Courses

Genomics and Proteomics introduces students to the basic organization of human cells and the molecular machinery involved in regulating cellular functions. The course covers aspects of DNA replication, transcription, and translation of genetic information, protein processing and transport, receptors, signal transduction and second messenger systems. The genomic and proteomic information will be used to evaluate targeted drug development programs and to evaluate therapeutic outcomes and decisions.

Physical and Pharmaceutical Chemistry addresses the basic chemical principles that form a foundation for applied pharmaceutical sciences and pharmacy practice. This course requires students to assess properties of chemical entities and predict their behavior in various physical and biological systems related to drug formulation and delivery. The properties of solubility and stability are applied to dosage form design and drug absorption and distribution. The topics discussed include thermodynamics, interfacial properties, solid, semi-solid and liquid formulations, drug release, diffusion and transport and biopharmaceutical applications.

The abilities lab is a series of courses that occur during the fall and spring terms during years one through three of the curriculum. The purpose of the abilities lab is to assist student pharmacists in achieving proficiency in professional abilities, through the integration of knowledge, skills, behaviors, and values in order to function as an independent pharmacy practitioner in a variety of health care environments. The sequence requires the integration of didactic and experiential content across the first three years of the curriculum. This course specifically focuses on community pharmacy dispensing, patient counseling, intravenous admixture and aseptic technique, patient interview skills, drug information resources, vital sign collection, and laws and requirements related to the practice of pharmacy.

Biochemistry builds on the principles of biology and chemistry with a systematic consideration of the chemical components and requirements of living systems at the molecular level to the cellular level. These fundamentals of biochemical structure, function and energetics provide a platform for the comprehension of pharmaceutical biotechnology and for understanding determinants of disease, the pathobiochemistry of organ systems, mechanisms of drug action and adverse reactions, novel drug delivery systems, bioinformatics. Particular attention is paid to the application of biochemical concepts to issues that form a foundation for pharmacy practice.

The purpose of this course is to provide pharmacy students with the basic foundation to understand the intricate and complex realm of health care delivery within the context of the healthcare system. The course provides a multidisciplinary view of the role of pharmacy and pharmacists in the context of the US health care system through an examination of the social, legal, economic, public health, professional and patient care implications of pharmacy practice. A comparison of the US and international health system is also introduced, in order to provide some perspective on the topic to the students. The lecture topics for this course reveal the interplay between the profession of pharmacy and the US health care delivery system. Students actively develop a contemporary definition of health care and critically examine the health care system with special emphasis on relevant legislation, traditional and nontraditional providers of health care, the organization and financing of health care delivery, and the dynamics of pharmaceutical care within the system. The social, legal, and professional implications of informatics and computer proliferation in our society are discussed with special emphasis on pharmacy practice and the role of the pharmacist.

The Immunology course is a required course designed to provide fundamental knowledge of the immune response. This course introduces the concepts of natural and acquired protective mechanisms against pathogens and disease. Principles of immunology will be applied to various clinical topics. These topics consist of immunodeficiencies, autoimmune disorders, hypersensitivity reactions, vaccination, organ transplantation, and immunotherapy in the treatment of cancer.

Medicinal Chemistry I and II build on the principles of physical and pharmaceutical chemistry by examining structure-activity relationships and chemical characteristics that affect drug use. The course covers a variety of drug targets, natural products, methods for improving drug activity and the principles of rational drug design and characteristics such as solubility, stability and metabolism.

The best new chemical entity in the world is of no benefit to a patient without an acceptable delivery system for it. Pharmaceutics applies fundamental principles and basic science knowledge to the multidimensional problems of the formulation, development, evaluation, production, distribution, selection and administration of safe, effective, reliable, drug delivery systems. These systems range in sophistication from oral solutions to bioerodible implants and other forms of controlled drug delivery. Lectures are supplemented with case-based active learning that emphasize a problem-solving approach aimed at exploring critical aspects of traditional and novel routes of administration. Overall, the course aims to bridge the gap between fundamental principles of drug delivery and the problems encountered by pharmacists in practice, research and development.

The abilities lab is a series of courses that occur during the fall and spring terms during years one through three of the curriculum. The purpose of the abilities lab course is to assist student pharmacists in achieving proficiency in professional abilities, through the integration of knowledge, skills, behaviors, and values in order to function as an independent pharmacy practitioner in a variety of health care environments. The sequence requires the integration of didactic and experiential content across the first three years of the curriculum. This semester focuses on institutional practice. We will have exercises related to medication order verification, the electronic health record, automated dispensing systems, IV preparation, medication reconciliation, drug information, medication errors, medication adverse events, pharmacokinetics, point of care testing, home diagnostic products, and home infusion devices.

Medicinal Chemistry 1 and 2 build on the principles of physical and pharmaceutical chemistry by examining structure-activity relationships and chemical characteristics that affect drug use. The course covers a variety of drug targets, natural products, methods for improving drug activity and the principles of rational drug design and characteristics such as solubility, stability and metabolism.

The Abilities Lab is a series of courses that occur during the fall and spring terms during years one through three of the curriculum. The purpose of the Abilities Lab is to assist student pharmacists in achieving proficiency in professional abilities, through the integration of knowledge, skills, behaviors, and values in order to function as an independent pharmacy practitioner in a variety of health care environments. The sequence requires the integration of didactic and experiential content across the first three years of the curriculum. This course specifically focuses on community pharmacy including workflow, automation, dispensing, immunization technique, patient counseling, SOAP note development, drug information, patient assessment and patient education.

