Foundations of Clinical Medicine

This course explores fundamental concepts in biochemistry, genetics, microbiology, and immunology as applied to clinical medicine in a mostly 'flipped classroom' format. This course will help to establish a foundation for understanding the pathophysiology of disease and the targets for therapeutic interventions. Discipline-specific topics include: Biochemistry: thermodynamics, enzyme kinetics, vitamins and co-factors, metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and lipids, amino acids, and nucleotides, and the integration of metabolic pathways. Genetics: basic principles of inheritance and risk assessment, illustrated with the use of clinical examples from many aspects of medicine, including prenatal, pediatric, adult, and cancer genetics. Microbiology: basic bacteriology, virology, mycology, and parasitology, including pathogenesis and clinical scenarios associated with infectious diseases. Immunology: concepts and applications of adaptive and innate immunity, and the role of the immune system in human disease. This course is offered to students enrolled in the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies program only.