Room W-427 School of Medicine
Phone 216-368-3344
Fax 216-368-3419
Michael Weiss, M.D., Ph.D., Chair
http://www.cwru.edu/med/biochemistry/

Biochemistry is the study of the molecular basis of cellular function, making it a central discipline in the biological sciences. Biochemists ask the question, "How do life processes work on the molecular level?"

The Department of Biochemistry offers undergraduate programs leading to the bachelor of arts degree and bachelor of science degree in biochemistry and graduate programs leading to the master of science, doctor of philosophy, and combined doctor of medicine/doctor of philosophy. Many interdisciplinary and interdepartmental programs available with other departments in the School of Medicine and at Case Western Reserve University provide many additional avenues of study.

Research interests within the department include a broad spectrum of modern biochemical topics in six broad areas: enzymology, protein chemistry, structural biology, gene expression, cell biology, and molecular medicine/gene therapy. These areas are described in detail later in this section. The department has state-of-the-art equipment and facilities for research in modern biochemistry. More complete information about the undergraduate and graduate programs may be obtained by contacting the departmental office.

Undergraduate Programs
Please see the College of Arts and Sciences section of this publication.

Graduate Programs

Master’s Degrees
The master’s of science degree programs provide advanced training for students who wish to continue beyond the B.A. or B.S. degree without committing themselves to the Ph.D. curriculum. Two lines of study are offered: the three-year research program leading to the master’s of science in biochemical research and the two-year course work program leading to the master’s of science in biochemistry.

Master’s of Science Degree in Biochemical Research
The program leading to the M.S. degree in biochemical research is uniquely designed to provide interested students with sufficient background and laboratory experience to enable them to function as senior research assistants and eventually as laboratory supervisors in university departments, research institutes or industrial laboratories. Students in this three-year program receive a stipend, and tuition costs are covered by the department. The student pursues a flexible and individually designed schedule related to his or her research career and interests, which leads to an independent research project in the second and third years of the program. The program simultaneously develops background knowledge and technical skills in modern biochemistry, which can be applied to several career opportunities. A more complete description of the program, admission policies and financial aid is available from the departmental office.

Master’s of Science Degree in Biochemistry
The program leading to the M.S. degree in biochemistry is designed to provide students with knowledge of the latest advancements in biochemistry and related fields. It is intended for students who desire to pursue a career not directly involved with research, such as teaching, or various administrative positions in the pharmaceutical industry. The student typically enrolls in three courses for each of four semesters. Required courses are BIOC 407 (General Biochemistry) and BIOC 408 (Molecular Biology). Other lecture courses are selected by the student in consultation with an academic advisor who is assigned to the student upon matriculation into the program. A more complete description of the program and admission policies is available from the departmental office.

Ph.D. in Biochemistry
The aim of the Ph.D. in biochemistry program is to prepare students for careers in teaching and research in biochemistry. The emphasis of the doctoral program is on research culminating in the completion of an original independent research project under the guidance of a faculty member in the biochemistry program. The research areas in the department are described later in this section.

In addition to the research activities, graduate students participate in formal courses both within and outside the department, formal and informal seminars, and discussions of current literature. Schedules are flexible and are individually tailored to each student’s needs. Although students choose from the various tracks within the department, they are broadly trained in modern aspects of biochemistry and become familiar with techniques and literature in a variety of areas. Many collaborative projects with other departments also are available to broaden the spectrum of training offered. Most students select a multidepartmental, integrated curriculum in cellular and molecular biology in addition to specialized courses in biochemistry.

Most Ph.D. students in biochemistry are admitted through the Biomedical Sciences Training Program (BSTP). This program, which combines 13 graduate programs in the School of Medicine, is described under a separate listing in this publication. A complete description of the program, including research activities, admission policies and financial aid, may be obtained from the departmental office or the BSTP coordinator.

Integrated Graduate Program in Biochemistry
Undergraduate biochemistry majors in the College of Arts and Sciences are eligible to apply for an Integrated Graduate Program in Biochemistry. This program allows Case Western Reserve biochemistry majors to enter graduate school at the end of the junior year and to obtain the B.A. degree while completing the first year of graduate school at the University. The first year of course work in graduate school substitutes for the last year of undergraduate course work. The admitted student takes the same course work and chooses a thesis advisor from among the faculty in the same fashion as do other Ph.D. students. The program is highly competitive, and only one or two outstanding graduates may be selected in any year.

Biochemistry Medical Scientist Training Program
Students may pursue a Ph.D. in biochemistry as part of the combined M.D./Ph.D. program. Information on this program may be obtained from the departmental office or the Medical Scientist Training Program coordinator. Please see the separate listing in this publication for information on the MSTP program.

Research Areas
Research of Department of Biochemistry faculty members covers a broad spectrum of topics from events at the level of electron movement in biochemical reactions to the intracellular trafficking of proteins. Research in the department is broadened by collaborations with faculty in other University departments and with scientists at other Cleveland research institutions. The specific areas of active research within the department are outlined below.

Enzymology
Research in this area studies the detailed functions of proteins and RNAs as biological catalysts. Specific areas of research include RNA helicases, RNA polymerase, enzymes of fatty acid synthesis, RNA splicing, processing of peptide hormone precursors, and enzymes of intermediary metabolism.

Protein Chemistry
Research in this area combines chemical, biochemical and molecular biological approaches to define critical structural and functional regions of proteins. A major focus is the postranslatation modification of proteins, including glycolysis, proteolysis, phosphorylation, methylation, and oxidation. Proteins being studied are involved in the initiation of protein translation, RNA transcription, signaling by hormones and neurotransmitters, and intermediary metabolism.

Structural Biology
Three dimensional structures of proteins and nucleic acids are required to understand the detailed function of these complex molecular systems. Techniques include x-ray crystallography, as well as NMR and Raman spectroscopy. Areas of research include hormones, neurotransmitters and their receptors, bacterial toxins, dehydrogenases, and transcription factors.

Gene Expression
Control of development and tissue-specific responses necessary for the survival of multicellular organisms is accomplished by several mechanisms that regulate gene expression. Research in the department is concerned with hormonal and developmental control of gene transcription, pre-mRNA splicing, initiation of protein synthesis, post-translational modifications of proteins.

Cell Biology
The control of the metabolism, differentiation and cell signaling within and between cells is a key part of understanding the interplay necessary for the growth and metabolic regulation of multicelluar organisms. Research in the department is focused on protein traffic, inflammatory responses, G-protein coupled receptors, transforming growth factors, enzyme regulation in metabolism, and the control of respiration.

Molecular Medicine/Gene Therapy
Many human diseases are caused by defects in specific proteins caused by mutations. Delivery of normal DNA replacements to cells harboring defective genes is the goal of research in the department. Other efforts are aimed at understanding the structure and function of biochemical targets of therapeutic agents, which in turn may lead to the rational design of new drugs and treatments. Research in the department is targeted at cancer, diabetes and schizophrenia. Other work is developing transgenic mice as models of human diseases.

Biochemistry (BIOC)

Undergraduate Courses
(See College of Arts and Sciences.)

Graduate Courses

BIOC 407. General Biochemistry (4)
Overview of the macromolecules and small molecules key to all living systems. Topics include: protein structure and function; enzyme mechanisms, kinetics and regulation; membrane structure and function; bioenergetics; hormone action; intermediary metabolism, including pathways and regulation of carbohydrate, lipid, amino acid, and nucleotide biosynthesis and breakdown. One semester of biology is recommended. Prereq: CHEM 223 or CHEM 224. Cross-listed as BIOL 407.

BIOC 408. Molecular Biology: Genes and Genetic Engineering (4)
(See BIOL 408.) Cross-listed as BIOL 408.

BIOC 409. Biochemistry of G-Protein Coupled Receptors (3)
G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent a large multi-gene family of proteins which are essential for the actions of a large number of pharmaceuticals. Participants in this course will gain a detailed understanding of the structure and function of GPCRs. Particular emphasis will be placed on gaining a working knowledge of the quantitative aspects of GPCR biochemistry and pharmacology. In particular, mathematical modeling techniques for understanding receptor binding and activation will be emphasized. Additionally, participants will become familiar with most major technologies currently used to study GPCRs. Prereq: CBIO 453, CBIO 454, CBIO 455, and CBIO 456.

