- Course Number: 6440
- Credits: 3
- Course Format: This online course is tailored for asynchronous distance learners.
- Course Syllabus: Download
Course Description
Fundamentals of Medical Physiology (GMS6440) teaches the basic functions of the human body at a level required for clinical medicine and basic research in medical physiology. This is an introductory course to be taken before or simultaneous with courses on specific organ systems physiology. The course covers normal physiology, as well as selected diseases. Concepts are taught using a combination of lectures, online workshop, and online problem sets. The workshops are designed to help the student understand the integration of physiology with genetics, genomics, molecular biology, and cellular physiology as a basis for a better understanding of human disease. The ultimate goal is for students to develop an understanding of the integrated functions of the normal body and “problem solving” and “critical thinking” skills in evaluating clinical situations. Each recorded lecture lasts between 20 and 30 min.
Course Goals
Physiology is the science of how the body functions, and is the basis for understanding modern clinical medicine and the biomedical sciences. This course will provide: 1) a foundation understanding of basic physiological processes; 2) integration of individual facts in order to understand how organ systems work independently and interdependently in the body. One example of this integration is in the understanding of the role of the autonomic nervous system in physiological control mechanisms.