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Course Syllabus
Course Description | Orientation | Course Objectives | Course Format and Topics | Course Grades and Evaluation | Examinations | Reading Material | Contact Information | Help | Ethical Conduct |
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Offers an integrative molecular and biological perspective on public health problems. Explores population biology and ecological principles underlying public health and reviews molecular biology in relation to public health biology. Modules focus on specific diseases of viral, bacterial, and environmental origin. Specific examples of each type are used to develop the general principles that govern interactions among susceptible organisms and etiologic agents. Special attention is devoted to factors that act in reproduction and development. Emphasis placed on common elements encountered in these modules. These may include origin and dissemination of drug resistance, organization and transmission of virulence determinants, modulation of immune responses, disruption of signal transduction pathways, and perturbation of gene expression. The role of the genetic constitution of the host is considered as well.
Public health biology is the study of living things in public Health. Public health biology is the glass half full of public health rather than disease biology-the glass half empty with disease. During this course we will move back and forth across the moving line of health and disease. We will also move back and forth from health and disease in individuals and the community. We hope to address the basic biologic principles in definition, monitoring and promoting health or preventing disease. Lung cancer can inform us about smoking habits. Infectious diarrhea can inform us of the lack of clean water. Physicians may treat the same persons, presenting with the same conditions time and time again. Public health attempts to define sources of disease and intervene on community level. Doctors were trained to mop up water on the floors as first responders, while public health turns off the spigot. Generally speaking, physicians focus on individuals, and public health specialists focus on communities. We do need both approaches and they are interdependent. Greg Glass will start us off with disease occurrence influenced by environment and population factors with the module on disease ecology. In the second and third modules, Gary Ketner will describe the global war between microbial offense and the human immune system defense. He will finish with treatment tactics of infectious diseases and the genetics of microbial pathogens. Dr. Sharon Krag in the fourth module will change focus to cancer, beginning with the molecular biology of cells and genetics of cancer, finishing similar to Dr. Ketner with treatment and resistance and genetic susceptibility to cancer. Dr. Davidson and Brown will spotlight breast cancer and prostate cancer in the fifth module. The last course module will finish with topics on nutrients or diet in promotion of health or prevention of disease. Dr. Barry Zirkin will outline the advances of modern medicine and surgery in assisting with the creation of human life. Dr. Yager will close with new twist on the classic nature and nurture debate for disease susceptibility during in utero development. Unfortunately we will not be able to cover the interesting topics of neurobiology, AIDS or TB, genetically modified organisms, environmental toxins or radiation in public health, but hope to challenge you with concepts about how genes and the environment influence public health as we all work to promote health by limiting disease. After completion of this course, you will be able to do the following:
The course is divided into six separate modules: Module 1: Disease ecology Four exercises are required for this course. The exercises are designed to help you process the information in the lectures. The directions for submitting the exercises vary, but they are clearly defined on the individual lecture pages, which are linked to the Course Content page. Two examinations will be given—a midterm exam and a final exam. Examination procedures and detailed instructions will be specified at the time of the examination. Books, notes, and other reference materials may be used in completing these exams, but collaboration among students is not allowed. The format of all examinations will be short-answer. Submit your exam via the course Drop Box by 11:59 p.m. (EST) on the due date specified on the course schedule. If you have extenuating circumstances leading to a late submission, please contact the course TA or the faculty member. Points are deducted for late submissions.
Please submit all exercises via the course Drop Box, with the exception of Exercise 1, which is introducing yourself on the course BBS. Note: Copying and pasting from the Web to answer test questions is considered plagiarism. Plagiarism is a violation of the academic ethics code and can result in a “0” for the exam and/or grade of “F” in course. Regrading of Examinations: Errors are occasionally made in the marking of examinations. To permit correction of errors, the course faculty will re-examine answers that students feel were incorrectly graded under the following conditions:
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All required reading materials for this course are accessible through the Welch Library's E-Reserves. If you are prompted for a password at eReserves, enter 550630sph. A master list of all required readings for the course is posted in the Online Library. There is no required textbook for the course. However, the following texts are suggested as references. All except the last one are available electronically by clicking on the hyperlinked book title.
The academic ethics code, as discussed in the Policy and Procedure Memorandum for Students, March 31, 2002, will be adhered to in this class. If you are a student with a documented disability who requires an academic accommodation, please contact Betty H. Addison in the Office of Career Services and Disability Support: dss@jhsph.edu, 410-955-3034, or Room E-1140. |
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