Pharmacokinetics is the science that deals with what the body does to the drug or biologic. The course trains students on applying pharmacokinetic principles to guide dosing strategy decisions in a clinic or when filling prescriptions. Students will understand the key factors that determine the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of drugs and how they affect dosing regimen decisions. Pharmacokinetics requires critical thinking to support clinical decisions; and it is not about number-crunching.

The abilities lab is a series of courses that occur during the fall and spring terms during years one through three of the curriculum. The purpose of the abilities lab is to assist student pharmacists in achieving proficiency in professional abilities, through the integration of knowledge, skills, behaviors, and values in order to function as an independent pharmacy practitioner in a variety of health care environments. The sequence requires the integration of didactic and experiential content across the first three years of the curriculum.

The Pharmacotherapy course will prepare students to build on the knowledge and skills obtained in the prerequisite course sequences. The major focus of the course will be managing drug therapies in patients with multiple disease states/conditions who require complex drug decision-making. Students will be expected to perform discriminating data collection and analysis at an advanced level. Using their understanding of pathophysiology they will then make independent therapeutic decisions. After making an initial therapeutic decision, students will make recommendations for drug therapy monitoring and evaluation. Revisions of the original therapeutic plan may be made as necessary.

The Pharmacotherapy course will prepare students to build on the knowledge and skills obtained in the prerequisite course sequences. The major focus of the course will be managing drug therapies in patients with multiple disease states/conditions who require complex drug decision-making. Students will be expected to perform discriminating data collection and analysis at an advanced level. Using their understanding of pathophysiology they will then make independent therapeutic decisions. After making an initial therapeutic decision, students will make recommendations for drug therapy monitoring and evaluation. Revisions of the original therapeutic plan may be made as necessary.

This course involves an examination of the legal and regulatory issues pertaining to drugs and devices and the practice of pharmacy. Students will learn the various laws and regulations which will govern their usual daily activities in a variety of practice sites. The principal focus will be on drug laws and regulations.

General patient management provides foundational information on a general approach to assessment and interpretation of patient subjective and objective data. This course introduces the students to the Therapeutic Experiment, an organized framework for making therapeutic decisions that integrate basic and clinical sciences. The topics that are covered include concepts of general patient management, clinical chemistry, and therapeutics of selected gastrointestinal disorders.

Applied Sciences and Therapeutics 1 introduces students to the integration of pathologic mechanisms, the relationship of these mechanisms to subjective and objective findings, disease progression, and potential targets of treatment. They will utilize basic and clinical sciences and the Therapeutic Experiment for making therapeutic decisions to approach patient care. Students will explore population-based health considerations for disease states, including health promotion, disease prevention, and public health. Topics include hematology, dermatology, inflammatory GI disease, and respiratory disorders.

Applied Sciences and Therapeutics 2 continues to introduce students to the integration of pathologic mechanisms, the relationship of these mechanisms to subjective and objective findings, disease progression, and potential targets of treatment. They will utilize basic and clinical sciences and the Therapeutic Experiment for making therapeutic decisions to approach patient care. Students will explore population-based health considerations for disease states, including health promotion, disease prevention, and public health. Topics include nutrition, pain, and oncology disorders.

Applied Sciences and Therapeutics 3 introduces students to the integration of pathologic mechanisms, the relationship of these mechanisms to subjective and objective findings, disease progression, and potential targets of treatment. They will utilize basic and clinical sciences and the Therapeutic Experiment for making therapeutic decisions to approach patient care. Students will explore population-based health considerations for disease states, including health promotion, disease prevention, and public health. Topics include autoimmune disorders and bone and joint disorders.

Applied Sciences and Therapeutics 4 continues to introduce students to the integration of pathologic mechanisms, the relationship of these mechanisms to subjective and objective findings, disease progression, and potential targets of treatment. They will utilize basic and clinical sciences and the Therapeutic Experiment for making therapeutic decisions to approach patient care. Students will explore population-based health considerations for disease states, including health promotion, disease prevention, and public health. Topics include renal and hepatic disorders.

Applied Sciences and Therapeutics 5 continues to introduce students to the integration of pathologic mechanisms, the relationship of these mechanisms to subjective and objective findings, disease progression, and potential targets of treatment. They will utilize basic and clinical sciences and the Therapeutic Experiment for making therapeutic decisions to approach patient care. Students will explore population-based health considerations for disease states, including health promotion, disease prevention, and public health. Topics include cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Applied Sciences and Therapeutics (AST) introduces students to integrate pathologic mechanisms, the relationship of these mechanisms to subjective and objective findings, disease progression, and potential targets of treatment. They will utilize basic and clinical sciences and the Therapeutic Experiment for making therapeutic decisions to approach patient care. Students will explore population-based health considerations for disease states, including health promotion, disease prevention, and public health. AST 6: Topics include endocrine, genitourinary, and women’s health disorders.

The purpose of this course is to teach students how to identify, evaluate, and apply science- and health-related literature according to the principles of evidence-based practice. The course will introduce research design and statistical methods to allow students to accurately and effectively interpret study findings. Research designs discussed will include descriptive studies, observational studies, experimental studies, and systematic reviews. Students will learn to appraise literature and apply the evidence to a patient care situation or population of interest.

This course introduces students to the mechanisms and policies of health care delivery in the US and examines the social, legal, economic, public health, professional and patient care implications on pharmacy practice. A comparison of the US and international healthcare systems is also introduced, in order to provide perspective on models of healthcare delivery. Current topics are emphasized to best prepare students for their roles as healthcare professionals within a dynamic and constantly evolving US healthcare system.

This course focuses on the principles of leadership and management of pharmacy practice resources to meet patient care objectives efficiently and effectively. Included are elements of operations management, informatics, quality assessment and performance improvement, patient safety systems, financial and personnel management, and marketing. Students are expected to select and apply management concepts to a variety of pharmacy situations and case studies and to be able to evaluate and develop management plans for safe and effective patient care pharmacy services.