BIOC 412. Macromolecular Structure and Function (3)
Interactions between biomolecules are discussed in a system-based approach that stresses quantitative and structural characterization. Topics discussed include site-directed mutagenesis of enzymes, DNA-protein and protein-protein interactions. Prereq: BIOC 307 and CHEM 301 and CHEM 302.

BIOC 420. Molecular Genetics of Cancer (3)
Using a combination of lectures and student presentations, this course provides an in-depth analysis of cancer as a genetic disease in the Mendelian sense of inheritance and in the sense of causation by somatic mutation. The objectives of the course are to examine both the proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes that are the targets of oncogenic mutations and the mechanisms of mutational change. Discussions emphasize experimental approaches used to identify and study oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. This course also covers viral mechanisms of oncogenesis which involve interactions between viral proteins and the products of cellular proto-oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. Prereq: CBIO 453 and CBIO 454 and CBIO 455 and CBIO 456. Cross-listed as MBIO 420 and MVIR 420.

BIOC 430. Advanced Methods in Structural Biology I (3)
Provides students with an in-depth introduction to biophysical techniques used to quantify macromolecular structures. A major part of the course will deal with the use of nuclear magnetic resonance to derive a 3-D structures of macromolecules in solution. Other topics include electron spin resonance, absorption, fluorescence and circular dichroism spectroscopies, Raman and infrared spectroscopies and methods used in modeling. Offered with BIOC 431, "Advanced Methods Biology II" in alternate years. BIOC 430 deals with protein hydrodynamics and thermodynamics, crystallography, and mass spectrometry. The course will be mostly lecture based. This course will provide an extensive overview for graduate students specializing in structural biology. Cross-listed as CHEM 430 and PHRM 430.

BIOC 431. Advanced Methods in Structural Biology II (3)
This course provides an introduction to biophysical techniques for graduate students who are interested in structural biology and biophysical chemistry. Offered with BIOC 430, "Advanced Structural Biology I" in alternate years. Advanced Methods I (430) focuses on NMR and optical spectroscopies. Advanced Methods II deals with protein hydrodynamics and thermodynamics, crystallography, and mass spectrometry.

BIOC 434. Structural Biology of Proteins, Enzymes, and Nucleic Acids (3)
(See BIOL 434.) Cross-listed as BIOL 434.

BIOC 446. Host-Virus Interactions (3)
(See MVIR 446.) Cross-listed as MVIR 446.

BIOC 452. Nutritional Biochemistry and Metabolism (3)
Mechanisms of regulation of pathways of intermediary metabolism; amplification of biochemical signals; substrate cycling and use of radioactive and stable isotopes to measure metabolic rates. Prereq: BIOC 307 or equivalent. Cross-listed as NTRN 452.

BIOC 486. Protein Structure, Folding and Design (3)
Reading in the current literature with computer program and model building workshops. Prereq: BIOC 407.

BIOC 515. Endocrine Pharmacology (3)
(See PHRM 515.) Prereq: Consent of instructor. Cross-listed as PHRM 515.

BIOC 521. Chromatin Structure and Transcription (3)
(See GENE 521.) Cross-listed as GENE 521.

BIOC 523. Advanced NMR Spectroscopy in Structural Biology (3)
(See PHOL 523.) Cross-listed as PHOL 523.

BIOC 601. Biochemical Research (1-18)
(Credit as arranged.) Prereq: BIOC 407.

BIOC 605. Independent Project in Biochemical Research (1-18)
(Credit as arranged.) Limited to students in the M.S. program in biochemical research. Prereq: BIOC 407 and BIOC 601.

BIOC 611. Biochemistry Seminar I (1)
Discussion of current research. Prereq: BIOC 407.

BIOC 612. Biochemistry Seminar II (1)
Discussion of current research. Prereq: BIOC 407.

BIOC 617. Special Topics in Biochemistry (2)
Special topics courses on areas of current interest in biochemistry. Prereq: BIOC407.

BIOC 618. Special Topics in Biochemistry (2)
Special topics courses on areas of current interest in biochemistry. Prereq: BIOC 407.

BIOC 641. Proposition I (2)
Design of research proposal. Prereq: BIOC 407.

BIOC 643. Proposition II (2)
Design of research proposal. Prereq: BIOC 407.

BIOC 651. Thesis M.S. (1-6)
(Credit as arranged.)

BIOC 701. Dissertation Ph.D. (1-18)
(Credit as arranged.)

BIOC 702. Appointed Dissertation Fellow (9)

DEPARTMENT OF BIOETHICS

Room TA-200 School of Medicine
Phone 216-368-6196
http://www.cwru.edu/med/bioethics/bioethics.html
Stuart J. Youngner, M.D., Susan E. Watson Professor of Biomedical Ethics and Director

The Department of Bioethics provides a forum for the study and discussion of ethical issues in medicine. Its mission is to improve public and professional understanding of the ethical issues involved in health sciences research, health care delivery, and health policy development through teaching, research and community dialogue.

The department has offices at the University’s School of Medicine and at MetroHealth Medical Center and has faculty from several disciplines, including philosophy, religion, law, political science, anthropology, nursing and medicine.

Department faculty teach in both core and elective components of the medical school curriculum, undergraduate courses in ethics, and an intensive course in ethics of scientific work for Ph.D. students in the Biomedical Sciences Training Program. The department also has a highly successful master’s degree program in bioethics.

Department faculty have gained international prominence for research in many areas of biomedical ethics that collectively address the concerns of the School of Medicine’s spectrum of biomedical disciplines.

The Department of Bioethics publishes two newsletters, CenterViews and MetroEthics. CenterViews contains information and articles on a variety of ethical issues of interest to both professional and lay communities. It is published three times a year and features faculty research and activities, center events, and master’s degree alumni information.

The department has a Website where visitors can read CenterViews online, obtain information about the master’s degree program, and learn about department and faculty activities: http://www.cwru.edu/med/bioethics/bioethics.html.

Master of Arts Degree in Bioethics
The Department of Bioethics offers a program leading to the master of arts degree in bioethics, emphasizing the interdisciplinary and interprofessional nature of the field. This graduate program is designed to provide advanced training in bioethics for students and professionals who anticipate encountering ethical issues in the course of their primary careers.

The 27 credit-hour degree can be earned full-time in one year or part-time in up to three years. Core courses are taught by center faculty and are scheduled so that part-time students can continue their professional responsibilities while completing the degree.

The master of arts program provides students with a firm understanding of the intellectual content of the study of bioethics, of bioethical literature, and of the underlying philosophical arguments and empirical assumptions that inform it. Students are taught to understand the institutions and structures of health care and the ethical issues that arise in medical practice. They are trained to identify and analyze a range of clinical ethics issues.

All students pursuing a master of arts degree in bioethics are required to complete the interdisciplinary core of 12 credit hours (the equivalent of four courses) in the first two semesters of their first year of study.

The courses, BETH 401: Foundations in Bioethics I, and BETH 402: Foundations in Bioethics II, each six credits, examine 10 basic topic areas in bioethics, including death and dying, the therapeutic relationship, method and theory in bioethics, organ transplantation, health care justice, defining health care needs, reproduction and fertility, families, babies and children, research ethics and genetics. Classes meet two evenings per week for seminar sessions (two hours per session).

Another required course is BETH 405: Clinical Ethics Rotation (three credits). This course requires a minimum of 10 hours of clinical experience per week during two 10-week rotations. Although there are some didactic and seminar sessions, students spend most of their time observing rounds in relevant services (intensive care units, pediatrics, geriatrics, etc.) with leading clinicians at several area hospital sites. Students must complete rotations at two sites. At the conclusion of each rotation, students are familiar with the clinical, psychological, social, professional, and institutional contexts in which ethical problems arise. Also, they are able to identify, analyze and understand ethical issues as they develop.

