Molecular Basis of Medicine (SMD 571)
Total Contact Hours: 113 hours
Course Director: John V. Paietta, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Course Description: The goal of the Molecular Basis of Medicine course is to provide a strong foundation of understanding of the biochemical constituents of cells and the reactions and processes that they undergo. Its focus is biochemistry, molecular biology, and genetics for an in-depth understanding of the structure, organization, and function of living matter in molecular terms. Team-based learning modules highlight clinical correlations and the importance of understanding illness and disease at the molecular level.
Course Learning Goals, Assessment, Practice, Teaching and Learning Activities, and their Integration with the Institutional Educational Objectives:
Institutional Objectives |
Learning Goals |
Assessment Activities (graded) |
Practice/ Feedback Activities (non-graded) |
Teaching and Learning Activities |
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Identify and describe components of molecular structures in cells, including amino acids (proteins), porphyrins (hemes), vitamins, carbohydrates, nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), and fats (lipids, cholesterol). |
MCQ Exam TBL IRAT/GRAT |
Practice questions, ARS, and online problems sets TBL GAPP |
Live lectures, class notes, TBL, and textbook readings, video taped lectures, ARS and open review sessions, Muddy waters answers to questions |
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Recognize and summarize synthetic and degradative metabolism of amino acids, carbohydrates, heme, lipids, and nucleic acids and how these pathways are regulated in the cell. |
MCQ Exam TBL IRAT/GRAT |
Practice questions, ARS, and online problems sets TBL GAPP |
Live lectures, class notes, TBL, and textbook readings, video taped lectures, ARS and open review sessions, Muddy waters answers to questions |
|
Analyze and integrate the tissue specificity of the regulation of metabolic pathways of lipids, carbohydrates, hemes, amino acids, and nucleic acids and how these pathways are integrated in normal human metabolism. |
MCQ Exam TBL IRAT/GRAT |
Practice questions, ARS, and online problems sets TBL GAPP |
Class notes, TBL, and textbook readings, video taped lectures, ARS and open review sessions, Muddy waters answers to questions |
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Given case vignettes of patients with possible metabolic and genetic disorders, identify key molecular and genetic features. |
MCQ Exam TBL IRAT/GRAT |
Practice questions, ARS, and online problems sets TBL GAPP |
Live lectures, class notes, TBL, and textbook readings, video taped lectures, ARS and open review sessions, Muddy waters answers to questions |
|
Recognize and integrate transcription of DNA, translation of mRNA, and gene regulation in normal and disease states including cancer |
MCQ Exam TBL IRAT/GRAT |
Practice questions, ARS, and online problems sets TBL GAPP |
Live lectures, class notes, TBL, and textbook readings, video taped lectures, ARS and open review sessions, Muddy waters answers to questions |
|
Solve increasingly complex pH problems involving cells, tissues, body homeostasis, including case vignettes of patients with probable acid-base disorders. |
MCQ Exam TBL IRAT/GRAT |
Practice questions, ARS, and online problems sets TBL GAPP |
Liver lectures, class notes, TBL, and textbook readings, video taped lectures, ARS and open review sessions, Muddy waters answers to questions |
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Recognize and describe components of serum including clotting factors, albumin, and immunoglobins in normal and diseased states. |
MCQ Exam TBL IRAT/GRAT |
Practice questions, ARS, and online problems sets TBL GAPP |
Live lectures, class notes and textbook readings, video taped lectures, ARS and open review sessions, Muddy waters answers to questions |
|
Evaluate the human oxygen delivery system (hemoglobin, myoglobin, mitochondria) in normal and diseased states and solve basic clinically derived problem sets/cases. |
MCQ Exam TBL IRAT/GRAT |
Practice questions, ARS, and online problems sets TBL GAPP |
In class family case histories. Live lectures, class notes and textbook readings, video taped lectures, ARS and open review sessions, Muddy waters answers to questions |
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Given case vignettes of patients with possible genetic disease, integrate medical science to clarify molecular mechanism of inheritance and pose treatment approaches. |
MCQ Exam TBL IRAT/GRAT |
Open question and answer sessions with patients and families. TBL GAPP |
In class family case histories and sessions with real patients, Live lectures, class notes and textbook readings, video taped lectures, ARS and open review sessions, Muddy waters answers to questions |
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Plan in teams or independently to complete complex projects in a defined time-frame. |
TBL IRAT/GRAT |
TBL GAPP |
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Exemplify learning through synergistic interactions among fellow students. |
TBL IRAT/GRAT |
TBL GAPP |
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Express constructive feedback to peers and examine constructive feedback. |
TBL Peer Feedback at end of Term 1 |
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Assemble teams through adequate preparation, punctuality and creation of a positive, encouraging atmosphere |
TBL Peer Feedback at end of Term 1 |
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Mentoring by Course Director and faculty |
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Exemplify professional and ethical behaviors regarding patient confidentiality |
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Family case presentations in human genetics |
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Treat diverse populations (fellow students, patients, faculty, teaching assistants and BSOM staff) with courtesy and respect. |
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Course and TBL orientations |
Institutional Educational Objectives
Category addressed | Definition |
---|---|
1. Institutional Objectives | What does our institution want our graduates to do? |
2. Learning Goals | If your students mastered the content of your course, what would they be able to do? |
3. Assessment Activities (graded) 4. Practice/Feedback Activities (non-graded) |
What will students need to do for them and others (peers, professors) to know whether they have achieved this specific learning goal? |
5. Teaching and Learning Activities | How will students get the information they need to learn? |
Knowledge and Lifelong Learning
- K1: The graduate will demonstrate knowledge of the basic medical sciences; clinical skills; and the ability to acquire, manage, and use current information for clinical decision-making and problem-solving in the care of individual patients, family members, populations, and systems of care delivery.
- K2: The graduate will demonstrate knowledge of the ethical, social, economic, and cultural influences upon the health of and health care delivery to patients and patient populations, and will be able to propose realistic approaches to improving the health of an individual patient and for a patient population.
- K3: The graduate will be able to identify the diverse factors that influence the health of the individual and the community; identify the socio-cultural, familial, psychological, economic, environmental, legal, political, and spiritual factors impacting health care and health care delivery; and be able to respond to these factors by planning and advocating the appropriate course of action at both the individual and the community level.
Interpersonal and Communication
- C1: The graduate will demonstrate the ability to establish a professional relationship with a patient, build a comprehensive medical and social/personal history, conduct either a focused or comprehensive physical examination as indicated, construct a differential diagnosis, and recommend a course of treatment consistent with current standards of care.
- C2: The graduate will demonstrate the ability to communicate (written and oral) clearly, professionally, and effectively with patients, their family members, health care team members, and peers.
- C3: The graduate will demonstrate the capacity to listen to and respond appropriately to constructive feedback from peers and teachers, as well as give constructive feedback and evaluation to peers and faculty as requested.
Professionalism, Advocacy, and Personal Growth
- P1: The graduate will be able to identify personal strengths and weaknesses in the care of patients and working with colleagues and allied health professionals, and, if indicated, demonstrate the ability to make changes in behavior that facilitate collaborative relationships.
- P2: The graduate will demonstrate through the period of undergraduate medical education a pattern of responsible behaviors consistent with the highest ethical standards of the profession: honesty, confidentiality, reliability, dependability, civility, and punctuality.
- P3: The graduate will demonstrate a commitment to leadership and the advancement of new knowledge.