February 13, 2023-March 17, 2023
24 half days
Course Director
Peter Veldkamp, MD
Professor
Department of Medicine
Division of Infectious Diseases
pjv4@pitt.edu
Course Director
James Bina, PhD
Professor
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
jbina@pitt.edu
Course Description
This course introduces basic concepts of infectious disease.
Course Goals:
- The basic science foundation of Medical Microbiology necessary for your clinical education and for passing Part 1 of the USMLE boards.
- Important clinical concepts in the medical field of infectious diseases.
- Microbial diagnosis (the basis, sensitivity, and limitations of clinical diagnostic tests).
- Etiology (infectious agents responsible, differential diagnoses – infectious or not).
- Epidemiology (transmission, susceptibility, patterns).
- Pathogenesis (how the organisms cause disease).
- Symptoms (symptoms that help in diagnosis, how these symptoms relate to disease).
- Prevention (vaccines, hand washing, etc.).
- Treatment (drug or other treatment options).
- Complications (spectrum of disease, other complications of infection).
Educational Methods
- Lecture
- Laboratory
- Virtual laboratories on the course website
- Small-group problem-based learning cases
- Clinical correlations
- Optional quizzes
- Infectious disease conference
- Clinical case presentations
Evaluation
Evaluation for this course is based on attendance and participation in laboratories and problem-based learning sessions, weekly quizzes and a final multiple-choice examination.
Grading: This course comprises 45% of the grade for the Foundations of Medicine Block, Section 3. Grading for the block is Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory.