Courses

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

• GMS PM 710: Laboratory Techniques in Modern Pharmacology
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor - Supervised laboratory rotation emphasizing modern research techniques in molecular, cellular, and behavioral pharmacology. Problems of collection, summary, and interpretation of data are addressed. 2 cr, Fall & Spring sem.
• GMS PM 730: Introduction to Medical Pharmacology
  Graduate Prerequisites: premedical courses in the sciences - Principles of pharmacology are covered and several major classes of therapeutic agents, with attention to their mechanisms of action. Issues of current and future concern in medical pharmacology are addressed including problems of drug abuse, the pricing of new drugs, and new biotechnological approaches to drug design and development. 4 cr, Spring sem.
• GMS PM 800: Systems Pharmacology
  Prereq: consent of instructor. Lectures and discussions on the major classes of pharmacologic agents, with special attention to molecular, cellular, and physiological mechanisms of therapeutic effects. Wolozin. 2 cr, Fall sem & Spring sem.
• GMS PM 803: Systems Pharmacology & Therapeutics
  The requested change consolidates this two-semester course into a single semester while retaining the same underlying course concepts described above. This revised version course offers that same in-depth analysis of major drug classes used in the treatment of neurological, cardiovascular, immune-related, infectious diseases and a number of other severe chronic disorders that have presented a therapeutic challenge. Special attention is given to the molecular, cellular, and circuit-specific actions of novel pharmacological agents. The course begins with foundational reviews of disease mechanisms, followed by emerging concepts and innovative treatment strategies. Discussions focus on comparing new approaches to current standards of care, critically analyzing their therapeutic advantages. This course will be required for PhD students in the Biomolecular Pharmacology Training Program as well and will typically be taken in the second semester of the first year of study. It is also open as an elective to PhD students in other biomedical science programs.
• GMS PM 810: Current Topics in Pharmacological Sciences
  This course is given in conjunction with the weekly seminar program of the department. Students present and discuss research papers with the visiting scientist working in the cutting edge of pharmacology. 2 cr, Spring sem.
• GMS PM 820: Behavior Pharmacology
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor. - This course examines the interaction between behavior and classes of drugs that affect the central nervous system. Emphasis is given to how behavioral studies assist understanding of mental disorders, including addictions, anxiety and mood disorders, pain syndromes, and dementia. Since discovering novel compounds for human neuropsychiatric diseases requires the development of valid and useful animal behavioral models for the specific disorder/domains under study, this course will address the current state of knowledge about animal models of mental illnesses and will focus on the neuropharmacological bases of these diseases. Faculty overview of a topic is followed by student-led discussion of an assigned research paper. 2 cr, Fall sem.n.
• GMS PM 881: Drug Discovery and Development
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor. - The Drug Discovery & Development is an advanced elective in Pharmacology. Lectures are given by industry scientists and incorporate real-world examples of drug development strategies and approaches that serve to reinforce the basic principles taught in the first-year pharmacology curriculum. The course provides students with an understanding of the process of drug development, specialized jobs in industry, how critical functions are integrated to develop a novel drug, and how key concepts in pharmacology are adapted to keep pace with biomedical research and technology. 2 cr, Fall sem.
• GMS PM 931: Research in Pharmacology
  Var cr
• GMS PM 932: Research in Pharmacology
  Var cr
• GMS PS 703: Introduction to Research
  The Introduction to Research course prepares the PA student to search and interpret medical literature as it relates to best practices for clinical care, epidemiology, and disease surveillance. In addition, the course prepares the students to develop their thesis project. This course utilizes lectures, journal clubs and online learning as means of instruction.
• GMS PS 704: Introduction to Clinical Medicine
  The Introduction to Clinical Medicine course prepares the PA student to utilize the patient-centered interview and physical examination to assess pediatric, adult and geriatric patients. This course uses lectures, interview role play sessions and physical examination practica.