This course is designed to familiarize students with the principles of pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoeconomics, building on previous courses within the PharmD curriculum. Discussion will focus on the major areas of the evolving fields of pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoeconomics with an emphasis on population-based assessment of health outcomes including prescription drug utilization and costs in large, diverse data sets. The course is aimed at helping students to understand how to evaluate, interpret, and apply observational research findings involving pharmaceutical treatment in community-based populations. The principles discussed and applied in this course will better prepare students to apply evidence-based findings to the care of individuals receiving pharmaceutical treatments.

Self-Care and Nonprescription Pharmacotherapy builds on the basics of pathophysiology, pharmacology and therapeutics. The major focus of the course will be assessing and triaging complaints, recommending and selecting self-care and nonprescription medications, and counseling patients. Students will be able to assess complaints, determine which conditions are amenable to self- treatment, make independent therapeutic decisions, develop self-monitoring plans and counsel patients accordingly. Students will use a variety of communication skills aimed at maximizing therapeutic outcomes. In the Fall semester, the content covered includes: cough, cold, allergy, gastrointestinal disorders, and analgesics.

Self-Care and Nonprescription Pharmacotherapy builds on the basics of pathophysiology, pharmacology and therapeutics. The major focus of the course will be assessing and triaging complaints, recommending and selecting self-care and nonprescription medications, and counseling patients. Students will be able to assess complaints, determine which conditions are amenable to self- treatment, make independent therapeutic decisions, develop self-monitoring plans and counsel patients accordingly. Students will use a variety of communication skills aimed at maximizing therapeutic outcomes. In the Spring semester, the content covered includes: dermatology, women’s health, otic/oral/ophthalmic, and miscellaneous disorders.

This course focuses on the principles and strategies of public health that can be used by pharmacists to deal with population-level issues relevant to their profession. Concepts, tools and models of pharmacist participation in public health activities are presented and applied. Students learn to design prevention, intervention, and educational strategies for individuals and communities to manage chronic disease and improve health and wellness.

The Infectious Diseases Therapeutics 1 (IDT) course builds on the School of Pharmacy requisite course, Microbiology. This course is a required, 3 credit, didactic course, that focuses on the pharmacology of anti-infectives, medical microbiology of pathogenic microorganisms, and disease state management for infections. This course provides pharmacy students with the skills to assess patients presenting with an infection, identify appropriate anti-infective therapy, and the skills to monitor for both efficacy and toxicity.

The Infectious Diseases Therapeutics 2 (IDT) course builds on the School of Pharmacy requisite course, Microbiology as well as Infectious Diseases Therapeutics 1. This course is a required, 3 credit, didactic course, that focuses on the pharmacology of anti-infectives, medical microbiology of pathogenic microorganisms, and disease state management for infections. This course provides pharmacy students with the skills to assess patients presenting with an infection, identify appropriate anti-infective therapy, and the skills to monitor for both efficacy and toxicity.

PharmD Capstone: Professional Life After Graduation is designed to support a student’s licensure, transition into professional practice, and habits of continuing professional development (CPD). This is achieved through a year-long series of activities designed to inculcate precepts of self-directed life-long learning followed by on-line and in person, intensive review sessions, organized by body systems to prepare students for success on the NAPLEX.

Abilities lab 6 builds on didactic and experiential content across the first three years of the curriculum. This course is designed to prepare student pharmacists in developing and achieving proficiency in professional competencies, with a primary emphasis on complex patient care, communication and application of sciences.

Applied Sciences and Therapeutics (AST) introduces students to integrate pathologic mechanisms, the relationship of these mechanisms to subjective and objective findings, disease progression, and potential targets of treatment. They will utilize basic and clinical sciences, the Therapeutic Experiment for making therapeutic decisions to approach patient care, and the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process (PPCP). Students will explore population-based health considerations for disease states, including health promotion, disease prevention, and public health. AST 7 topics include: mental health and toxicology

Applied Sciences and Therapeutics (AST) introduces students to integrate pathologic mechanisms, the relationship of these mechanisms to subjective and objective findings, disease progression, and potential targets of treatment. They will utilize basic and clinical sciences, the Therapeutic Experiment for making therapeutic decisions to approach patient care, and the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process (PPCP). Students will explore population-based health considerations for disease states, including health promotion, disease prevention, and public health. AST 8 Topics include: substance use disorders and nerologic disorders

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This course allows students to engage in advanced discussions of oncology therapeutic topics and increase their knowledge about the etiology, clinical presentation, and management of various solid and hematological malignancies. Students will become more effective in identifying, preventing, and managing the complications related to cancer and cancer therapy. Course content expands and builds upon oncology topics covered in PHAR 551 and includes novel topics such as pediatric solid tumors, bone marrow transplantation, pancreatic cancer, and brain tumors. Therapeutic topics will be discussed with the use of patient cases. Students will participate in journal club and mock patient counseling sessions.

This course will allow student pharmacists to explore and evaluate areas of management responsibilities in the community pharmacy setting. The areas of emphasis include financial, human resources and operational aspects of community pharmacy management. This course utilizes primarily external lecturers with a particular area of expertise in community pharmacy management.

Case Based Management of Infectious Diseases provides a forum for students to discuss the clinical decisions made in the management of selected patients with infectious diseases. Students are expected to prepare for these classes by reviewing current literature and guidelines, as well as playing the role as discussion facilitators in assigned classes. The discussion of the cases focus on the major decisions made in clinical management and the literature supporting or rejecting them. Discussions also highlight the important aspects of pathophysiology, microbiology and standard of care. A significant amount of self-directed activity, with faculty mentorship, is required for this course.

