ST. GEORGE'S UNIVERSITY • School of Medicine 2010-2011

Doctor of Medicine Course Descriptions
“neoplasia.” This is followed by a special course on Molecular
Pathology techniques as applied to clinical practice.
The Systemic Pathology segment involves similar principles
but applied in detail to individual organ systems like
cardiovascular, respiratory, and so forth. It will also include
interpretation of laboratory data for some of the major disease
processes. A short course on Forensic Pathology is taught in
the Systemic Pathology module. Several clinicopathological
conferences, including difficult case seminars, are also
discussed by students.
Students are mandated to draw concept maps each week
and submit them for evaluation. A total of 480 test items
are administered through three quizzes and three exams,
including 105 based on images. All the questions are clinical
problem-solving MCQs.
• Laboratory
The lab sessions are conducted as group activities in student
groups of 10 to 12 monitored by a clinical tutor. The students
discuss gross and microscopic pathology images, electron
micrographs, radiographic images, and clinical cases, which
correlate with the concurrent lecture manual. The process
involves active learning with guided discovery of etiology,
pathogenesis, structural changes, clinical symptoms and
signs, relevant investigations, and course of the disease for
the common and prototype diseases. The students are also
encouraged to learn how to distinguish between related
entities.
Medical Nutrition
PATH 693
Medical Nutrition focuses on the relevance of nutrition in
the prevention and treatment of disease. Presented in this
course are those components of human pathophysiology in
which diet on the basis of current knowledge is believed to
be important in either a causative or contributory way. The
application of dietary knowledge to prevention of disease and
the management of established disease are also discussed.
Also addressed are clinical topics such as infant, maternal, and
geriatric nutrition; problems of obesity and related subjects;
and the principles of the management of diseases such as
diabetes mellitus, renal failure, and atherosclerosis.
Pathophysiology
Shivayogi R. Bhusnurmath, MD, FRCPath, Interim Chair
Pathophysiology
PATH 674
Pathophysiology are amalgamated into 18 uninterrupted
weeks of study. The objectives of the courses are structured
to explore why and how diseases occur, as well as to
develop students’ deductive reasoning and synthesis of
information skills. Understanding the process by which one
approaches disease(s), arrives at a diagnosis based upon
clinical information, and then applies this information to
the institution of appropriate therapeutic interventions is
the major goal. By presenting the course concomitantly
with Pharmacology and Introduction to Clinical Medicine
in an integrated fashion, the goals and objectives of the
course are achieved. This integration is further achieved by
the presentation of the “case of the week.” The “cases” are
prepared by the department faculty with the assistance of
visiting professors. Students meet in small groups to discuss
specific questions relative to each case. The lectures include
discussions on several clinical vignettes, which provide a basis
for exploring the basic science concepts to explain symptoms,
signs, investigations, and complications. In addition, about 50
USMLE Step 1-type questions are provided online as test and
study material on the topics of the week.
The course is divided into three six-week sections with an
examination at the end of each section. An organ systems
(cardiology, pulmonology, gastroenterology, nephrology,
hematology, endocrinology, dermatology, and neurology)
and interdisciplinary (clinical immunology, rheumatology,
infectious diseases, psychiatry, pediatrics, obstetrics and
gynecology, sexuality, clinical nutrition, and oncology)
approach is used. Lectures are delivered by visiting
professors or full-time faculty who are outstanding clinicians/
academicians in their fields. These lectures present a cohesive
pathophysiology course, which is preparatory to
students’ entry into the Clinical Years.
Basic Science Foundation for Clinical Reasoning
PATH 675
Student should be able to recapitulate the important basic
science concepts using clinical vignettes. It is a two-credit
course with two small group sessions usually on Fridays. The
lecture hour sessions will be in the format of modified termbased
learning. Students will be seated in groups of 12 to 14.
Each group will be provided with a different clinical vignetterelated
to the topics taught in the pathophysiology course
that week. A number of basic science-related questions will
be linked to the vignettes. The student groups get 10 to 12
minutes to discuss and find answers to the questions. At the
end of that time, the plenary session will start. One by one,
each vignette and the related questions are projected. The
concerned group will respond with the answers. The rest of
the class can then join in with any other relevant comments/
disagreements. These sessions will be supplemented by online
tasks in the form of MCQs or a similar format that the students
will do under supervision. This course should enable the
students to actively learn the application of Basic Sciences in
the analysis and problem solving of clinical vignettes.
Pharmacology
Leonardo Dasso, PhD, Chair
Pharmacology
PHAR 681
The primary objective of the Pharmacology course is to
provide the student with a solid basis for understanding
the pharmacology of therapeutic agents, and thus with a
foundation for future clinical decision making with respect to
pharmacological therapies.
The course begins with a basic principles module exploring
the fundamental principles of pharmacokinetics and
pharmacodynamics. This is followed by systematic discussion
of the major drug used in specific clinical situations. Topics
40