Technical advancements in diagnosis and treatment of diseases necessitate highest standard of interdisciplinary approach in pharmacology curriculum. Most of the clinically used drugs bind with proteins (known as receptors) and cause conformational changes in their structure to activate or inactivate them to elicit clinically desirable effects. Medical students need to have a comprehensive understanding of this biophysico-chemical process perpetuated by the drugs that they would prescribe in the near future.

Teaching pharmacology provides a well-rounded understanding of biomedical sciences and helps to develop translational research programs. Blaise Costa is giving forty hours of pharmacology lectures to a class of 180 students. In the past five years, he received three golden apple awards by the Sigma Sigma Phi VCOM Chapter for the best teaching practices in biomedical sciences. Following is the list of lectures given in 2020:

Costa Pharmacology Lectures:

MED 7160: General and Musculoskeletal Pharmacology

· Pharmacokinetics I&II

· Drugs for Osteoporosis

· Pharmacology of Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs

· Pharmacologic Basis of Antibacterial Drugs I&II

· Drugs for Osteoarthritis and Gout

· Drugs for Rheumatoid Arthritis

· Anti-fungal and Non-HIV Antiviral agents

MED 7165: Pharmacology of Neurological System and Special Senses

· Local Anaesthetic Agents

· Pharmacology of General Anaesthetics

MED 7170: Cardiovascular and Respiratory Pharmacology

· Antihyperlipidemics I&II

· Antiplatelets, Anticoagulants and Thrombolytic drugs I&II

· Pharmacologic Management of Ischemic Heart Disease I&II

· Management of Supraventricular and Ventricular Arrhythmias-I&II

· Pharmacologic Management of Congestive Heart Failure I&II

· Treatment of Upper Respiratory Tract Infections

· Antibiotic Agents for Lower Respiratory Tract Infections

MED 7175: Gastrointestinal Pharmacology

· Medications for Gastroesophageal reflux disease & Peptic Ulcer Disease

· Anti-nausea/Anti-Emetic Drugs

· Drugs for Constipation/diarrhoea and Irritable Bowel Syndrome I & II

· Inflammatory Bowel Disease

· Antiparasitic Drugs

· Drugs used in Hepatic Diseases

· Medications for the Treatment of Urinary Tract Infections

· Pharmacology of Drugs Acting on Vasopressin Receptors

MED 7180: Reproductive and Endocrine Systems

· Growth Hormones & Drugs for Adrenal Disorders

· Drugs for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia and Incontinence

· Androgens and Drugs for Impotence

MED 7160: Case Based Learning (CBL):

· Antimicrobials for Bone & Joint infections

· Urinary Tract Infections

· Gastrointestinal Infections

· Inflammatory Disorders and Crystalline Arthropathy and Osteoarthritis