This is a five-day interdisciplinary course open to all University of Maryland students during the winter minimester in January. The course presents a wide range of information on the health and well-being of older adults and those with advanced illness through clinical, research, and policy presentations. Course content will be conveyed through lectures, panel discussions, team and case presentations, role play, and videos.

This course prepares student pharmacists to provide community drug abuse education lectures to middle and high school audiences through the Student Committee on Drug Abuse Education (SCODAE), a volunteer student organization at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. The organization receives guidance from faculty members at the school. The SCODAE presentations provide accurate and unbiased drug and alcohol information as part of the middle or high school’s comprehensive drug abuse prevention efforts. Upon completion of the course, participants are required to teach in at least one SCODAE program in subsequent semesters.

Comprehensive pediatric care is a two-credit course offered in the fall semester for third year students in the entry-level Doctor of Pharmacy Program. This elective course is designed to prepare students to optimize medicine use in pediatric patients in the ambulatory or institutional setting. The course will cover cognitive and physiological development, psychosocial factors affecting medicine use, pharmacist role, regulatory issues, and pediatric pharmacotherapy for various disease states.

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Interindividual variability in drug effects and the lack of reliable prediction of this variability has been recognized as major barriers to safe and efficient therapeutics. Genetic makeup is one of the intricate factors that has substantial influence on drug efficacy or toxicity. Pharmacogenomics deals with hereditary and effects on drug response. It combines traditional pharmaceutical sciences with contemporary knowledge of genes, proteins and SNPs. This course focuses on the pharmacogenetics of major drug metabolism related genes, such as cytochrome P450 (e.g. CYP2D6, CYP2Cs, and CYP2B6), phase II conjugates (e.g. UGTs, NATs, and GSTs), and drug transporters (e.g. MDR1, MRPs, and BCRP). The content will also cover basic concepts of pharmacogenomics, the promise of personalized medicine, interethnic differences in drug response, and perspectives from clinical practice and regulatory agency. The objective of this course is to enable the student to understand basic pharmacogenomic principles, and their potential use for developing better and safer drugs. Currently, there are increasing numbers of Schools of Pharmacy offering pharmacogenetics/pharmacogenomics as a standalone course. Acquiring knowledge in this evolving field complements the mission of pharmaceutical care.

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Medical Spanish will be offered to students with previous knowledge of the Spanish language to allow them to develop the basic skills and vocabulary necessary to provide counseling to Spanish speaking patients. In addition to developing medical vocabulary, discussions surrounding cultural competence, relative to Hispanic culture, will be paramount to ensure students are effective in counseling Spanish speaking patients.

Pharmacy school can be a challenge, even to those students who performed well in undergraduate coursework. In this class, students will assess their learning style including motivations and barriers, define the skills necessary to be academically successful in the Doctor of Pharmacy program, and implement these skills individually and in collaborative learning communities (study groups). This course is open to all P1 students.

This inter-professional course provides in-depth exposure to and experience with aspects of care for the critically ill patient by utilizing simulation and case-based learning while working within and maximizing strengths of an inter-professional team. The course fosters enhanced assessment and prioritization of issues related to critically ill patients, as well as communication and application of clinical knowledge and skills across the disciplines. Furthermore, this course prepares students interested in acutely ill patients to recognize, categorize causes of, and recommend appropriate treatment and intervention for sudden deterioration. Students will also have the opportunity to enhance their understanding through assigned readings, exposure to acute care equipment and instrumentation building upon prior course work in pathopharmacology, medical surgical content, critical thinking and reasoning, prioritization, and time management skills facilitating exploration into inter-professional collaborative practice.

PHMY 539 is a DIDACTIC elective that may include self-study and gathering background information. The focus is learning a body of knowledge rather than building specific pharmacy practice skills, which may be a portion but not the entire focus of this experience.

The Pharmacotherapy Journal Club elective will prepare students to evaluate new drug-related information, and integrate this information with previously learned content. Students will attend and participate in the school’s Pharmacotherapy Journal Club, and reflect on the implications of the information provided as well as the application for future practice. Students will also develop skills as lifelong learners in the acquisition, interpretation and application of drug-related news by participating in the Pharmacist’s Letter journal club. Students will be expected to apply information about new drugs, drug news, drug-related adverse events and news about therapeutic updates during case sessions.

This course provides students the opportunity to observe and be involved in a clinically oriented pharmacy practice setting early in their education. Students learn about the Poison Center’s operation and resources and the potential for pharmacist participation in this area of patient care. The course consists of on‐line lectures, role playing and activities in the Maryland Poison Center. Students prepare a presentation and paper on a hospital‐managed overdose patient.

Provide the students with an understanding of the recent progress in basic and clinical pharmacology research, from new concepts in Pharmacology to the new techniques and trends in Pharmacology.

Clinical pharmacokinetics examines impact of disease states and special populations on the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of drugs that require therapeutic drug monitoring. The course focuses on the mathematical relationship between drug concentrations and time as well as the rational design of drug regimens. The impact of patient-specific factors, the pharmacokinetic parameters of drugs and pharmacodynamics on drug dosing and administration is covered.

This elective course focuses on the unique considerations for a clinical pharmacist taking care of critically ill patients and prepares the student to understand principles of pharmacokinetics, physiology, and pharmacotherapy essential to the management of the critically ill. During this course, faculty will provide lectures using a case-based approach to illustrate the topics and disease states they encounter on a daily basis in intensive care units. Instructors will emphasize connections between disease state management and collection of relevant data, assessment of the patient, development of treatment plans, and identification of follow-up and monitoring parameters, as detailed in the Pharmacist's Patient Care Process (PPCP). Students will also have the opportunity to enhance their understanding through background readings, evaluation of primary literature through a journal club presentation, and development of a response to a critical care drug information question. By the end of the course, students should be well-versed in the fundamental knowledge and skills needed to evaluate and monitor patient-specific pharmacotherapy plans in a variety of different critical care settings.

