Maurizio Del Poeta, M.D., Director of Clinical Applications email | WebPage
Paul McDermott, Ph.D., Co-Director email | WebPage
The main goal of this course is to give you a basic understanding of concepts at a molecular level that are fundamental to modern medicine. The outline of the course is contained in the Molecular Basis of Medicine home.
In addition to lectures, there is a group/research section called Clinical Applications. Clinical Applications meet weekly, beginning September 3, with some breaks for tests, holidays, etc. Clincial Applications do not generally involve lectures and are meant for intellectual enrichment in a unique learning environment.
Last, all students will write a medically relevant paper in connection with Clinical Applications as explained below. Please be aware that some changes may be made in the
schedule as the course progresses.
Major things you need to do. Make sure you :
Sign up for a Clinical Application and attend all sessions. Attendance is mandatory to pass the course.
Begin writing your required paper (Completion of a paper is mandatory to pass the course. Due date: Nov. 19, 2008. Late papers are discounted 20% per day.
Stillway's Guide to Flying(pdf document) | (pdf map in color)You will want both. - contains review materials, including multiple-choice questions with explanations and other resources
Your Lecture Faculty:
Christopher Davies, Ph.D.,
Associate Professor,
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Clinical Applications ( Groups and Laboratory Research)
You must turn in the sign-up form to Room 512 BSB (NOT BARUCH AUDITORIUM) on and not before Monday August 25th, 2008.
Clinical Applications are designed so that you can learn more about specialized medical topics in different settings. There are two formats from which you can choose; each of these is outlined below. Clinical Applications (Group Studies) and (Laboratory Research) are scheduled for Wednesdays, 10:00 am - 12:00 noon, beginning September 3. (schedule)
The Clinical Application options are:
1. Group Studies: A variety of topics is available, and generally, in groups, students research a topic of choice, followed by an oral presentation to the group. Assignments of students to the Group Studies are on a first come-first served basis. A list of available Group Studies will be provided on the first day of class. Select your first through sixth choices and write the names of the Instructors of these Group Studies on the form; return the form to Room 512 BSB on August 25, 2008 (No forms will be accepted before this date; no forms will be accepted in Baruch Auditorium.). Specific requirements are outlined below. Your grade will be given by your Group Instructor. The grade will be based on your class presentation, your written paper and by participation and attendance in class.
2.
Laboratory Research:Students may opt for laboratory research to fulfill the Clinical Applications requirement. If this is your choice, choose a faculty mentor among the list provided (please clickhere to view the list of Biochemistry faculty that will take medical student(s) for laboratory research in Fall 2008). Your grade will be given by your faculty mentor and will be based on your performance in the laboratory and by your written paper, which will be evaluated by your mentor. Students are expected to spend a minimum of 4 hours/week in the laboratory. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Dr. Maurizio Del Poeta, Director of Clinical Applications concerning this.
Requirements:
1. Written Paper (required for Group Studies and Laboratory Research)
A) Group Studies Briefly summarize the topic that you studied in class (e.g. the research paper or topic that you have presented in class). In particular, please describe what you have learned from reading the paper(s) and from the class discussion. For instance, you might have discussed a research paper describing a new therapeutic strategy against HIV. In your paper, you should briefly describe HIV infection, why it is important, what are the current treatment options and why (if any) a new therapeutic strategy holds promise. Be critical here, if you disagree with the paper's conclusions or/and with what was discussed in class, feel free to discuss it in your paper.
B) Laboratory Research Briefly summarize the goals of your project and the results of your experiments. Also, describe what you have learned during the time you spent in the lab. For instance, you might have learned to execute a research technique (e.g. DNA gel, electrophoresis, Western blotting, PCR, ELISA, etc.). In your paper, describe the materials and methods necessary to execute such techniques. Also, please provide example(s) for which such a technique is used. For instance, capture ELISA can be used to monitor the level of your favorite protein in the bloodstream).
Note: The paper should be at least 4 (four) typed, double-spaced pages, excluding Acknowledgments, References, Tables, Figures and Figure legends. At least 5 primary source references should be cited. Please use Times New Roman as the font and a 12-point size with 1-inch margins throughout the paper. Label each page with the page number and your name. References should not include Wikipedia, but can include internet resources, as well as, peer reviewed journal articles.
