Pharmacology Curriculum Transition 1990-Present
Curriculum ~1990 Introductory Biochemistry Biology of Bacteria and Mammalian Cells Human Physiology General and Special Pharmacology Advanced Pharmacology Medical Biochemistry Course Medical Microbiology Course (Immunology section only) Medical Physiology Course Medical Pharmacology Course (full year; separate grad grading) Graduate Topics in Pharmacology (4 semesters total)
Curriculum Issues ~1990 Dependence on medical curriculum at the time it was transitioning to an integrated course format Dissatisfaction with medical class content and focus Concern overall graduate curriculum too course-heavy and too long
Curriculum ~1992 Advanced Biochemistry Eukaryotic Molecular Biology Human Physiology Introductory Pharmacology Receptor Pharmacology Graduate Biochemistry Course Graduate Mol. Biology Course (2 nd half of year-long sequence) Medical Physiology Course (in spring; grad tutorial in fall) Graduate Pharmacology Course (full year; subset of med. pharm.) Graduate Pharmacology Course (1 of former adv pharm sections)
Curriculum ~1995 Advanced Biochemistry Eukaryotic Molecular Biology Principles of Physiology Introductory Pharmacology Receptor Pharmacology Graduate Biochemistry Course Graduate Mol. Biology Course (2nd half of year-long sequence) Graduate Physiology Course Graduate Pharmacology Course (full year; subset of med. pharm.) Graduate Pharmacology Course (1 of former adv pharm sections)
Curriculum Issues ~1995 Still dependent on Medical Pharmacology, which while remaining a stand-alone course was now more tightly integrated with other 2 nd year medical courses Receptor Pharmacology course had not been fully revamped since spinning off from the Advanced Pharmacology course sequence Eukaryotic Molecular Biology not designed as an general course in molecular biology
Curriculum ~2000 Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Of Eukaryotes I and II Principles of Physiology Molecular Pharmacology Systems Pharmacology Graduate Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Course (full year) Graduate Physiology Course Graduate Pharmacology Course on cell and molecular signaling Graduate Pharmacology Course (derived from med. pharm.)
Course Content Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Protein and nucleic acid structure-function and interactions Transcription, protein synthesis, folding and degradation Cellular organization, protein trafficking, nuclear transport Signaling
Course Issues Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Serves as core 1 st year course for most graduate programs on Health Science campus Incoming students have diverse backgrounds, and programs have diverse training needs Pharmacology provides <10% of students to course, so influence is limited
Course Content Principles of Physiology Membrane and cell physiology Digestive system Endocrine system Respiratory system Cardiovascular system
Course Issues Principles of Physiology Topics covered are somewhat selective and influenced by what programs provide students (had been many biomedical engineering students in past) Pharmacology involved in course development and major source of students, so we have reasonable influence
Course Content Molecular Pharmacology Basic principles, membrane lipids, GPCRs Phospholipid signaling Signaling via MAPKpathways Ion channels, Ca signaling and signaling complexes Serine threonine and tyrosine kinases Immune signaling Nuclear receptors
Course Issues Molecular Pharmacology Faculty Teaching load, with separate medical and graduate pharmacology courses Integration with the Systems Pharmacology course Need to design course to attract students from other programs (as elective)
Course Content Systems Pharmacology Review of drug-receptor interactions Phamacokinetics Biostatistics Autonomic pharmacology Eicosanoids and asthma Neuropharmacology Cardiac and vascular pharmacology
Course Issues Systems Pharmacology Limited number of topics that can be covered Difficulty preparing and giving lectures to a small number of students (as few as 3) Minimal potential for attracting students from other programs to course
Ongoing Concerns Dependence on other programs for some core courses Need for a critical number of students enrolled in core Pharmacology courses Achieving proper balance between breadth and depth of curriculum, while avoiding a curriculum that is too course-heavy