This course will focus on: 1) the application of economic theory and research to the pharmaceutical industry, 2) methods used for comparative effectiveness research (CER) and patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) applied to pharmacoeconomics, and 3) the economic evaluation of prescription drugs and health technology assessment.

Through interactive discussions, video presentations, panel discussions, field trips, and student presentations. The student will gain familiarity with the following:

• history of the mental health system
• the media’s perception of mental illness
• tools and techniques used in the assessment of psychiatric diseases
• current guidelines for psychiatric hospitalization, including civil and criminal commitment
• mental health controversies with which the practicing pharmacist is likely to be faced

From a broad perspective, all health care professions need effective leadership, and in turn effective advocacy, to deal with the numerous issues facing the health care system. This two-credit elective is offered to provide leadership and political advocacy development for students, including the officers of student organizations and those who desire to become leaders in the profession. Students will examine leadership as they explore current health care issues and gain direct experience in the advocacy process and community action. To meet these needs, the goals of this course are to strengthen the leadership ability of students and to enhance their potential for future leadership and advocacy roles within their profession and in the community.

Acute Care: Adult Internal Medicine is an elective 2-credit live course open to third year pharmacy students who are interested in providing pharmaceutical care in an acute care setting. Providing patient care in this setting requires understanding of the level of acuity of patient needs, an appreciation of dynamic, collaborative hospital environment, and an ability to think on your feet by applying pharmacotherapeutic concepts to time-sensitive patient needs. This elective will provide students with additional practice reviewing relevant disease states, individualizing treatment regimens based on patient-related variables, and applying concepts to case-based scenarios. The skills emphasized in this course will strengthen students’ internal medicine skills in preparation of the required acute care advanced pharmacy practice experience.

The clinical toxicology course will provide students with an overview of the clinical manifestations, assessment and treatment of poisonings with common drug, chemical, and biological agents. The format includes on-line lectures by faculty members and on-line case discussions with students. Course evaluation includes the discussion sessions, and midterm and final exams. Note: This course is highly recommended as preparation for APPC 484 Poison Information Rotation

Communication at its core is about selling your message to the intended audience. “Making the Sale” requires persuasive communication to different audiences in a variety of formats support our graduates as they enter a diverse range of health and scientific careers. This course will develop effective communicators that allows students to confidently adapt their message to any audience or context. Approaches toward this will include: developing techniques to reduce presentation anxiety, using storytelling and narrative for persuasion, and using best practices for various presentation formats and technologies.

Students participating in this course will assist laboratory instructors by facilitating Abilities Lab activities in ABL courses 1 – 4. Students are expected to arrive on time, prepared and professionally dressed. The goal of this course is to provide students experience in an academic training environment. Students will have the opportunity to develop and improve their communication and teaching skills by helping to facilitate activities in the Abilities Lab courses (ABL 1-4). Students will be expected to utilize skills previously learned in the curriculum to engage students in a meaningful discussion related to the assigned activity. Teaching activities in this course are primarily in small group formats. Enrolled students are expected to also participate in lab preparation activities, activity revisions and discussions with faculty.

This course prepares pharmacy students to interact with terminally ill patients through increased understanding of the social and psychological aspects of death and dying as well as pharmaceutical care approaches when dealing with terminally ill patients.

This course presents a unique interprofessional opportunity that expands beyond a one-day interprofessional education (IPE) activity. Students from various UMB professional schools will learn about interprofessional care of older adults that includes a clinical focus with hands-on work with older residents in senior housing facilities with the goal of helping these individuals age in place.

The Pharmapreneurism Seminar elective will prepare students to evaluate information related to Pharmapreneurism, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Business Innovation, Problem-Solving and Creative Thinking and integrate this information with previously learned content to develop a Pharmapreneurism mindset. Topics will vary each semester to reflect the advances in the field. Students will attend and participate in lectures, seminars and activities at UMB and reflect on the implications of the information provided as well as the application for future practice, business and research opportunities. Students will also develop skills as lifelong learners in the acquisition, interpretation and application of Pharmapreneurism concepts and principles by participating in other co-curricular activities at the School and the UMB campus. Students will be expected to apply information learned to create innovative solutions to address practice, research and business challenges.

The Pharmapreneurism Seminar elective will prepare students to evaluate information related to Pharmapreneurism, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Business Innovation, Problem-Solving and Creative Thinking and integrate this information with previously learned content to develop a Pharmapreneurism mindset. Topics will vary each semester to reflect the advances in the field. Students will attend and participate in lectures, seminars and activities at UMB and reflect on the implications of the information provided as well as the application for future practice, business and research opportunities. Students will also develop skills as lifelong learners in the acquisition, interpretation and application of Pharmapreneurism concepts and principles by participating in other co-curricular activities at the School and the UMB campus. Students will be expected to apply information learned to create innovative solutions to address practice, research and business challenges.

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The goal of this rotation is to provide students advanced experience in a health system pharmacy setting. Students will be expected to utilize abilities learned previously in the curriculum in order to oversee drug distribution systems, evaluate and monitor drug therapy, respond to drug information inquiries, and educate other health professionals. This will be accomplished through a variety of oral and written communication techniques.

