University of Pittsburgh
Fundamentals of Basic Science

Medical Anatomy
MS-1

August 24, 2009 – October 12, 2009
42 half-days

Course Director
Jack Schumann, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Neurobiology
schumann@pitt.edu

Course Description

The knowledge of human variability and susceptibility to disease begins with a thorough introduction to the basic structure of the human body that occurs in this course.

The goals of the course are:

  1. to introduce the fundamental organization and structure of the human body.
  2. to begin the process of clinical observation by attention to detail and honing of observational skills.
  3. to introduce imaging methods that are used clinically to image body structure.
  4. to begin to learn to correlate findings on X-ray, MRI, and CAT scans with three dimensional anatomical structures.
  5. to begin to use knowledge of anatomical structures to solve clinical scenarios.

The 48 faculty are from 11 departments: Anthropology (School of Arts and Sciences), Cell Biology & Physiology, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine (Primary Care Sports Medicine Program), Neurobiology, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences (Division of Gynecologic Oncology), Oral Medicine and Pathology (School of Dental Medicine), Orthopaedic Surgery, Otolaryngology, Radiology, Surgery (Division of Cardiac Surgery), and from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

Educational Methods

Lectures Clinical lectures Demonstrations Dissection videos
Dissection laboratories Problem-based learning Question-and-answer web log    

Evaluation

Evaluation for this course is based on three laboratory ‘practical’ examinations (30%), two multiple-choice section examinations (20%), and a comprehensive final examination (50%).

Grading: This course comprises 100% of the grade for the Fundamentals of Basic Science Block, Section 1. The block section is graded Honors, Satisfactory, Unsatisfactory.

Faculty Note

Jack Schumann, PhD, has received a number of teaching awards, including the Kenneth E. Schuit Master Educator Award; the Sheldon Adler Award for Innovation in Medical Education; multiple Excellence in Education Awards, including for Outstanding Course Director and for Lecturer; the Pre-Clinical Golden Apple Award; and several Golden Apple Awards. In addition, Dr. Schumann is a member of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Academy of Master Educators.