In addition, all students must complete 12 credit hours of electives. Electives are selected in consultation with a faculty advisor. Electives must enhance the student’s understanding of bioethical issues and must be relevant to the student’s academic goals.

The department currently offers dual degree programs with the School of Medicine (M.D./M.A.), the School of Medicine’s Department of Genetics (Ph.D./M.A.), the School of Law (J.D./M.A.), and the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing (M.S.N./M.A.) and the Weatherhead School of Management (M.B.A./M.A.) at the University. Students must apply and be accepted to each program to qualify.

Admission policies conform to those of the University’s School of Graduate Studies. In general, an applicant for admission and concurrent financial consideration must have completed application forms on file by March 1 for the fall semester.

For more information, contact:

Coordinator for Graduate Programs
Department of Bioethics
School of Medicine
10900 Euclid Ave.
Cleveland OH 44106-4976
Phone: (216) 368-8718
E-mail: xx245@po.cwru.edu

Bioethics (BETH)

Undergraduate Course

BETH 271. Bioethics: Dilemmas in Research and Clinical Practice (3)
We have the genetic technology to change nature and human nature, but is this the right thing to do? We have the medical technology to extend almost any human life, but is this always good for people? Should we clone human beings? Should we allow doctor-assisted suicide to hasten the deaths of the terminally ill? This course invites students from all academic disciplines and fields to begin thinking now about current and likely future issues in bioethics. These general areas are covered: theory and method in bioethics, death and dying, organ transplantation, genetics, research, neonatology, aging and dementia, fertility and reproduction, distributive justice in health care access, and concepts of health and disease. In addition to classroom learning with Center for Biomedical Ethics faculty well known nationally for their contributions in all of these general areas, students will benefit from visits to clinical settings under the guidance of the Center’s experienced clinical ethicists. Cross-listed as PHIL 271 and RLGN 271.

Graduate Courses

BETH 401. Foundations in Bioethics I (6)
The first of the two required seminar courses, this course covers five basic topic areas in bioethics: death and dying; health professional-patient relationship; method and theory in bioethics; organ transplantation; and ethics and children. The course meets twice weekly and is taught in seminar format by Center faculty members who are experts on specific topics. Preentry.

BETH 402. Foundations in Bioethics II (6)
This course completes the required seminar core and covers the basic bioethics topic areas: health care justice; defining ‘health care needs;’ reproduction and fertility ethics; research ethics; and ethics in genetics. The course meets twice weekly and is taught in seminar format by Center faculty members who are experts on specific topics. Prereq: BETH 401.

BETH 405. Clinical Ethics Rotation (1.5-3)
In this course students will become familiar with the clinical, psychological, social, professional and institutional context in which ethical problems arise. This course exposes students to clinical cases, to hospital ethics committees and ethics consultation programs, to institutional review boards (IRB), and to hospital policies covering the "do not resuscitate" orders (DNR), advance directives, withdrawal of artificial feeding, organ procurement and transplantation, and medical futility. Requires minimum of 10 total hours of rotation experience per week during two semester 10-week rotations. Locations for this course include: MetroHealth Medical Center, University Hospitals of Cleveland, and the Hospice of the Western Reserve. Prereq: BETH 401 or concurrent enrollment.

BETH 452. Models of Mind, Mental Disorders, and Bioethics (3)
Discussions of basic theories in the philosophy of mind with analysis and application of these theories to issues raised by real mental disorders and case studies in psychiatry. Emphasis on the interaction between philosophical understandings of the mind and society, with examples from psychiatric writings and general literature on the philosophy of mind. Advance reading is necessary. Classes include a combination of lecture presentation, student presentations from pre-reading, and discussion around key questions.

BETH 463. Anthropology and Bioethics (3)
This course will review theoretical work on anthropology and values, the discipline of bioethics, its philosophical roots, the body of anthropological work in bioethics, and critically examine a number of current bioethical issues in the United States and internationally. Cross-listed as ANTH 463.

BETH 501. Advanced Seminar in Bioethics (3)
Special topics of interest, such as advanced studies in theory and method in bioethics, ethics and reproduction, the ethics of research with human subjects, religion and medicine, historical perspectives on medical ethics, cross-cultural issues in bioethics, or ethics in applied settings such as hospitals and long term care facilities. Seminar typically taught by visiting professor in intensive format. Consult the term roster of courses for the specific topic. Prereq: BETH 401 or concurrent enrollment.

BETH 602. Special Topics in Bioethics (1-3)
Students will explore particular issues and themes in biomedical ethics in depth through independent study and research under the direction of a faculty member. Prereq: Consent of instructor.

BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES TRAINING PROGAM

Room W-G46 School of Medicine
Phone 216-368-3347
E-mail: bstp@po.cwru.edu
Website: www.cwru.edu/med/BSTP; Applications may be submitted online at this site.

The Biomedical Sciences Training Program (BSTP) offers graduate studies leading to the Ph.D. degree. The program is designed to prepare qualified and motivated students for careers in research and teaching.

The BSTP is comprised of 14 graduate programs in the School of Medicine and the College of Arts and Sciences. These programs have more than 200 faculty, based in both basic science and clinical departments. The research of this faculty covers the entire range of biomedical research. Students in the BSTP have the opportunity to study within any research discipline represented in the training programs. This opportunity gives students a tremendous range of research choices. It also provides a distinct advantage over traditional programs, which restrict choices of research area and faculty advisors.

The First Year

Course work
Students take an integrated series of courses in cell and molecular biology (CBIO 453, 454, 455 and 456). This year-long series emphasizes the molecular approach that forms the basis of modern biology. Qualified students also may take more specialized elective courses.

Research rotations
The research rotations allow the student to sample areas of research and become familiar with faculty members and their laboratories. The main purpose of these rotations is to aid the student in selecting a laboratory for the thesis work. Students are encouraged to begin their rotations in July. Doing so gives them the opportunity to complete one rotation during the summer before classes begin at the end of August. A minimum of three rotations must be completed during the year.

Choosing a thesis advisor
In February of the first year, students select an advisor for the dissertation research. Each student also joins the training program with which the advisor is affiliated. Once a student has chosen a program, the specific requirements of that program are followed to obtain the Ph.D. The emphasis of the Ph.D. work is on research, culminating in the completion of an original, independent research thesis.

Participating Training Programs
Anatomy

Biochemistry

Biology

Cell biology

Developmental and Human Genetics

Developmental Biology

Environmental Health Sciences

Molecular Biology

Molecular and Cellular Basis of Disease

Molecular Virology

Neuroscience and Bioengineering

Neurosciences

Nutritional Sciences

Pharmacological Sciences

Training faculty, course offerings and individual degree requirements are described in detail in the separate listings for each of these programs.

Biomedical Scientist Training Program (BSTP)

Graduate Course

BSTP 400. Research Rotation in Biomedical Sciences Training Program (0-6)
Prereq: Consent of BSTP program coordinator.

CELL BIOLOGY PROGRAM

115 Pathology Building
Phone 216-368-5544
E-mail: amt10@po.cwru.edu

The Cell Biology Program provides educational and research opportunities through its journal clubs and colloquia and through graduate training toward the Ph.D. degree. The research environment includes all the basic science departments of the School of Medicine, the Department of Biology, and several laboratories at University Hospitals of Cleveland and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. These departments collectively cover a diverse set of areas of contemporary interest in the cell biology of higher animals, plants, yeast and other microorganisms. These include the extracellular matrix, secretion and endocytosis, cell adhesion, the cytoskeleton, the nuclear envelope, and others. Many of these areas interface with local research in biochemistry, genetics, immunology, molecular biology, neuroscience, pharmacological sciences, and physiology and biophysics.

First-year graduate students follow the Correlated Curriculum in Cell and Molecular Biology (CB10 453-456, 12 credit hours) along with students from all graduate departments. They also complete three laboratory rotations (starting July 1) among the laboratories of training faculty, which span the entire campus. The goal of the rotations is to guarantee that the student has sufficient breadth of familiarity with cell biology faculty to allow him or her to make the best choice of a permanent research laboratory. In all cases, this selection must be made, with the consent of the sponsor and his or her department, before nine months have elapsed. First-year students also actively participate in the weekly Cell Biology Journal Club and attend the cell biology colloquia.

