Foundations

PWY 100 Subject & Catalog Number

Description

The goal of the Foundations course is to provide students with a framework for understanding biomedical science that they can apply in subsequent preclerkship courses and throughout their medical and dental training.  The course is comprised of nine disciplines, organized into three broad themes: Molecular, Cellular and Genetic Basis of Medicine (cell biology & biochemistry, genetics, pharmacology); Structure and Function of the Human Body (anatomy, histology, developmental biology); and Mechanisms of Defense and Disease (pathology, immunology, microbiology). The content is selected to emphasize the key principles of each field. Most topics are taught in an integrated fashion to help students identify conceptual links between fields. For example, cell signaling is taught in the context of how signaling pathways are perturbed by mutation or disease and how drugs are used to intervene in signaling pathways. To complement discipline-oriented teaching, Foundations introduces several disease-specific themes that are used to teach content in a longitudinal and integrated fashion, including cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Course Manager: Rob McCabe.