Epidemiology / Evidence-Based Medicine / Biostatistics

Introduction To The Patient 2; Longitudinal Generalist Mentorship 2
Introduction to the Patient (ITP) is an interdisciplinary, two-year course that introduces students to both the science and art of doctoring. It facilitates the development of the core clinical skills and increases understanding of the context of medical care. The second year expands on the skills addressed in the first year, and focuses on problem solving and management. The Longitudinal Generalist Mentorship (LGM) component is a community-based early clinical experience began in first year is continued throughout year two.

Microbiology / Immunology

This course emphasizes the classification, structure, and molecular pathogenesis of clinically-relevant human pathogens among bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Immunology is taught as a separate section, with emphasis on the molecular mechanisms of antimicrobial and tumor immunology, as well as hypersensitivities, autoimmunity, and transplantation immunology. Lectures, wet laboratories, computer-assisted exercises, and clinical correlation conferences serve to relate the basic science principles to laboratory diagnoses and clinical medicine.

Pathology

The Pathology course emphasizes pathologic processes and their morphologic changes. A clear understanding of the etiology, pathogenesis, pathophysiology, and morphologic changes of disease serves as an important and essential basis for the understanding and competent practice of any area of clinical medicine. The course addresses: the basic pathologic processes which affect the body (e.g., inflammation, repair, neoplasia, and senescence); the pathologic processes which manifest in the various organ systems and establish a morphologic basis for the understanding of disease; the vocabulary of pathology; an understanding of laboratory medicine, particularly the choice and interpretation of laboratory tests and application of these tests to clinical situations in a diagnostically appropriate and cost effective manner; and an approach to clinical problems which evaluates symptoms, signs, and findings with a knowledge of pathogenesis to formulate a diagnosis with due consideration of differential diagnoses.

Pathophysiology

This course focuses on the clinical pathophysiology of disease states, and follows the topic sequence of the simultaneously-presented Pathology course. The multidisciplinary clinical faculty lecture and lead small group case-based sections. There are required readings for each didactic session.

Pharmacology

The Pharmacology course teaches the underlying principles of drug therapy and introduces the background necessary for evaluating new developments in pharmacology and therapeutics. The course covers components of pharmacology: pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics, as well individual classes of drugs. Students will learn to conceptualize and cite specific examples of those factors that limit or enhance expected pharmacological actions, as well as know the mechanisms and sites of these actions.

Psychopathology

This course provides students with a general overview of psychopathology. Material presented, in conjunction with information learned in Human Development, prepares students for the clinical demands of the third and fourth years of medical school. Topic areas include functional and dysfunctional human behavior; the role of society, family, environment, biology and genetics in the development of psychopathology; and the need to treat all patients with compassion.