During the subsequent years, students devote most of their time to laboratory research, while also attending courses, seminars and journal clubs. The courses may be given by any department or program on campus. Students must take a total of 36 credit hours of courses and maintain a B average.

Preparation for the qualifying exam and the writing of research proposals and the dissertation match the norm of the department in which the student elects to do his or her thesis work; however, the content of the exams and proposal(s) must have a clear emphasis on cell biology itself.

All efforts should be made to complete the Ph.D. within four years. It is expected that the student will be the first author on at least two articles accepted for publication in highly regarded scientific journals.

Participating Faculty
Susann Brady-Kalnay, Cathleen Carlin, Piet de Boer, Thomas Egelhoff, Edward Greenfield, Clifford Harding, Lynn Landmesser, Gary Landreth, Sandra Lemmon, Gregory Matera, Sanjay Pimplikar, Kurt W. Runge, Ruth E. Siegel, Neena Singh, Martin Snider, Alan M. Tartakoff, Thomas Wiembs, Amy Wilson, Joanne Wise, and Richard Zigmond.

Courses in Cell Biology

Required (first year)
CBIO 453-456. Correlated Curriculum in Cell and Molecular Biology (12 credits)

Representative Electives
BIOC 408 Molecular Biology: Genes and Genetic Engineering (4)

PHRM 413 Molecular Pharmacology (3)

PATH 444 Neurodegenerative Diseases: Pathological, Cellular and
Molecular Perspective (3)

NEUR 473 Introduction to Neurobiology (3)

PATH 477 Cellular and Molecular Basis of Immune Dysfunction (3)

PATH 481 Immunology of Infectious Diseases (3)

GENE 500 Advanced Eukaryotic Genetics (3)

GENE 510 Human Genetics (3)

GENE 520 Gene Expression in Replication and Differentiation (3)

CLBY/PATH 527 Mechanisms of Cell Growth Control (3)

CLBY 701 Dissertation (credit as arranged)

Cellular Biology (CLBY)

Graduate Courses

CLBY 416. Fundamental Immunology (3)

CLBY 416. Fundamental Immunology (3)
(See PATH 416.) Cross-listed as PATH 416.

CLBY 417. Cytokines: Function, Structure and Signaling (3)
(See PATH 417.) Cross-listed as BIOL 417 and PATH 417.

CLBY 466. Cell Signaling (3)
(See PHOL 466.) Cross-listed as PHOL 466.

CLBY 468A. Membrane Physiology I (3)
(See PHOL 468A.) Cross-listed as PHOL 468A.

CLBY 487. Cell Biology of the Nucleus (3)
(See PATH 487.) Prereq: CBIO 453 and CBIO 454 or consent of instructor. Cross-listed as PATH 487.

CLBY 488. Yeast Genetics and Cell Biology (3)
(See MBIO 488.) Cross-listed as MBIO 488.

CLBY 501. Genetic Control of Development (3)

CLBY 518. Cell Surfaces and Matrices (3)
Lecture and discussion course emphasizing current advances in cell-cell and cell-substrate interactions. Cross-listed as NEUR 518.

CLBY 519. Molecular Biology of RNA (3)
(See MBIO 519.) Cross-listed as MBIO 519.

CLBY 525. Transport and Targeting of Macromolecules in Health and Disease (3)
(See PATH 525.) Cross-listed as PATH 525.

CLBY 601. Special Problems (1-18)
This is the listing for independent research. Students should enroll in this course once they have selected their laboratory for Ph.D. research. The number of credit hours depends on how many didactic courses they are following at the same time. Once they have passed their qualifying examination they should register for CLBY 701.

CLBY 701. Dissertation Ph.D. (1-18)
This is the listing for independent research toward the Ph.D. The number of credit hours depends on how many didactic courses students are following at the same time. Students may register for this course only once they have passed their qualifying examination.

CLBY 702. Appointed Dissertation Fellow (9)

Cellular and Molecular Biology (CBIO)

Graduate Courses

CBIO 453. Cell Biology I (3)
Part of the first semester curriculum for first-year graduate students along with CBIO 455. Topics include: genetics, from classical genetics to genomics; and cell biology–an introduction to cellular organelles and structures in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. Prereq: BIOC 307 or BIOC 407.

CBIO 454. Cell Biology II (3)
Part of the curriculum for first-year graduate students. The course is divided into minicourse units covering a wide range of topics, including: Molecular Therapeutics, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Nutrition, Cell Cycle and Cancer, Tissues; Protein Structure and Function; Immunology; RNA Structure and Function; and Signal Transduction. Students choose three of these units. Taught with CBIO 456. Prereq: CBIO 453 or CBIO 455.

CBIO 455. Molecular Biology I (3)
Part of the first semester curriculum for first-year graduate students along with CBIO 453. Topics include: the replication of DNA, transcription of RNA and its regulation, mechanism of protein synthesis, and the regulation of gene expression in growth and development. Prereq: BIOC 307 or BIOC 407.

CBIO 456. Molecular Biology II (3)
Part of the curriculum for first-year graduate students. The course is divided into minicourse units covering a wide range of topics, including: Molecular Therapeutics, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Nutrition, Cell Cycle and Cancer, Tissues; Protein Structure and Function; Immunology; RNA Structure and Function; and Signal Transduction. Students choose three of these units. Taught with CBIO 454. Prereq: CBIO 453 or CBIO 455.

DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE 

Phone 216-778-3577
Charles L. Emerman, M.D.
Chair - MetroHealth Medical Center

The MetroHealth Medical Center Department of Emergency Medicine provides a full range of bedside supervision of patient care 24 hours each day to emergency medicine residents, resident physicians from related disciplines, and to medical students.

The emergency department accounts for about 40 percent of the hospital’s admissions. The department treats about 70,000 patients annually, one-third of whom are aged 19 or fewer years. It is equipped to manage all levels of acute and sub-acute care. A trauma operating suite is adjacent to the emergency department and is available at all times. Around-the-clock laboratory support is also available within the department.

The emergency medicine education program at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has been designed to provide students with basic skills as well as support and career counseling for students interested in pursuing careers in emergency medicine.

Emergency medicine residents work with medical students at all four medical school grade levels, especially those students who elect an emergency medicine area of concentration, which MetroHealth Medical Center faculty have directed since its inception in 1988.

Courses offered include the Introduction to Emergency Medicine/Critical Care/Trauma elective, Principles of Emergency Medicine, and a clinical elective in emergency medicine.

MetroHealth Medical Center emergency department faculty also sponsor the Emergency Medicine Interest Group of Case Western Reserve medical students.

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES

Room W-G19 School of Medicine
Phone 216-368-5961
http://mediswww.meds.cwru.edu/dept/evhs/evhs.htm

The Department of Environmental Health Sciences is devoted to the study of the fundamental mechanisms responsible for disease processes initiated or aggravated by environmental agents. Indoor and outdoor environments consist of complex interacting systems. These systems require the development of new approaches to understanding the basis of their action. This realization was the impetus for the creation of the department. Current research interests of the faculty include chemical and environmental carcinogenesis, genetic and reproductive toxicology, cytogenetics, radiation biology, and clinical and forensic toxicology.

The Department of Environmental Health Sciences participates in the integrated Biological Sciences Training Program (BSTP) and offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. In addition to participating in the flexible program and offering research opportunities to medical students, the department sponsors an M.D./M.S. program that allows students to complete the requirements for both degrees within a four-year period.

Graduate Programs
The master of science and doctor of philosophy degree programs are designed to increase the student’s knowledge of environmental health science as well as to provide a firm foundation in the life sciences. The programs are multidisciplinary and emphasize cancer biology, environmental toxicology, and nutrition and toxicology. They are based on a core classroom curriculum in the biological sciences, including biochemistry, biostatistics, microbiology, genetics, molecular biology, pharmacology, epidemiology and toxicology.

