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Human Structure and Function

Lars Hedin, M.D., Ph.D., Course Director
Nithila Issac, Ph.D., Associate Course Director
Rachel Koshi, M.B.B.S., M.D., Ph.D., Associate Course Director
Samar Al Amad, Basic Science Curriculum Coordinator

This course fully integrates the basic disciplines of Gross Anatomy and Radiology, Developmental Biology and Embryology, Histology and Physiology of the human body, and its organ systems.

Acquisition of essential knowledge of normal macro and microscopic anatomy, radiological imaging, embryology/developmental biology, and physiology in an integrative manner that emphasizes structure- function relationships in the human body at the tissue, organ and systemic levels of biological organization. Fostering of continuous self-education in these fields.

The course was designed to use several modalities of learning, including problem based learning (PBL), lectures, laboratories (cadaver dissection, radiology, histology, computer embryology labs, and physiology), demonstrations (used sparingly), small group reviews (used sparingly), and journal club.

The course has been divided in the following modules:

• Early development, skeletal-muscle-skin systems, autonomic nervous system, nervous tissues, spinal cord, back, pectoral region and upper limb.
• Cardiovascular system
• Respiratory system
• Gastro-intestinal system
• Kidney, perineum and pelvis
• Reproduction and endocrinology
• Locomotor system

PBL plays a central but not exclusive role in the curriculum. Fundamentally, PBL will "drive" the other modalities of learning. The main objectives of PBL are to stimulate: 1. Active self-learning; 2. Learning to retrieve information efficiently from books, computers, and journal articles 3. Construction of logical interrelations from apparently disperse pieces of factual knowledge in preparation for understanding and exercising some of the thinking patterns of medical practice; 4. Integration of basic knowledge within a context of a realistic clinical case in which the emphasis is on normal structure-function relationships of the human body rather than on clinical diagnosis, treatment or outcome; 5. Reading, critical analysis, presentation of original articles in the modern biomedical literature related to the clinical case (see “Journal Club” below).

Although reduced in number, lectures play an important role in the curriculum and are designed to provide: 1. Conceptual overview of topics that are addressed or not in other modalities (PBL, Labs, Demos); 2. Explanation of concepts and facts that by historical experience are particularly difficult for a majority of our students; 3. Important topics that are not encompassed in the PBL cases; 4. Important topics in which there is faculty expertise at the forefront of the field, and for which the faculty is also known to have exceptional didactic skills. Each lecturer will obligatorily provide a transcript of its lecture to preclude use of "student transcripts". Use of textbooks and other resources, in addition to the transcripts, is highly encouraged. When appropriate, the lecturer will direct the students to original articles.

Laboratory experience including cadaver dissection, radiological imaging, histology, embryology computer labs, and physiology are highly emphasized in the curriculum, and in terms of total hours of contact with students is the most extensive part of the course. The laboratories are designed to provide: 1. "Hands-on" and "eyes-on" acquisition of knowledge in gross anatomy, radiology, embryology and developmental biology, and histology; 2. Familiarity with some physiological tests commonly used in clinical practice (e.g., blood pressure measurement, ECG, pulmonary function tests); 3. Reinforcement of concepts of structure-function interrelationships in the human body.

Journal Club will be an integral part of the PBL. One or more articles at the forefront of the field will be chosen for presentation and discussion in each PBL case (each student will present at least 2 articles in the year). Each article will be directly related to the topics of the PBL case. Performance in presentation and discussion of articles will be an integral part of student’s PBL evaluation (see “Student Evaluation” below).

Used very parsimoniously to expose students to important clinical and laboratory procedures in which "hands-on" experience is not feasible at this stage of instruction (e.g., angiography).

Student evaluation will follow the general rules established by Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar. The following should be noted:

1. General multiple choice, short answer, and structure recognition quizzes in physiology, histology, and developmental biology/embryology will cover subjects given in lectures and laboratories. Students will be informed in advance as to the exact subjects for each quiz. For logistic reasons, practical and written tests of anatomy-radiology will be given separately and will include subjects given in laboratory and lectures of these subjects.
2. Usually, tests are given at the end of each of the modules. Each discipline within a module will be graded separately. A final grade for each discipline (anatomy/radiology, development biology/embryology, histology, and physiology) will be computed, and will account for 60% of the total final grade.
3. Tutors will provide evaluation of student performance in PBL sessions, including Journal Club. Note: According to WCMC-Q rules more than two unexcused absences in PBL will lead to a “marginal grade” in these modalities (see “marginal grade” in point 5 below). There will be two evaluations during the course, one at mid-term and the other at the end of the course. The final grade for PBL (together with Journal Club) will be the average of the two evaluations. PBL (together with Journal Club) will account for 30% of the final total grade.
4. A Triple Jump examination will be given at the end of the course, and will account for 10% of the final total grade.
5. Students are expected to have a satisfactory performance in all parts of the course (PBL/JC, lectures, and laboratories), in each subject of the course (Anatomy-Radiology, Histology, Physiology, and Developmental Biology and Embryology), and on the triple-jump exam. Exceptional, satisfactory, or unsatisfactory performance in the course as a whole will receive honors, pass, or fail grades, respectively, according to WCMC rules. “Honors grade” will be given to approximately the top 20% of the class. “Fail grade” will be given to those students with an average less than 65% of the maximal grade of the course. Students with a “fail grade” will be required to satisfactorily complete a make up exam by the end of summer to be promoted to the second year. Unsatisfactory performance (less than 65% of the maximal grade) in any of the evaluation components (PBL-Journal Club, Physiology, Anatomy-Radiology, Histology, Development Biology/Embryology, and Triple Jump Exam) will receive a grade "marginal”. This "marginal" grade must be removed by satisfactory performance in make-up tests, exams, or other form of examinations on the subject matter by end of the summer of the first year for the student to be permitted to advance to the second year.