BM 501 - Foundations of Disease

10 Credit Hours
Foundations of Disease teaches foundational knowledge that provides the fundamental building blocks necessary to progress to subsequent organ system modules within the curriculum. This course covers molecular cell biology and biochemistry, the interaction of cells with their environment, including the structure and function of tissues, electrical activity in cellular function, autonomic physiology, and the basic principles of pharmacology.

The course prioritizes the principles for discriminating healthy from pathologic conditions and predicting clinical manifestations from available data. It further integrates the general mechanisms of disease with an introduction to pathology and genetics. Microorganisms are introduced to provide context for the foundations of immunology, infectious disease, and relevant pharmacology.

Students will also learn and apply the basic principles of biostatistics and the scientific method as they apply them to clinical problems Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM).