiology with special reference to brain oxidative metabolism and blood flow as well as whole body energy expenditure and oxidative stress related to disease. The course will cover additional spans of physiology, nutrition and anatomy.

Our intent is to expand the course from the current 3 hours per week (1.5 hour on Monday and Wednesday) to 4 hours per week (1.5 hours on Monday and Wednesday plus 1 hour on Friday). Muscle structure and Function, Myasthenia gravis and Sarcopenia; Central Nervous System, (Synaptic Transmission, Sensory System, Autonomic Nervous System, CNS circuits, Motor System, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Paraplegia and Nerve Compression); Cardiovascular Physiology (Regulation of Pressure and flow; Circulation, Cardiac Cycle, Electrophysiology, Cardiac Function, Control of Cardiovascular function, Hypertension); Hemorragy, Cardiac Hypertrophy and Fibrillation; Respiration Physiology (Gas Transport and Exchange, Control of Breathing, Acid/base regulation, Cor Pulmonaris and Cystic Fibrosis, Sleeping apnea and Emphysema); Renal Physiology (Glomerular Filtration, Tubular Function/transport, Glomerulonephritis, Tubulopaties); Gastro-Intestinal Physiology (Gastric motility, gastric function, pancreas and bile function, digestion and absorption, Liver Physiology; Pancreatitis, Liver Disease and cirrhosis); Endocrine Physiology (Thyroid, Adrenal glands, endocrine pancreas, Parathyroid, calcium sensing receptor, Cushing and diabetes, Reproductive hormones, eclampsia); Integrative Physiology (Response to exercise, fasting and feeding, aging). For all the classes, the students will receive a series of learning objectives by the instructor to help the students address and focus their attention to the key aspects of the organ physiology (and physiopathology). The evaluation of the students will continue to be based upon the students' participation in class (60% of the grade) complemented by a mid-term and a final exam (each one accounting for 20% of the final grade). 

Physiology is the dynamic study of life. It describes the vital functions of living organisms and their organs, cells, and molecules. For some, physiology is the function of the whole person. For many practicing clinicians, physiology is the function of an individual organ system. For others, physiology may focus on the cellular principles that are common to the function of all organs and tissues. Medical physiology deals with how the human body functions, which depends on how the individual organ systems function, which depends on how the component cells function, which in turn depends on the interactions among subcellular organelles and countless molecules. Thus, it requires an integrated understanding of events at the level of molecules, cells, and organs. Medical Physiology I is a lecture course (3, 2 hr. lectures/week). It is the first of a two-part, comprehensive survey of physiology that is divided into four blocks: Block 1 covers the physiology of cells and molecules, signal transduction, basic electrophysiology, and muscle physiology; Block 2 covers the nervous system; Block 3 covers the cardiovascular system, and; Block 4 covers the respiratory system. Grading in the course will be based on performance on multiple choice/short essay examinations administered at the end of each block with each examination weighted according to the number of lectures contained in that block.

This course presents physiological concepts from the comparative and evolutionary perspective. Aspects of vertebrate and mammalian evolution will be considered with respect to the generation of adaptive advantages for organisms to changing environmental challenges since the Cambrian. Comparative physiological concepts include scaling, variations in nutrition, energy metabolism and work efficiency. The important influences of time, temperature, water and energy on mammalian biology will be presented. The course is a lecture based course that can be taken in person or on-line. Evaluations will be by regular quizzes, a mid-term and a final exam, all MCQ.

Principles of Pharmacology introduces the basic principles that underlie all of Pharmacology. The first half of the course introduces, both conceptually and quantitatively, drug absorption, distribution, elimination and metabolism (pharmacokinetics) and general drug receptor theory and mechanism of action (pharmacodynamics). Genetic variation in response to drugs (pharmacogenetics) is integrated into these basic principles. The second half of the course covers selected drug classes chosen to illustrate these principles. Small group/recitation sessions use case histories to reinforce presentation of principles and to discuss public perceptions of therapeutic drug use. Graduate students will be expected to critically evaluate articles from the literature and participate in a separate weekly discussion session. Recommended preparation for PHRM 409: Undergraduate degree in science or permission of instructor.

Individual library research project under the guidance of a pharmacology sponsor. Projects will reflect the research interest of the faculty sponsor, including molecular endocrinology, neuropharmacology, receptor activation and signal transduction, molecular mechanisms of enzyme action and metabolic regulation.

Advanced Professional Development for University Teaching is intended to provide participants with the chance to learn innovative, effective, and evidence-based teaching strategies that are useful in University classrooms. Taught by experienced teachers and graduate teaching assistants, this seminar will feature small group discussions about the Science of Teaching and Learning research literature, opportunities to observe experienced university faculty, and micro teaching sessions. On-the-ground and online learning settings will be incorporated into course activities in an effort to prepare students interested in university teaching with a broad background of learning environments. Participants will receive a certificate of completion and will have transcript evidence acknowledging successful completion of this professional development course.