If you have any questions about the paper, please refer to your specific course Instructor for Group Studies or to your Faculty Mentor for Laboratory Reserch. Submit one printed copy of the paper to Gwen Bowers, Room 512 BSB no later than November 19, 2008.NO EXCEPTIONS . If you are in a Group Study, you are encouraged to write and submit the paper soon after you give your presentation.
On plagiarism and professional behavior: The paper cannot be a previously-written paper. It is not acceptable professional behavior to plagiarize other original works and include such in professional papers. Examples include, but are not limited to, the copying of text, graphs, tables and photos from copyrighted works without full citation and obtaining permission from the copyright holder and/or publisher. Papers with such examples will not be accepted, and could result in a failure in the course and an Honor Code violation, which could result in dismissal from medical school.
2. Oral Presentation ( Group Studies only)
Students are required to give an oral presentation in class. This presentation can be done using Power Point or any other audiovisual (i.e. transparencies). More information will be provided by the Instructor of each group.
3. Participation and Attendance (Group Studies and Laboratory Research)
Students are required to participate in class discussion or in the lab activities. Students will be required to sign an attandance sheet. Absence from more than one session will result in an automatic failure in the Clinical Application section.
We recommend (but we do not require) Mark's Basic Medical Biochemistry - A Clinical Approach,3rd Edition by Michael Lieberman, Ph.D and Allan D Marks, MD, Lippencott Willians & Wikins
(ISBN 978-0-7817-7022-4).
Support your local bookstore.
The Matthews MUSC Bookstore has a supply of texts. They also carry many of the medical instruments you will be needing in medical school
Textbooks on the Web: There are many resources available on the web, including searchable texts that are recent, but not current editions. Click
HERE to check it out. You will want to bookmark this URL.
Other useful biochemistry texts:
Medical Biochemistry, 2nd edition by John W. Baynes and Marek H. Dominiczak; Elsevier ISBN 0-7234-3341-0.
Textbook of Biochemistry with Clinical Correlations, 5th Edition, Devlin, Thomas M. (ed.); John Wiley & Sons, Inc., ISBN 0-471-41136-1. Biochemistry, 5th edition by Stryer, W.H. Freeman and Company ISBN 0-7167-2009-4. Principles of Biochemistry (Lehninger), 4th Edition, by Nelson and Cox, W.H. Freeman and Company ISBN 0-7167-4339-6.
Syllabi:
The Molecular Basis of Medicine Syllabus can be picked up from 2:00 - 4:30 pm, Monday, August 18, 2008 in Room 501 BSB .
Regular Exams: Two regular exams and a final exam will be given as a part of a comprehensive test during test weeks, as shown on the schedule.
Quizzes: Short quizzes that contribute to the grade will be administered through out the course. They will be announced in class ahead of time and will be given in class.
Exam Errors: It has been our experience that new test items on multiple choice exams sometimes contain errors. Any such test questions will be considered for omission from the test if brought to our attention after the test. Please do not hesitate to present your case to the instructor responsible for a particular question.
Grades will be derived from final averages according to the College of Medicine grading scale. T-scores (grading on the curve) will not be used. To see the Grading Scales, click HERE.
Qualifications To Pass:
The average from the exam portion of the course must be 70 or higher. If the exam average is 69.5 or below, the Clinical Applications grade, as well as any extra credit may not be used to achieve a passing score.
If you are repeating the course, you must have a 75 test average. If the exam average is 74.5 or below, the Clinical Applications grade, as well as any extra credit may not be used to achieve a passing score.
All students must complete Clinical Applications to pass the course. Attendance is mandatory. More than one unexcused absence will result in an automatic failure. The Clincial Applications grade counts toward the final grade only if the test average is 70 or 75 if repeating the course.
Scholarly paper is required. For more details, click HERE.
The course evaluation must be completed by each student. Access to grades will be denied if the evaluation is not completed in accordance with college of medicine policy.
The contribution of each grading factor is shown below. For more details, click
HERE.
The department copying machine is available for copying materials for Clinical Application presentations ONLY. Contact Gwen Bowers, Room 512 BSB between 9:00 AM and 4:30 PM, Monday-Friday. Transparencies should be limited to 12 unless you have written permission from your faculty Clincial Applications director to do more. All other (non-clinical application-related) copying must be done at your expense in the library or off-campus.