The goal of this rotation is to provide students exposure and experience in an ambulatory care environment. Ambulatory care pharmacy practice is the provision of integrated, accessible health care services by pharmacists who are accountable for addressing medication needs, developing sustained partnerships with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community. The ambulatory care setting involves interprofessional communication and collaboration to provide acute and chronic patient care that can be accomplished outside the inpatient setting. Students will be expected to utilize abilities/skills and knowledge learned previously in the curriculum in order to participate in the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process, which includes collecting and assessing patient-specific information; developing and implementing individualized patient-centered care plans; and monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of care plans. Students will also educate patients or caregivers and respond to drug information inquiries. This will be accomplished through a variety of oral and written communication techniques.

The goal of this rotation is to provide students experience in a team-based acute care environment. Students will be expected to utilize skills learned previously in the curriculum in order to collect patient-specific information, evaluate and monitor drug therapy, educate patients or caregivers, respond to drug information inquiries, and function effectively as part of an interprofessional team. This will be accomplished through a variety of oral and written communication techniques.

The goal of this rotation is to provide students advanced experience in a community pharmacy setting. Students will be expected to utilize abilities learned previously in the curriculum in order to collect patient-specific information, evaluate and monitor drug therapy, educate patients or caregivers, and respond to drug information inquiries. This will be accomplished through a variety of oral and written communication techniques.

Pharmacists have had a positive impact on the development, implementation and growth of patient care services in a variety of pharmacy settings. This experiential course builds on the knowledge, skills, and abilities for student pharmacists to demonstrate commitment, professionalism and work on projects addressing an area of need in patient care. Student pharmacists will participate in a needs assessment, evaluate population-specific data, and develop potential interventions to address pharmacy practice issues.

The course introduces student pharmacists to the professional practice of pharmacy through an experiential learning activity and assignment. Career options are explored in traditional community or institutional pharmacy practices. The course also facilitates the initial integration of information and skills learned at School with pharmacy practice at an experiential learning site and sets the expectations for professionalism throughout experiential learning courses/rotations.

This Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) course will provide student pharmacists with the opportunity to assess quality pharmacy operations and safe medication use practices in a community pharmacy environment. Students will participate in pharmacy practice activities and will apply the knowledge and skills from Abilities Labs 1-4 and previous IPPEs to meet the course objectives, which promote patient safety. This rotation will also introduce student pharmacists to the delivery of direct patient care services in community pharmacy settings. Students will be expected to utilize skills learned previously in the curriculum in order to participate in the Pharmacists' Patient Care Process, which includes collecting and assessing patient-specific information; developing and implementing individualized patient-centered care plans; and monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of care plans, and to document this information. This will be accomplished through a series of patient interactions and written SOAP notes.

This Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) course will provide student pharmacists with opportunities to assess quality pharmacy operations and safe medication use practices in health-system environments. Students will participate in pharmacy practice activities and will apply the knowledge and skills from Abilities Labs 1-4 and previous IPPEs to meet the course objectives, which promote patient safety. Students will learn about the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process, which includes collecting and assessing patient-specific information; developing and implementing individualized patient-centered care plans; and monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of care plans.

The goal of this rotation is to provide students the opportunity to gain insight into healthcare delivery in another country. Students will participate in pharmacy practice activities within the healthcare setting and gain an understanding of the cultural and ethical issues affecting healthcare in the host country.

This course is designed to provide students with an evidence-based and experiential understanding of the benefits of self-care in the practice of health care. Hospice and palliative care professionals are at high risk for burnout. Participants in this course learn about common sources of stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue, as well as practical techniques for self-care. Participants will have opportunities to practice integrative self-care tools and to reflect upon their use. At the end of the course, participants will have developed a comprehensive, individualized self-care plan to achieve greater wellness and resilience to burnout

Participants in this course will develop advanced skills used to manage special populations with advanced illness including pediatrics, geriatrics, palliative care emergencies, and advanced assessment cases; and will develop management skills to facilitate withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments, and to manage the days before death.

In this course, participants learn to perform an advanced assessment of a pain complaint (history, physical exam, diagnostics/imaging as necessary) and demonstrate advanced and in-depth knowledge of the pathogenesis of pain. Participants also acquire in-depth knowledge of evidence-based non-pharmacologic management of pain, and evidence-based advanced pharmacology (including drug therapy selection, dosing, monitoring, and titration), designed to meet patient-centric therapeutic goals.

In this introductory course, participants learn about the development and review of study protocols and institutional review board (IRB) applications in palliative care research. Participants also learn how to develop and assess research questions, hypotheses, study design options, data collection procedures, data management and human subjects protections, and presentation of study results. At the end of the course, participants will be expected to write a research study protocol acceptable for submission to an IRB.

This is the capstone course in the Palliative Care master’s degree program curriculum. All eight domains of the National Consensus Project in Palliative Care are included as course-level objectives, and all 14 terminal performance objectives of the degree program are emphasized in this course. Learners work individually, in pairs and in groups to meet these objectives, using three cases (lung cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and heart failure) that are advanced on a weekly basis. Students identify and resolve all physical, psychosocial and spiritual needs of the unit of care – the patient and his or her family. This course is entirely case-based, and uses the interprofessional/interdisciplinary approach to the resolution of complex cases of patients with advanced illnesses. Participants will rely on team members to achieve optimal patient outcomes.

This course encompasses an examination of the principal components of the U.S. health care system with special emphasis on their relationship to the provision of drugs and pharmacy services.

This course covers medical sociology, psychology, social psychology, and interpersonal communication theories and research as they relate to the pharmacy practice system that involves patients, pharmacists, physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals.

This course is designed to familiarize students with economic structure, conduct, and performance of the pharmaceutical industry. The course includes such topics as prices and profits in the industry, productivity, cost, economies of scale, innovation, economic effects of regulation, cost benefit and cost effectiveness of pharmaceuticals, and efficiency of drug delivery systems. Prerequisite: One undergraduate economics course or permission of the instructor.