Current areas of research of the participating faculty include genetic toxicology, xenobiotic metabolism, cytogenetics, radiation biology, DNA damage and repair, radical mechanisms in carcinogen metabolism, approaches to the study of structure, activity relationships, and clinical and forensic toxicology.

Master’s Degree Programs
The department also offers a doctor of medicine/master of science program for students who have received formal acceptance to the School of Medicine and are interested in expanding their training in the area of environmental health sciences.

Thesis (Plan A) and non-thesis (Plan B) master of science degree programs are offered to students who have completed an undergraduate degree program from an accredited university or college. Course schedules are arranged to accommodate individuals who wish to enroll on a part-time basis. Both programs require a total of 27 semester hours at the 400 level or higher. A minimum of 27 semester hours of formal course work is required for the non-thesis degree, and a minimum of 18 semester hours is required for the thesis degree. The remaining credits may be research credits (EVHS 651). Students enrolled in the non-thesis program must pass a comprehensive examination before being awarded the degree. The requirements for the master’s program must be completed within five consecutive calendar years after matriculation.

Ph.D. Program
Admission to the doctoral degree program may follow successful completion of the undergraduate degree or master’s degree program. A minimum of 36 semester hours of graduate study is required for students entering with an undergraduate degree, and 18 semester hours typically are required for students who have completed an M.S. degree program. A proposal-type examination is required before admission to candidacy. Award of the Ph.D. degree is dependent on successful completion of an original, independent research project under the guidance of a faculty advisor as well as the submission and defense of a written dissertation. There is no foreign language requirement.

Financial support is available for Ph.D. candidates and for a limited number of full-time master’s degree candidates.

Facilities and Equipment
Research laboratories and instrumentation are located in the medical school and affiliated hospitals. These include laboratories for general preparation, metabolic studies and restricted-access toxicology cell culture and biohazard facilities. Supporting these laboratories are specialized rooms for instrumentation, the weighing of toxic substances, constant temperature studies and low temperature storage.

Equipment includes centrifuges, liquid scintillation counters, chromatographic equipment (HPLC), spectrophotometers, spectrofluorometers, incubators, freezers and microscopes. Also, the department has a dedicated DEC VAX-I 1/750 computer, and microcomputers and modem-equipped terminals are housed within the department and at special terminal sites.

Environmental Health Sciences (EVHS)

Graduate Courses

EVHS 401A. Fundamentals of Environmental Health Sciences: Biochemical Toxicology (1.5)
This core course details the fundamentals of biochemical toxicology. Specific topics include oxidations reductive reactions. Phase I and II xenobiotic metabolism, and mechanisms of cellular toxicity.

EVHS 401B. Effects of Exposure to Environmental Mutagens (1.5)
This course provides an overview of compounds found in the environment. The toxicity, mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, and teratogenicity of these environmental agents and the potential for human exposure to these agents through environmental, occupational and medicinal routes are discussed. Prereq: EVHS 402A.

EVHS 402A. Fundamentals of Environmental Health Sciences:
Risk Assessment (1.5)
This course presents an overview of the scientific approaches used to determine whether environmental agents are potentially dangerous to people. In this course, criteria utilized for establishing exposure limits are presented and short term assays, epidemiology studies and clinical trials are discussed which are used to assess the impact of environmental exposure on normal and genetically susceptible individuals.

EVHS 402B. Fundamentals of Environmental Health Sci:
Biochemical Toxicology II (1.5)
This core course focuses on pharmacology. General principles of pharmacology drug transport and absorption, drug metabolism, neuropharmacology, immunopharmacology, and pharmacokinetics are discussed. (See EVHS 402A.)

EVHS 403A. Radiation Biology: Cells, Tissues, Organisms (1.5)
Major emphasis on cellular and molecular radiation biology. Includes discussion of the physics and chemistry of radiation; factors that modify the cellular response to radiation; molecular and genetic effects of radiation on cells, individuals and populations; analysis of risks vs. benefits of diagnostic and therapeutic radiation, the molecular biology of the radiation response.

EVHS 403B. Cellular and Molecular Radiation Oncology (1.5)
Topics include: time, dose, dose rate, and fractionation in the therapeutic use of radiation; molecular biology of the radiation response and manipulation of the response for therapeutic benefit; the physics, chemistry, biology, and molecular biology of alternate treatment modalities, including hyperthermia and photodynamic therapy.

EVHS 502. Genetic Toxicology II: DNA Damage and Repair (3)
This course provides an in-depth consideration of agents which alter DNA directly or indirectly through effects on its synthesis and examines the mechanisms and repair processes through which cells respond to this damage. The class consists of formal lectures which introduce each topic, and analysis of up-to-date literature on topics representative of major current areas of interest in this field. Topics covered include fidelity of DNA replication, excision repair, mismatch repair, transcription-linked repair, SOS repair and recombinational repair. Other DNA damage responses controlling decision points between DNA repair and apoptosis are also considered. Agent-specific DNA damage, such as that caused by agents leading to bulky adducts, AP sites, base-base mismatches and damage to DNA bases, are considered in the context of specific repair processes responding to these DNA insults in procaryotes and eukaryotes. Prereq: EVHS 401A, EVHS 401B, EVHS 402A, and EVHS 402B.

EVHS 506. Independent Study in Environmental Health Sciences (1-6)

EVHS 510. Molecular Oncology (3)
This course explores the role of environmental factors in causing alterations in cellular mechanisms which lead to cancer. Emphasis is placed on genetic and other regulatory alterations leading to cell transformation. The possible role of oncogenes and suppressor genes in these processes and the mechanisms through which chemotherapy and immunotherapy manifest toxicity for cancer cells are considered.

EVHS 651. Master’s Thesis Research (1-9)

EVHS 701. Dissertation Ph.D. (1-9)
(Credit as arranged.)

EVHS 702. Appointed Dissertation Fellow (9)

DEPARTMENT OF EPIDEMIOLOGY AND BIOSTATISTICS

Room W-G57 School of Medicine
Phone 216-368-3195
http://epbiwww.cwru.edu/

The Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics offers M.S. and M.D. degrees in four divisions: biostatistics, epidemiology, genetic and molecular epidemiology, and health services research. The division of public health offers an M.P.H. degree (for more information about the M.P.H., see "Other Degree Programs" in the School of Medicine section of this General Bulletin). Department faculty are nationally recognized and have more than $9 million in grants that support projects including HIV/TB research in Uganda and Thailand, the search for genes that cause disease, cancer prevention and control, studies of interventions to change human behaviors that promote good health, design of clinical trials, studies to change high-risk behaviors related to AIDS, studies of public policies concerning the health of the elderly, and cost/benefit studies of medical interventions. The department has offices at the University and at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland. This hospital has been recognized as one of the premier public hospitals in the United States.

The department maintains a scientific computer center comprised of three Sun servers that provide an overall disk storage of 700 gigabytes. The two servers, one on the University campus and one at MetroHealth, are in labs to assist the instructions and research needs of students and faculty.

The main server is an Enterprise 450 with four 300 Mhz processors and 1 Gigabyte of RAM, and the other servers are Sparc 1000. The storage on the enterprise 450 is a raid5 configuration that hosts 240 Gigabytes of disk space. Several national health care and demographic databases are stored on the servers. Other departments in the School of Medicine are encouraged to use the facilities for statistical analyses. Several very large national health care and demographic databases are stored on the servers and are used for faculty and student research and educational projects.

Epidemiology and Biostatistics (EPBI)

Graduate Courses

EPBI 407. Basic Biostatistics for Medical Scientists (1)
A survey course designed to introduce residents and fellows of clinical departments to the terminology, concepts and methods of biostatistics as applied to clinical and basic medical research. Medical examples will illustrate statistical concepts and methods including descriptive statistics and graphical presentation, estimation and hypothesis testing, power and sample size considerations, statistical analysis on continuous and categorical data, parametric and nonparametric methods, regression and correlation and basics of statistical modeling and survival analysis.

EPBI 408. Public Policy and Aging (3)
Overview of aging and the aged. Concepts in the study of public policy. Policies on aging and conditions that they address. The politics of policies on aging. Emergent trends and issues. Cross-listed as ANTH 498, GERO 496, HSTY 480, MPHP 408, NURS 479, NURS 579, POSC 480, and SOCI 496.

