Weekly Themes

Week 1 – Building Blocks

• Students will build a knowledge base for understanding human development, wellness and disease starting with the most basic building blocks: DNA, RNA , proteins and cells.

• Students will learn about molecular testing techniques and the process of interpreting testing results in clinical practice.

• Students will apply this knowledge base to clinical cases including gout, growth failure, thalassemia, and HIV/AIDS.

Week 2 – And So it Begins…

• Students will learn the molecular and genetic basis of transforming cells into tissues, and ultimately organ systems with a focus the structure and function of normal tissues.

• Students will build on their knowledge of molecular biology towards an understanding of genetics and genetic disorders with a focus on cytogenetics, patterns of inheritance, and population genetics.

• Students will apply this knowledge to clinical cases including Prader Willi and Down Syndromes.

Week 3 – Fueling the Fires: Metabolism

• Students will build on their foundation in biochemistry toward understanding of the role of the metabolism of amino acids, carbohydrates and lipids in human health and disease.

• Students will apply knowledge from this week and past weeks to clinical cases including inborn errors of metabolism and diabetes mellitus.

Week 4 – Up & Running: Membranes & Fluids

• Students will learn about the structure and function of cell membranes and their role in the transport of fluid, electrolytes and other small molecules.

• Students will learn about the electrochemical balance that exists across the cell membrane and how this potential is used to transmit signals in the nervous system.

• Students will learn about systems of maintaining homeostasis in the body with a focus on the regulation of body temperature and fluid balance

• Students will apply knowledge from this week and past weeks to clinical cases including dehydration, renal disease, and cystic fibrosis

Week 5 – Movement & Maintenance

• Students will build on their knowledge of cells, membranes and signal transmission towards and understanding of the physiologic basis of skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscle function

• Students will learn about the autonomic nervous system, its role in cardiac and smooth muscle control, and pharmacologic agents that act on this system

• Students will apply knowledge from this week to clinical cases including muscular dystrophy, and myasthenia gravis

Week 6-7 – Derangement: How Things Go Wrong

• Students will gain a vocabulary for discussing pathologic changes and a framework for evaluating them in the clinical context

• Students will learn about the adaptive and pathologic responses of cells and tissues to injury and how to identify these processes in images

• Students will learn about laboratory medicine and discuss the issues related to ethics and use of testing in clinical decision-making

• Students will build on their knowledge of genetics and molecular biology toward an understanding of neoplastic transformation and the therapies that target neoplastic diseases

• Students will apply knowledge from these weeks to clinical cases including acute liver failure, genetic counseling, and head and neck cancer

Week 8 – Prevention & Intervention

• Students will learn the basic principles of pharmacology with a focus on pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and rational pharmacotherapy

• Students will learn general concepts of doctoring, including disease prevention and the responsible use of pharmacologic and other interventions

• Students will learn the basic principles of gene therapy including its current and future applications

• Students will apply knowledge from this week to clinical cases including health maintenance visits, autonomic disorders, and advanced cancer care.

Week 9 – Final Exam!