• GMS PS 705: SCORE 1
  The SCORE 1 course introduces students to professional concentrations/foci which they will likely encounter in their clinical practice. These concentrations/foci can challenge the clinician's ability to provide care and represent a key facet of the BU Physician Assistant Program mission. Through lectures and readings, the students will be exposed to seven different concentrations to include: a.Addiction Medicineb.Psychiatric Medicinec.LGBTQ d.Refugee/Undeclared Immigrant/DACAe.Veteran Medicinef.Familial Abuse/Human Traffickingg.Homelessness
• GMS PS 706: SCORE 2
  The SCORE 2 course introduces students to professional concentrations/foci which they will likely encounter in their clinical practice. These concentrations/foci can challenge the clinician's ability to provide care and represent a key facet of the BU Physician Assistant Program mission. Through lectures and readings, the students will be exposed to six different concentrations to include: a. Rural Medicine b. IPE c. Racism in the Practice of Medicine d. Patients with Disabilities e. Religion and Medicine f. Elderly
• GMS PS 707: SCORE 3
  During SCORE 3, students will be divided into groups to focus on a project reflecting the concentration of their previous choice from SCORE 1 and 2. This project can be a proposed QI or advocacy project. The refinement of the project will be facilitated by clinical experiences relating to their concentration. These sessions will provide real-time exposure to their focus.
• GMS PS 708: SCORE 4
  During SCORE 4, the students will continue their work on the culminating project (from SCORE 1-3), with the aid of their mentors and present their proposals to the class and faculty.
• GMS PS 719: Foundations of Microbiology, Pathology and Pharmacology
  The course provides the foundations for the student's medical microbiology, pathology, and pharmacology throughout the curriculum of their Diagnosis and Therapy course. The overall goal of the course is to provide knowledge and understanding of the fundamental principle of these subjects that are the basis of current approaches to prevention, diagnosis and management of disease. The application of these scientific principles and knowledge to the practice of medicine, including the development of life-long learning and problem-solving skills, is emphasized. PA students only. 2 cr. Spring.
• GMS PS 723: Disease and Therapy VI
  This course prepares the PA student to apply knowledge of the epidemiology, clinical presentation, pathophysiology, diagnostic evaluation, differential diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of human disease to clinical patients. Disease and Therapy consists of six modules in which students learn the microbiological basis of infectious diseases and pharmacologic treatment. Modules address diseases and disorders by organ system: Pulmonary, Cardiovascular, Rheumatology, Renal, Gastrointestinal, Dermatology, Reproduction, Endocrinology/Nutrition, Neurology, Psychiatry, Oncology, and Hematology. The course utilizes traditional lectures, case-based discussions and patient presentations for instruction.
• GMS PS 730: PRINSCIMED 1
  The PISCE 1 course consists of Health Equity curriculum which will focus on the knowledge and skills related to health equity including poverty, social determinants of health, health equity, racism in medicine, behavioral medicine and population health. These skills are important in the care of all patients, especially those from vulnerable populations and will help students recognize the impact of these issues on both individual and population health. The modules of the PISCE 1 course include Foundations 1 & 2 which will focus on the foundational basic science knowledge to prepare the students for the study of clinical medicine. The curriculum, material and instruction in the PISCE 1 course will provide a medical focus in the foundational sciences which will prepare students for the PISCE 2-7 courses. The final week of the PISCE 1 course will be an Integration Week. During that week, the PA and MD students will work together on integrated cases to revisit and connect the material they have learned across the PISCE 1 course.
• GMS PS 731: PRINSCIMED 2
  The modules of the PISCE 2 course include Foundations 3, Genomic Medicine and Cardiovascular. Foundations 3 will build on the material already studied in PISCE 1 in Foundations 1 & 2, focusing on the foundational basic science knowledge to prepare the students for the study of clinical medicine. Genomic Medicine incorporated the study of genetics, pathology as well as the management and treatment of genetic disease. The Cardiovascular module will be the first systems-based module which will incorporate pathology, anatomy, physiology, microbiology, pharmacology and pathophysiology of the cardiovascular system. The curriculum, material, and instruction in the PISCE 3 course will provide foundational science, genomic medicine and the cardiovascular system and which will prepare students for the PISCE 3-7 courses. The final week of the PISCE 2 course will be an Integration Week. During that week, the PA and MD students will work together on integrated cases to revisit and connect the material they have learned across the PISCE 2 course.
• GMS PS 732: PRINSCIMED 3
  The modules of the PISCE 3 course include the Pulmonary and Renal body systems. These modules will build on the material already studied in the PISCE 1 & 2 courses focusing on the integration of foundational basic science knowledge and clinical medicine and will prepare the students for the PISCE 4-7 courses. The Pulmonary and Renal modules will be body systems-based modules which will incorporate pathology, anatomy, physiology, microbiology, pharmacology and pathophysiology of each system. The final week of the PISCE 3 course will be an Integration Week. During that week, the PA and MD students will work together on integrated cases to revisit and connect the material they have learned across the PISCE 3 course.