EPBI 411. Introduction to Behavioral Medicine (3)
Using a biopsychosocial perspective, an overview of the measurement and modeling of behavioral, social, psychological, and environmental factors related to disease prevention, disease management, and health promotion is provided. Cross-listed as MPHP 411.

EPBI 414. Introduction to Statistical Computing (3)
This course introduces the use of computers in epidemiologic investigations and biostatistical applications. Topics covered include an overview of microcomputer hardware, computer operating systems including Windows 95 and UNIX, the use of the Internet and World Wide Web, and database and spreadsheet concepts, along with instruction in the use of several useful software packages for database management, spreadsheet construction, statistical analysis, and graphics. Primary emphasis is on developing the knowledge and familiarity required for running these particular programs in connection with data collection, analysis, and presentation of results in clinical studies. Students will be required to complete assignments using personal computers and UNIX systems maintained by the department. Knowledge of basic statistics is recommended but is not vital to understanding the material in this course.

EPBI 420. Structured Computer Programming (3)
This course introduces structured computer programming as a discipline beginning with the precise statement of a problem, development and stepwise refinement of an algorithm using pseudo-code, and the final expression of the algorithm in a modern high-level programming language. Emphasis is placed on both the process of algorithm development and the details of the high-level, structured programming language in which the final algorithm is expressed. Students will be required to complete assignments in the C language using personal computers and UNIX systems maintained by the department.

EPBI 431. Statistical Methods I (3)
Application of statistical techniques with particular emphasis on problems in the biomedical sciences. Basic probability theory, random variables, and distribution functions. Point and interval estimation, regression, and correlation. Problems whose solution involves using packaged statistical programs. First part of year-long sequence. Prereq: Two semesters of calculus or consent of instructor. Cross-listed as ANAT 431 and BIOL 431.

EPBI 432. Statistical Methods II (3)
Methods of analysis of variance, regression and analysis of quantitative data. Emphasis on computer solution of problems drawn from the biomedical sciences. Design of experiments, power of tests, and adequacy of models. Prereq: EPBI 431. Cross-listed as BIOL 432 and MPHP 432.

EPBI 433. Community Interventions and Program Evaluation (3)
This course prepares students to design, conduct, and assess community-based health interventions and program evaluation. Topics include assessment of need, evaluator/stakeholder relationship, process vs. outcome-based objectives, data collection, assessment of program objective achievement based on process and impact, cost-benefit analyses, and preparing the evaluation report to stakeholders. Prereq: EPBI 490, EPBI 431, or MPHP 405. Cross-listed as MPHP 433.

EPBI 435. Survival Data Analysis (3)
Basic concepts of survival analysis including hazard function, survival function, types of censoring, Kaplan-Meier estimates, log-rank tests, and the generalized Wilcoxon tests. Parametric inference will include exponential and Weibull distributions with and without censoring. The proportional hazard and other methods of handling covariates will be discussed. Prereq: EPBI 432.

EPBI 441. Biostatistics I (3)
Sampling techniques and statistical methods applicable to data derived from sampling surveys. Principles of random sampling, stratification, systematic sampling, and cluster sampling. Emphasis on sampling problems encountered in surveying human populations. Prereq: EPBI 432.

EPBI 442. Biostatistics II (3)
This course deals with the basic concepts and applications of nonparametric statistics. Topics will include distribution-free statistics, one sample rank test, the Mann-Whitney and Kruskal Wallis tests, one sample and two sample U-statistics, asymptotic relative efficiency of tests, distribution-free confidence intervals, point estimation and linear rank statistics. Prereq: EPBI 441. Cross-listed as MPHP 442.

EPBI 443. Applied Multivariate Analysis (3)
Starts with review of matrix algebra as it pertains to multivariate statistics, then proceeds to study inference about multivariate means: Hotelling’s T2, Manova, Mancova, growth curves, and other linear models, such as simultaneous confidence interval, and linear discriminant analysis and its relationship to logistic model. Prereq: EPBI 432.

EPBI 444. Sample Survey Design and Analysis (2)
Prereq: EPBI 431 or EPBI 432.

EPBI 446. Theory and Methods of Experimental Design (3)
This course deals with basic problems of experimental design. Topics will include completely randomized and balanced incomplete block designs, parallel groups designs, Youden and Latin squares, repeated measurements studies, factorial experiments and designs for bioassays and response surfaces. Prereq: EPBI 432. Cross-listed as STAT 466.

EPBI 447. Sampling Finite Populations (3)
This course will discuss the basic concepts of sampling theory including simple random and systematic sampling, ratio and regression methods of estimation, stratified and cluster sampling, randomized response survey and their applications in health sciences. Prereq: EPBI 432. Cross-listed as MPHP 447 and STAT 468.

EPBI 448. Genetic Analysis Programs (3)
Theory underlying software developed specifically for the genetic analysis of family data. The course will focus mainly on the programs in the S.A.G.E. (Statistical Analysis for Genetic Epidemiology) program package, but will also cover other programs that are available. Use of these programs to determine genetic components of complex traits and writing up reports summarizing the results. Prereq: EPBI 452 and EPBI 457.

EPBI 450. Clinical Trials and Intervention Studies (3)
Issues in the design, organization, and operation of randomized, controlled clinical trials and intervention studies. Emphasis on long-term multicenter trials. Topics include legal and ethical issues in the design; application of concepts of controls, masking, and randomization; steps required for quality data collection; monitoring for evidence of adverse or beneficial treatment effects; elements of organizational structure; sample size calculations and data analysis procedures; and common mistakes. Cross-listed as MPHP 450.

EPBI 451. Principles of Genetic Epidemiology (3)
A survey of the basic principles, concepts and methods of the discipline of genetic epidemiology, which focuses on the role of genetic factors in human disease and their interaction with environmental and cultural factors. Many important human disorders appear to exhibit a genetic component; hence the integrated approaches of genetic epidemiology bring together epidemiologic and human genetic perspectives in order to answer critical questions about human disease. Methods of inference based upon data from individuals, pairs of relatives, and pedigrees will be considered. Prereq: EPBI/MPHP 431 or MPHP 405, EPBI/MPHP 490. Cross-listed as GENE 451 and MPHP 451.

EPBI 452. Statistical Methods for Genetic Epidemiology (3)
Analytic methods for evaluating the role of genetic factors in human disease, and their interactions with environmental factors. Statistical methods for the estimation of genetic parameters and testing of genetic hypotheses, emphasizing maximum likelihood methods. Models to be considered will include such components as genetic loci of major effect, polygenic inheritance, and environmental, cultural and developmental effects. Topics will include familial aggregation, segregation and linkage analysis, ascertainment, linkage disequilibrium, and disease marker association studies. Prereq: EPBI 431 and EPBI 451.

EPBI 453. Categorical Data Analysis (3)
Descriptive and inferential methods for categorical data with applications: bivariate data; models for binary and multinomial response variables, with emphasis on logit models; loglinear models for multivariate data; model fitting using the maximum likelihood approach; model selection and diagnostics; and sample size and power considerations. Topics in repeated response data as time allows. Prereq: EPBI 441.

EPBI 454. Population Genetics for Genetic Epidemiology (3)
This course will cover basics of population genetics (mutation, migration, natural selection) as well as topics such as random mating populations and inbred populations. Emphasis will be placed on migration studies and on linkage disequilibrium mapping. Measures on linkage disequilibrium, methods for linkage disequilibrium mapping of disease genes and the use of isolated versus outbred population in linkage of disequilibrium mapping will be discussed. Prereq: EPBI 431.

EPBI 455. Genetic Epidemiology of Complex Diseases (3)
This course gives an integrated view to the process of genetic epidemiology as applied to complex diseases. To provide a basis, we initially study concepts of logic and causality. We then investigate the steps involved with a coherent approach to deciphering complex diseases in genetic epidemiology. In particular, the course covers: migrant studies, familial aggregation, linkage, disequilibrium, association studies, characterizing genes, gene-environment interactions, molecular epidemiology, ecogentics, and pharmacogenomics. Prereq: EPBI 451. Cross-listed as MPHP 455.

