Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular semester. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the Student Link for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

• GMS MI 812: Microbiology Seminar
  Presentation and discussion of problems of current interest. 2 cr, Spring sem.
• GMS MI 823: Special Topics in Microbiology
  Var cr, Fall sem.
• GMS MI 911: Research Microbiology
  Var cr
• GMS MI 912: Research Microbiology
  Var cr
• GMS MM 701: Genetics and Epidemiology of Disease
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor Topics include: Human Genome Structure and Function; Population Genetics; Genetic Risk Assessment; Non-Mendelian Inheritance; Approaches for Studying the Genetics of Complex Traits; Chromosomes and Chromosome Abnormalities; Principles of Cancer Genetics and Human Disease Genes; Genotype-Phenotype Correlations; and Applications of the "New Genetics" 2 cr, Fall sem. (alternating years)
• GMS MM 703: Cancer Biology and Genetics
  This course will cover topics in human tumor biology including: Tumor progression, invasion, and metastasis; Viruses, immunodeficiency, and cancer; Chemical carcinogenesis; Signal transduction; Anti-oncogenes and familial cancer syndromes; Apoptosis and cancer; Cell cycle control; DNA repair; Principles of Cancer Therapy; Immunotherapy of Cancer; Anti-angiogenesis therapy; and modern molecular diagnostic techniques. 2 cr, (alternating years, offered in Fall sem. 2022)
• GMS MM 707: Organ System Diseases
  This course is designed to explore contemporary research on the molecular basis of diseases in a variety of tissues and organs within the body. The content of this course will introduce students to the structure and function of major organ systems including, but not limited to bone, heart, lungs, kidney, and brain, and then interrogate how molecular and cellular disorders in these organs can lead to physiologic dysfuntion and human disease. Examples of topics that will be covered include the molecular basis of sickle cell disease, inflammatory bowel disease, molecular basis of hematologic disorders, amyloidosis, endocrine function, and cystic fibrosis. 2 cr. (alternating years, offered Spring 2022)
• GMS MM 710: Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine
  This course is designed to teach basic research and translational research skills to students in the Molecular Medicine Curriculum, using general principles of stem cells and their potential use in regenerative medicine. Students will first be exposed to the basic concepts and definitions of stem cells, the detailed study of different types of adult vs pluripotent stem cells, and discuss ethical and practical considerations. Students will also learn about stem cell manipulation by novel gene editing techniques, recent advances in disease modeling and the potential use of stem cells in tissue and organ regeneration. 2 cr, Spring sem.
• GMS MM 725: Biology of the Lung and Pulmonary Disease
  This course will cover topics in basic lung biology including cellular components and functions in the respiratory system and how the processes of immunity and development influence lung structure and function. The course will apply this basic biology to cutting edge developments in pulmonary diseases including the acute respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia, asthma, pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer. 2 cr, Fall sem.
• GMS MM 730: Biological Core Technologies
  The major goal of this course is to provide an overview of the principles and applications of modern techniques, which are regularly employed in academia and industry as tools for biomolecular and biomedical investigation. This course will focus on technologies which are available at BUSM. Specific technologies include microscopy, FACS, IHC, qPCR, genomic (next gen sequencing and microarrays), proteomics techniques, HTS, fluorescence molecular tomography, ultrasound and metabolic phenotyping techniques. 3 cr, Fall sem.
• GMS MM 901: Molecular Medicine Research
  Var cr
• GMS MM 902: Molecular Medicine Research
  Var cr
• GMS MS 571: Directed Studies in Medical Sciences
  Var cr, Fall sem.
• GMS MS 572: Directed Studies in Medical Sciences
  Var cr, Spring sem.
• GMS MS 600: Introduction to Leadership for Biomedical Education
  The objective of this introductory leadership course is to focus on the basic principles of personal and interpersonal leadership as they relate to the wide range of biomedical and health science careers that BU graduates may enter. We will explore the areas of voice, vision, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, teamwork, and more. The material presented in this course will give way to the 5 practices of exemplary leaders that can be applied to any expertise area, but particularly for this course the biomedical research and health sciences areas. Completion of this course will benefit one's career by allowing them to apply leadership practices in order to lead a successful team of researchers or healthcare practitioner. Additionally, in understanding and applying leadership practices participants will become better team members thus encouraging team success. PhD students (especially, but not limited to, those on NIH training grants), masters students, and postdoctoral researchers are encouraged to take this course. 2 cred. Fall semester.
• GMS MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
  This course covers how to find, use, and contribute to biomedical literature while supporting the graduate thesis through lectures and hands-on instruction. Topics include the retrieval, evaluation and management of information, Evidence Based Medicine, and ethical considerations in research. 2 cr, Spring sem.
• GMS MS 650: Machine Learning
  Machine learning has given us self-driving cars, practical speech and face recognition, effective web search, and a vastly improved understanding of the human genome. Machine learning is so pervasive today that we probably use it dozens of times a day without even knowing it. Many researchers also think it is the best way to make progress towards human-level artificial intelligence. In this day and age, it is therefore critical that we expose BUSM students and trainees to this exciting area and educate them in this field. An introductory course such as this one is positioned to train the next generation of biomedical engineers and scientists to face data-driven challenges in the coming decades. The main feature of this course is that students will learn by doing! We will bring machine learning to life by showing fascinating use cases in biomedical sciences and tackling interesting real-world problems like disease risk assessment and predictive modeling. When students complete this introductory course, they will be in a position to analyze several types of biomedical datasets using machine learning techniques. 4 cred. Fall
• GMS MS 700: Elementary Biostatistics for the Biomedical Sciences
  Topics include collection, classification, and presentation of descriptive data; the rationale of hypothesis testing; experimental design; t-tests; simple correlation analysis; and analysis of contingency tables. Special attention is directed to the ability to recognize and interpret statistical procedures in articles from current literature. 2 cr, Spring sem.
• GMS MS 703: Medical Neurosciences
  This course will cover, in an integrated fashion, basic information from all of the disciplines needed to gain a comprehensive understanding of the structure and function of the human central nervous system. This course encompasses a wide variety of Neuroscience disciplines, including Neuroanatomy, Neurophysiology, Neurochemistry, Neuropsychology and Clinical Neurology. This reflects the fact that the study of the brain is an extraordinarily broad field, encompassing many issues and disciplines. The course is comprised of approximately 54 lectures, 7 laboratory sessions and 5 electrophysiology discussion sections. 4 cr, Fall sem.
• GMS MS 710: Transdisciplinary Training Program in Addiction Science
  This introductory course will cover the broad field of addiction with a focus on drug dependence. In one segment of the course, students will learn about the spectrum of drug dependence disorders and modalities for diagnosis and treatment. Another segment will present a wide variety of approaches for studying addiction using the tools of epidemiology, genetics, pharmacology, neurobehavior, and animal models. Emphasis will be placed on transdisciplinary approaches which are essential for understanding and combating addition disorders. In addition, students will be exposed to the impact of addiction on the family and society, and public policy issues addressing the prevention of addiction. 2 cr, Fall sem.

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