Terri S. Hamrick, Ph.D.

SESSIONS:

Monday & Friday, 10:00-10:50; Tuesday & Thursday, 9:30-10:20.  Hartness Lecture Hall.
 

CREDITS: 
4

TEXTBOOK:

Schaechter's Mechanisms of Microbial Disease, 4th edition.  Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, copyright 2007.  This is a new edition of the textbook.  Previous editions are very outdated and would not be a good substitute for the selected textbook.       

BLACKBOARD:

I will be using blackboard for reporting grades, discussion forums, class announcements, and case study reports. Blackboard can be found at www.blackboard.campbell.edu.  At this site create an account.  Please use your School of Pharmacy assigned PIN number as your ID#.  After you have created an account, enroll in this course by selecting course catalog and searching for “medical microbiology”.  If you have any trouble please contact me. 

OFFICE HOURS:

Open door policy. 207 Maddox Hall. (910) 893-1705. Setting an appointment with me will ensure that I can give you the attention you may need.  If you have difficulty understanding the material presented in this course, seek help from the course instructor.  Do this well before taking the exam and certainly BEFORE the course ends.  

E-mail is a good way to reach me.  I am happy to answer questions or schedule appointments via e-mail.  I ALWAYS respond to e-mails.  If you have not gotten a response from me, resend your message or try another way to reach me. 

E-mail address for Dr. Hamrick

Alternative E-mail address for Dr. Hamrick

GRADING

There are approximately 500 available points for this course.  The points are broken down as follows:

Exams                                                     300

Final exam                                               120

Blackboard assignments (discussion, etc.)     20

Blackboard quizzes                                    60

EXAMINATIONS:

Four exams (including the final) will be given during the semester.  Each unit exam is worth 100 pts; the final is worth 120 pts.   Even though the exams might not be cumulative, the concepts are.  Format for the exams will be multiple choice, true/false, matching, fill in the blank and short answer/short essay questions.  You will be expected to use the information we cover in class in addition to memorizing the facts. 

I will post Blackboard quizzes that will represent material that you should commit to memory.  These quizzes will be timed. (You will have 10 minutes to complete each quiz.) 

DISCUSSION FORUMS:

We will use Blackboard for class discussions related to current events in microbiology, which are worth 20 pts. See additional handout for the guidelines for the discussion forums.  

DESCRIPTION:

A comprehensive study of the field of medical microbiology.  This course will include a survey of infectious microbes and the clinical consequences of infection.  Topics will include basic microbial nomenclature, microbial structure, virulence factors and mechanisms of tissue damage.  This course will place particular emphasis on those aspects that will later be important for drug therapy. 

JUSTIFICATION:

This course will examine the field of medical microbiology.  We will focus mainly on bacterial and viral pathogens that cause human disease.  We will also cover some common fungal and eukaryotic infections.  As we examine these infections we will try to emphasize the details surrounding the mechanisms of infection/disease that will relate to the drugs that the students will learn about in future courses.  This course will also provide the basis for the study of immunology, which is taught in the spring.

This course promotes the mission of Campbell University by equipping students with superior skills in medical microbiology, which will allow them to practice pharmacy with the highest integrity and service to their patients.

NATURE OF THE COURSE:

1. A “Survey Course”

2. Major Course Focus:  the biology of infectious agents and the medical aspects of infectious diseases. 

SPECIFIC COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Upon completion of this course the pharmacy student  will be able to:

1. Explain the basic cells and organs of the immune system and the roles of these components in the immune system.
2. Identify the major bacterial pathogens involved in infectious disease and identify the virulence factors that are important for infection as well as the consequences of infection.
3. Identify the major viral pathogens involved in infectious disease and identify those aspects of viruses that are important for causing disease and targets for therapy.
4. Reference information regarding fungal and protozoan infectious agent.
5. Merge information from several sources (textbook, lecture, reports, etc.) to solve problems related to real life medical situations.

 
 ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR:

Students are expected to adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity and refrain from any action that is deemed unethical or dishonest.  Students are expected to submit their own work for all exams, quizzes, and assignments, or in the case of group exercises, the group will submit the collective work of the group.  Cheating in ANY manner will result in the grade of “F” for the course and may also include a referral to the academic affairs committee for further action.

Professional behavior is required of all students enrolled in this course.  Such behavior includes: appropriate dress; arriving on time for class; respect for the lecturer; respect for fellow classmates; no whispering or talking in the audience.