EPBI 456. Genetic Epidemiology of Cancer (3)
This course describes the methods of quantitative analysis aimed at elucidating the genetic mechanisms governing or influencing the development of cancer. A variety of designs and analytic approaches appropriate to such investigations will be considered. Specific characteristics of cancer biology, diagnosis, development and mechanism that require consideration in the statistical genetic analysis of cancer data will be elucidated, as well as aspects of population genetics, screening and other issues that have implications for genetic epidemiologic studies of cancer. Prereq: EPBI 451, EPBI 452, and EPBI 457.

EPBI 457. Genetic Linkage Analysis (3)
Methods of analyzing human data to detect genetic linkage between disease traits, discreet and continuous, and polymorphic markers. Both model-based maximum likelihood (lod score) and model-free robust methods will be discussed. Additional topics covered will include measures of informativeness, multipoint analysis, numerical methods and model score analysis. Prereq: EPBI 452.

EPBI 458. Statistical Methods for Clinical Trials (3)
This course will focus on special statistical methods and philosophical issues in the design and analysis of clinical trials. The emphasis will be on practically important issues that are typically not covered in standard biostatistics courses. Topics will include: randomization techniques, intent-to-treat analysis, analysis of compliance data, equivalency testing, surrogate endpoints, multiple comparisons, sequential testing, and Bayesian methods. Prereq: EPBI 432 or MPHP 432. Cross-listed as MPHP 458.

EPBI 459. Longitudinal Data Analysis (3)
This course will cover statistical methods for the analysis of longitudinal data with an emphasis on application in biological and health research. Topics include exploratory data analysis, response feature analysis, growth curve models, mixed-effects models, generalized estimating equations, and missing data. Prereq: EPBI 432.

EPBI 460. Health Research Methods I (3)
This is a course in research methods focusing on practical issues in the conduct of health services research studies. Topics include: an overview of health services research; ethics in health services research; proposal writing and funding; the relationship between theory and research; formulating research questions; specifying study design and study objectives; conceptualizing and defining variables; validity and reliability of measures; scale construction; operationalizing health research relevant variables using observation, self and other report, and secondary analysis; formatting questionnaires; developing analysis plans; choosing data collection methods; sampling techniques and sample size; carrying out studies; preparing data for analysis; and reporting of findings. Cross-listed as MPHP 460.

EPBI 461. Health Research Methods II (3)
Focus on measurement strategies for key health services research concepts including case mix, severity of illness, functional status, and patient outcomes. Examine the interplay between physician practice patterns, geography, standards of care, and practice guidelines and patient management and outcomes. Statistical methods especially useful in health services research (e.g., cost/effectiveness and cost/benefit analysis, conjoint analysis, utility assessment, and meta-analysis) will be introduced as well as examining approaches to the assessment of care quality. Prereq: EPBI 460.

EPBI 462. Computation Methods in Genetic Epidemiology (3)
Methods for computing genetic likelihoods and estimating genetic parameters; Elston-Stewart algorithm, IBD computation; Markov chain Monte Carlo methods; Gibbs sampling; Newton-Raphson; E-M algorithm. Prereq: EPBI 457 and EPBI 482.

EPBI 463. Survey Design and Data Collection in Health Research (3)
The purpose for this course is to provide hands-on experience in designing and conducting surveys in health research. The topics include sampling, types of surveys (e.g., interviews, mail, telephone, medical records), questionnaire design (i.e., multiple indicator models, index and scale construction, assessing psychometrics properties), field operations (i.e., data collection, editing and coding). Cross-listed as MPHP 463.

EPBI 464. Decision Support Systems (3)
Review of methods for decision support in medicine. Discussion of the need for such methods motivated by psychological literature on human perceptual and judgmental limitations. Review of existing methods for aiding decisions including artificial intelligence and statistical methods to enhance diagnostic accuracy (Bayesian methods, classical multivariate analysis, dynamic screening (Markov) models). Methods for improving the display of information. Theoretical and empirical limitations of these decision aids. Prereq: MATH 491.

EPBI 465. Clinical Decision Analysis (3)
Application of decision trees to clinical problems, estimation and revision of probabilities including Bayes theorem, utility analysis, cost benefit and cost effectiveness, sensitivity analysis, roc curves, and microcomputer programs for clinical decision analysis.

EPBI 467. Cost-Effectiveness Analysis in Health Care (3)
Evaluation of alternative medical treatments and drug therapies. Topics include cost-benefit, cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analysis. Measuring cost, benefits and health outcomes. Quality of life and other measures of effectiveness will also be addressed. Emphasis on case studies, course project, and evaluation of publications. Some decision analysis and policy implications will also be included. Cross-listed as MPHP 467.

EPBI 468. The Continual Improvement of Healthcare:
An Interdisciplinary Course (3)
The focus of this course is on collaborative work for the benefit of patients and community. Seminar classwork is combined with a field project, in which interdisciplinary student teams apply what they have learned to the improvement activities of a local health care organization. Successful completion of the course depends on participation in seminar sessions and completion of the interdisciplinary student team project. Prereq: Consent of instructor. Cross-listed as MPHP 468 and NURS 468.

EPBI 471. Special Topics in Biostatistics (3)
Sampling methods, bioassay, statistical genetics, multivariate analysis, sequential analysis, and stochastic models. Prereq: EPBI 442.

EPBI 472. Special Topics in Statistical Genetics (1-4)
Various topics in statistical genetics will be discussed, depending on student interest and needs. Examples of topics are paternity and zygosity testing, path analysis for genetic epidemiology, the analysis of racial admixture and modeling such phenomena as imprinting and anticipation. The course will consist of four modules. A student may, in consultation with the instructor, elect to take 1 - 4 modules for the corresponding amount of credit. Prereq: EPBI 452.

EPBI 480. Introduction to Mathematical Statistics (3)
An introduction to statistical inference at an intermediate mathematical level. The concepts of random variables and distributions, discrete and continuous, are reviewed. Topics covered include: expectations, variance, moments, the moment generating function; Bernoulli, binomial, hypergeometric, Poisson, negative binomial, normal, gamma and beta distribution; the central limit theorem; Bayes estimation, maximum likelihood estimators, unbiased estimators, sufficient statistics; sampling distributions (chi-square, t) confidence intervals, Fisher information; hypothesis testing, uniformly most powerful tests and multi-decision problems. Prereq: EPBI 431.

EPBI 481. Theoretical Statistic I (3)
(See STAT 445.) Prereq: MATH 223. Coreq: EPBI 431. Cross-listed as STAT 445.

EPBI 482. Theoretical Statistics II (3)
(See STAT 446.) Prereq: MATH 223 or STAT 445 or consent of instructor. Cross-listed as STAT 446.

EPBI 486. Seminar in the Epidemiology of Violence (2)
Graduate standing only. Epidemiology of injuries caused by violent behavior based on analysis of current literature with emphasis on use of epidemiologic tools in studying fatal and nonfatal injuries. Consideration of: (1) methods of surveillance of injuries; (2) epidemiologic analytic studies; (3) development and evaluation of interventions, using national and local databases. Students and field workers will give oral and written presentations.

EPBI 487. Pharmacoepidemiology (3)
Basis principles underlying pharmacoepidemiology, including study design and sample size; ethical issues in drug testing and approval; the use of large databases for research; and pharmacoeconomics. Prereq: EPBI 490 and EPBI 491.

EPBI 488. Gender, Ethnicity, and Health Research (3)
This course is designed to acquaint students with the literature addressing the constructs of race, ethnicity, gender and social class; to examine critically the contexts in which these constructs are often applied; and to assess the relationship between each of these constructs and access to health care, quality of care, and health outcome. Cross-listed as MPHP 488.

EPBI 489. Biomedical Perspectives on Women’s Health (3)
This course explores constructs of gender, women’s access to healthcare, the quality of women’s healthcare, and women’s participation in biomedical research. These themes are examined in the context of various substantive areas, including reproductive health, mental health and illness, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. The course also examines methodological issues in study design that are related to gender.