Health education is a scientific process designed to achieve voluntary behavioral changes to improve health status. Health promotion utilizes health education to promote health and prevent disease. The PRECEDE Model is used to demonstrate the analytical process to explore health problems, identify and assess the behavioral and non-behavioral factors associated with them in order to develop and evaluate interventions. This course addresses health education at the level of the individual, the family and the community at large. Because the relationship between practitioner and patient is often a major determinant of outcome, health promotion in the clinical setting is given emphasis. Cross-listed with PREV 650.

This course is designed to introduce the student to the concepts of scientific research in pharmacy practice and administrative science. Topics to be discussed include the scientific method and problem-solving processes, social science measurement, and several specific methods of research. Co-requisite: Introduction to Biostatistics

This course is designed to give research tools to design studies in the impact of pharmaceutical (or other) interventions or policies in actual practice settings. Unlike clinical trials where subjects are randomized to treatment or placebo arms, health services researchers typically are forced to use non-experimental designs with secondary data. This course will take you through the pitfalls in such designs and show you how to deal with them. Prerequisite: Research Methods I and an upper level graduate course in multiple regression.

This course is an introduction to the field of pharmacoepidemiology that uses quantitative research methods to examine questions of benefit or risk in regard to the use of marketed medications. The course is intended to offer useful techniques to medical and health researchers who wish to assess the utilization, effectiveness, and safety of marketed drug therapies. Prerequisite: Introduction to Biostatistics and Principles of Epidemiology. Cross-listed with PREV 705

This interdisciplinary modular based course describes the inter-relationship among the disciplines of the pharmaceutical sciences, and establishes the basic theoretical background essential to the drug design and development process. A progression of pharmaceutical sciences content is presented and considers the drug discovery process, beginning with traditional drug design and optimization of drug structure, continuing with principles of pharmacology, including macromolecular structure, genomics, and proteomics, followed by modern drug discovery methods based on knowledge of the structure and pharmacology of target molecules.

This course focuses on the rationale for existing and future drug delivery systems. Students explore underlying physical, chemical, and biological bases for each system and identify benefits and drawbacks. Examples of delivery systems include inhalation aerosols, transdermal patches, microspheres, implants, and tablets. Emphasis is on the biopharmaceutics, and transport properties and barriers associated with each method of delivery. The course also stresses written and oral presentation skills through student presentations and paper critique sessions.

This course focuses on physical aspects of the structure and function paradigm of biological and pharmaceutical molecules. Designed for both experimentally and theoretically/computationally oriented graduate students in pharmaceutical, chemical, biochemical, and medical sciences, this course offers students exposure to basic theories and computational methods for studying the mechanisms of biological systems at an atomic level of detail.

Interindividual variability in drug effects and the lack of reliable prediction of this variability have been recognized as major barriers to safe and efficient therapeutics. Genetic makeup is one of the intricate factors that has substantial influence on drug efficacy or toxicity. Pharmacogenomics deals with heredity and effects on drug response. It combines traditional pharmaceutical sciences with contemporary knowledge of genes, proteins, and SNPs. The objective of this course is to enable the student to understand basic pharmacogenomic principles and their potential use for developing better and safer drugs.

This course describes current techniques and strategies for isolating, detecting, and analyzing experimental data. Topics range from methods relevant to small molecules, tissues, and cells to methods relevant to whole animals.

This course covers the theoretical and practical application of statistics and experimental design to help students use tools in research problems. The class discusses and uses computer programs to analyze data representing actual experimental situations. Prerequisites: PHAR 602 or PHAR 663.

Advanced Pharmacology I and II cover mechanisms by which pharmacological agents interact with the living organism to provide the student with a rational basis for investigations in biomedical research. Topics include the pharmacodynamics and the biochemical and physiological effect of drugs on biological systems, including the central and peripheral nervous system, and the endocrine, renal, respiratory, and cardiovascular systems. Lectures supplement weekly conferences and discussion groups.

Advanced Pharmacology I and II cover mechanisms by which pharmacological agents interact with the living organism to provide the student with a rational basis for investigations in biomedical research. Topics include the pharmacodynamics and the biochemical and physiological effect of drugs on biological systems, including the central and peripheral nervous system, and the endocrine, renal, respiratory, and cardiovascular systems. Lectures supplement weekly conferences and discussion groups.

After successful completion of this course, students should be able to describe the principles of and most current approaches to therapeutic drug monitoring, describe the mechanism of and predict the effects metabolic drug interactions (induction vs. inhibition), give the rationale for dose adjustments in special populations including elderly, obese, liver and kidney disease patients, apply pharmacokinetic principles, in a scientific manner, to solve a clinical problem/question, and provide a succinct, well-written pharmacokinetics consult note.

Students are taught the application of synthetic organic chemistry to drug design. The course includes instruction in a range of standard functional group transformations and chemical mechanisms. Discussion then shifts to apply this synthetic chemistry knowledge to the synthesis of peptides, peptoids, small-molecules and natural products. Protecting group chemistry as well as solid phase synthesis are also discussed.

An oral presentation given in the fall of Year 3 as part of the graduate student’s “advancement to PhD candidacy,” this seminar focuses on the student’s thesis project.

A detailed study of the principles of drug transport, distribution, biotransformation, binding and excretion, with emphasis on quantitative aspects and measurement of these processes.

This course covers applications of chemical and biological principles to the rational design of drugs. Topics include targets of biologically active molecules, approaches to studying ligand and target interactions, overview of drug discovery, agents acting on specific targets, combinatorial chemistry, computation chemistry, and structure activity relationships.

