Home | Attend Open House | Apply To SGU | Employment | Contact Us
School of Medicine
Pathophysiology and Pharmacology
Andreas Reymann, MD, Chair
Course Descriptions:
Pathophysiology
Pharmacology
Pathophysiology PATH 670 and PATH 671
Pathophysiology I and II, offered in the fifth and six terms are amalgamated into eighteen uninterrupted weeks of study. The objectives of the courses are structured to explore why and how diseases occur as well as developing a student’s deductive reasoning and synthesis of information skills. Understanding the process by which one approaches disease(s) and 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. An exit session is then held by the joint Pathophysiology, Pharmacology and Clinical Skills faculty to resolve student questions and stress important concepts.
The courses are divided into three six-week sections with an exam at the end of each. An organ systems (Cardiology, Pulmonary, Gastroenterology, Nephrology, Hematology, Endocrinology, Dermatology, Neurology, Ophthalmology) 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 clinician/academicians in their field. These lectures present a cohesive Pathophysiology course which is preparatory to the students’ entry into the clinical years.
Pharmacology PHAR 680
A profound knowledge of the Pharmacological basis of Therapeutics will be essential throughout a productive clinical career in all medical disciplines. This will allow the physician to keep abreast of new developments in drug therapy. The Pharmacology courses start with an introduction to principles and basics, including pharmacokinetics (in which ways does the human body handle drugs) and pharmacodynamics (in which ways do drugs affect the human body). Comprehensive Therapeutic Issues Lectures focus on treatment strategies (e.g. so-called Consensus Recommendations) for some major diseases. Joint Lectures, a conference-style teaching format coordinated by clinicians and Basic Science Professors in Grenada that will cross reference topics covered in previous terms with the current course materials, are being implemented.
Our aim is to emphasize the interdisciplinary position of Pharmacology in Medicine and to utilize students’ enormous motivation to learn what is clinically relevant. Throughout the course students will be alerted to the clinical relevance of drug classes discussed. Of special interest are precautions in drug treatment especially in childhood, old age, during pregnancy and lactation. Ultimately, students will be introduced to the delicate process of therapeutic decision making.
For advanced discussion of selected topics, the class will be divided into small groups, each assigned to a tutor. Pharmacology Small Group sessions use a series of short, simplified therapeutic scenarios to elaborate on the Clinical Pharmacology of drugs addressed in preceding lectures. Case of the Week provides insight to principles of Evidence Based Medicine by means of a detailed case scenario and reading of some assigned peer reviewed clinical publications. This is a joint program with Pathophysiology. Under the auspices of Pathophysiology faculty, each series of group sessions is concluded by a plenary Case of the Week discussion. Within the demanding schedule for students in their fifth and sixth term there is little room to discuss the massive public use of non-prescription drugs, folk remedies, and quackery. However, the students will not a draw blank when it comes to substance abuse, mood enhancing drugs, diet pills, or anti-baldness drugs, the concluding Pharmacology lecture addresses “Lifestyle Drugs”.