EPBI 490. Epidemiology: Introduction to Theory and Methods (3)
Epidemiologic principles and methods needed to understand population-based statements of illness and health. Descriptive epidemiology, analytic epidemiology, and epidemiologic inference. Classification, morbidity and mortality rates, sampling, screening, epidemiologic models, field trials, controlled epidemiologic surveys, sources of bias, and causal models. Prereq: STAT 201 or STAT 207 or STAT 312 or equivalent. Cross-listed as MPHP 490.

EPBI 491. Epidemiology: Application of Theory/Methods (3)
This course will cover the methods used in the conduct of epidemiologic research. Topics include: case control studies, cohort studies, clinical trials, cross-section studies, exposure measurement, subject selection, validity, reliability, sample size and power, effect modification, confounding, bias, chance, risk assessment, frequency matching, matching meta-analysis. Analysis of data sets will be given as well. A statistical package will be used to analyze all data sets. Prereq: MPHP 431 and MPHP 490. Cross-listed as MPHP 491.

EPBI 492. Epidemiology: Statistical Methods (3)
The course focuses on strategies for model building. Topics include the analysis of cohort and case-control studies where the emphasis is on risk estimation. Students are expected to analyze a database obtained from a cohort study of the effects of maternal alcohol drinking on outcomes of pregnancy and from a related nested case-control study. The analysis of survival data focuses on parametric and non-parametric techniques and utilizes data from an ongoing study of quality of life of patients on kidney dialysis. In addition to regular class assignments, students are expected to write a report on each of the databases and present results to the class. Prereq: EPBI 432 and EPBI 491. Cross-listed as MPHP 492.

EPBI 493. Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Disease (3)
Prereq: EPBI 490.

EPBI 494. Infectious Disease Epidemiology (3)
The epidemiology, prevention and control of representative infectious disease models. Emphasis on the triad of agent, host and environment and the molecular and genetic basis of agent and host interaction in the population. Prereq: EPBI 490, EPBI 491, and a microbiology course or consent of instructor. Cross-listed as MPHP 494.

EPBI 495. Psychiatric Epidemiology (3)
This course provides an overview of various topics in the area of psychiatric epidemiology. These include a history of psychiatry as it is relevant to psychiatric epidemiology, methodological issues critical to research in this area, the social, ethical, and legal context of research in this area, and the epidemiology of various psychiatric disorders. Cross-listed as MPHP 495.

EPBI 496. Mathematical Models of Disease (3)
This course covers introductory concepts of stochastic processes, with particular emphasis on Poisson, renewal and Markov processes. Examples highlight the art of modeling, focusing on models of chronic and infectious disease progression and infectious disease transmission. Simulation methods are used to obtain solutions. Prereq: EPBI 492 and EPBI 420.

EPBI 497. Epidemiologic Studies of Cancer Etiology and Prevention (3)
Descriptive epidemiology of most major types of cancer. Current knowledge of the role that host factors, lifestyle, chemicals, radiation, viruses, familial factors, and benign diseases play in the etiology of various cancers, as determined from studies of human populations. Applications of epidemiologic principles to programs of primary and secondary cancer prevention. Prereq: EPBI 490.

EPBI 498. Cancer Data Analysis (3)
Practical experience in analysis of cancer data including defining a hypothesis, conducting a literature search, designing appropriate analyses, analyzing the data, and reporting the findings. Students analyze cancer data sets currently on file, such as National Cancer Institute’s surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (see program data, using contemporary epidemiologic methods as taught in EPBI 432 and EPBI 491). Prereq: EPBI 432 and EPBI 492.

EPBI 499. Independent Study (1-18)
Cross-listed as MPHP 499.

EPBI 501. Graduate Seminar (0)
Students and faculty have the opportunity to meet on a weekly basis to discuss papers in the literature. Each week a paper is reviewed in detail by a graduate student in a formal presentation. Discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the work gives insight into the complexities of investigations in the Public Health arena. Cross-listed as MPHP 501.

EPBI 502. Seminar in Genetic Epidemiology (0)
Presentation of original research or recent journal publications by faculty and students.

EPBI 503. Seminar in Biostatistics (0)
Presentation of original research or recent journal publications by faculty and students in the area of Biostatistics.

EPBI 507. Environmental Epidemiology (2)

EPBI 508. Ethics, Law, and Epidemiology (3)
This course is designed to provide epidemiology students with basic knowledge about the ethical and legal principles underlying epidemiological research. This is not a public health law class. Issue papers are assigned on a weekly basis. Each issue paper requires that the student analyze the situation depicted and apply the principles learned. Some issue papers may require that the student draft a proposed rule, a portion of legislation, or a document such as an informed consent form. Other exercises may require that students critique an existing agency rule or legislation. Prereq: EPBI 490 and EPBI 491. Cross-listed as MPHP 508.

EPBI 514. Advanced Statistical Computing (3)
Computational aspects of statistics and statistical modeling, including both graphical and analytic methods. The S-Plus programming language. The use of S-Plus and other computational tools to explore and analyze data in ways that are difficult to accomplish with standard statistical packages. Prereq: EPBI 414 and EPBI 420 and EPBI 482.

EPBI 515. Secondary Analysis of Large Health Care Data Bases (3)
Development of skills in working with the large-scale secondary data bases generated for research, health care administration/billing, or other purposes. Students will become familiar with the content, strength, and limitations of several data bases; with the logistics of obtaining access to data bases; the strengths and limitations of routinely collected variables; basic techniques for preparing and analyzing secondary data bases and how to apply the techniques to initiate and complete empirical analysis. Prereq: EPBI 414 or equivalent; EPBI 431 or EPBI 460 and EPBI 461 (for HSR students) or EPBI 495 (for EPI students).

EPBI 535. Topics in Advanced Survival Analysis (3)
Topics or current research interest in survival analysis. Topics may change from year to year. Prereq: EPBI 435.

EPBI 563. Pattern Recognition Techniques in Biomedical Research (3)
Overview of pattern recognition. Supervised learning using parametric and non-parametric statistics, linear discriminant functions, discrete and binary classification problems. Introduction to artificial neural networks. Neural approaches to supervised and unsupervised learning. Neural pattern associators and matrix approaches. Applications relevant to biomedical research. Prereq: EPBI 414 and EPBI 443 and EPBI 481.

EPBI 592. Selected Topics in Epidemiology (1-10)
Vaccine development; epidemic models; nutritional epidemiology, genetic epidemiology; opportunistic infections; nosocomial infections; prevention strategies.

EPBI 601. Master’s Project Research (1-18)

EPBI 602. Practicum (1-3)

EPBI 651. Thesis M.S. (1-18)
Prereq: Departmental prospectus form.

EPBI 701. Dissertation Ph.D. (1-18)

EPBI 702. Appointed Dissertation Fellow (9)

DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY MEDICINE

The Department of Family Medicine offers a master’s degree in family medicine. The program includes basic training in biostatistics, epidemiology and research methods, with a specific emphasis on the family. The department has particular research strengths in health services and prevention.

Family Medicine (FAMD)

Graduate Courses

FAMD 420. Seminar in Medical Education (3)

FAMD 421. Professional Academic Ethics (3)
What it means to be a successful member of the professoriate in an academic medical center is explored through a case study approach in academic ethics. Topics include: higher education governance, promotion and tenure, participation in school and university committees, informed consent, and grievance procedures.

FAMD 430. Research in Medical Education (3)
Prereq: Consent of instructor.

FAMD 431. Applied Statistics in Medical Education (3)

FAMD 502. International Health Practice (3)
This course aims to provide practical knowledge to prepare students to serve and study for international health work particularly in complex humanitarian emergencies. The course is organized and discussed from the perspective of health care professional. This course is intended for graduate-level students in medicine, nursing, public health, social work, and medical anthropology. Historical development of the discipline, key methodological issues, and essential principles in key topics will be discussed in multidisciplinary approach. Prereq: Consent of instructor. Cross-listed as MPHP 502.

FAMD 601. Independent Study (1-18)

FAMD 651. Thesis M.S. (1-18)