This course introduces basic concepts pertaining to metal ions in biological systems. Topics include metal ions in proteins, cofactors and metal clusters, metal ion transport and storage and regulation, and metalloenzymes. There is a series of two-hour lectures on specific topics, followed by student presentations of recent research articles from the literature on said specific topics. Students are graded on their paper selection, presentation, analysis of the paper, and intellectual contribution. Prerequisites: PHAR 600/601

Research projects are selected from a set of pre-defined projects provided by the Center for Translational Medicine (CTM). Students also use projects from their organizations towards the research. Projects need to be identified by the end of the first year. CTM staff guide the students on these projects. Pre-Requisites: PHMX 747, 759

Understanding pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) provide the pivotal basis for dosing and related decision-making during drug development and its use in clinic. This course provides training in the fundamentals of PK and PD modeling and their application to decision-making. Theoretical concepts pertaining to analyzing PKPD data, in an average subject, both from mechanistic and statistical points of view, are taught. The course also includes hands-on training using standard modeling and simulation software. This is a mandatory course to be taken in the first semester of the MS program.

Knowledge of conducting pharmacometrics analysis is an important component of the drug development and regulatory project. However, integrating all the different pieces together is equally important. This course guides students on the process of framing the appropriate questions, engineering the analysis, interpreting the results, and influencing the decision-making process in drug development. This course integrates the essence of all of the coursework in the program, and allows students to appreciate the totality of a typical pharmacometrics project that is essential for decisions regarding new drug development. Pre-Requisites: PHMX 602, 663

The field of pharmacometrics requires a sound understanding of statistical concepts. This course provides the basic statistical principles required for a pharmacometrician. This introductory level course strengthens the student's understanding of pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic modeling aspects. The course material is tailored for pharmacometricians. Pre-Requisites: PHMX 601

Knowledge of designing and analyzing dose-response is an important component of a drug development and of regulatory review. Basics of the variety of dose-response designs such as parallel, cross-over, flexible-dose, titration, withdrawal, adaptive and enrichment trials are explained. Students perform clinical trial simulations for supporting the choice of appropriate designs and analyses. Innovative designs and data analysis make characterizing dose-response feasible within the realms of drug development. The information generated from such trials is key for both approval of new drugs as well as for drug product labeling. Pre-Requisites: PHMX 601

This course improves students’ abilities to communicate and negotiate strategically. Students identify their communication styles and learn how to compensate for any weaknesses. Scientists in life sciences work with interdisciplinary scientists with diverse backgrounds. Pharmacometrics has not reached its full potential yet and is breaking new ground. In order to influence key decisions during drug development, during regulatory review, or in clinics, pharmacometricians need to communicate in a manner that is simple, persuasive, and effective. Implementation of model-based drug development calls for change from current practice, and such change is often resisted. Scientists who lack authority to implement solutions need to master effective negotiation amid diverse opinions, thereby leading the team toward consensus.

Conducting population analyses and interpreting complex datasets is pivotal for several decisions, such as "go-no-go" dose selection for various patients. This course presents theoretical concepts pertaining to analyzing PKPD data (collected from several subjects) from the mechanistic and statistical points of view. Because data from several subjects are analyzed simultaneously, the course includes advanced modeling techniques such as nonlinear mixed effects modeling. Further, advanced modeling such as physiologically-based PK modeling and absorption-metabolism simulations are introduced. This course also includes hands-on training in standard modeling and simulation software. Pre-Requisites: PHMX 638, 663

Understanding clinical trial data with binary, ordinal, count, and time-to-event outcomes requires specific understanding of statistical concepts. This intermediate level course introduces application of statistical techniques such as logistic regression, Poisson regression, and survival analysis. This course also demonstrates simulation techniques associated with discontinuous outcomes. ‘R’ software is used to demonstrate the application of statistical aspects. Simulated and real data from experiments and clinical trials will be employed for practice and homework. Pre-Requisites: PHMX 638, 663

Well-designed clinical research is essential in the development process of a medication or device and in generation of the knowledge base for evidence-based medicine and health policy. This online course is designed to uncover the ingredients of clinical research and to orient students of several important issues with current clinical studies. The students will learn how to design and implement different clinical studies. The role of each clinical phase in drug/device development and their various study designs and regulatory issues will be explored. The course will also discuss the Principles of International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Guidelines and how to successfully manage clinical trials. Additionally, knowledge of personalized medicine and behavioral/social issues in drug use will be taught.

Drug candidates and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API's) need to be successfully delivered and must exhibit acceptable toxicology. This course follows drug discovery and examines key aspects of drug development, including drug formulation and quality, stability testing, pharmacokinetic characterization, bioequivalence, preclinical toxicology, methods of bioanalysis, and non-clinical and clinical Good Laboratory Practices (GLPs). Aspects of biologics are also discussed.

FDA approval for the marketing of the drug or other regulated product (e.g., biologics, vaccines, medical devices, laboratory tests) is a major milestone in a product's lifecycle. But it doesn't stop there. Once on the market, how a drug is used and by whom, entry of competing products into the marketplace, and changes in medical care can change the benefit-risk balance. This course covers the breadth of clinical research and surveillance activities take place in the post-approval phase of a regulated medical product's lifecycle. This includes pharmacovigilance and risk management activities, pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacoeconomics, comparative effectiveness, and drug utilization research. The course is designed to prepare students to communicate across the pre-/post-marketing divide, evaluate the need for post-marketing studies, and to be able to critically interpret and apply the results of such studies.

This course encompasses an examination of the principal components of the U.S. health care system with special emphasis on their relationship to the provision of drugs and pharmacy services.

This course covers medical sociology, psychology, social psychology, and interpersonal communication theories and research as they relate to the pharmacy practice system that involves patients, pharmacists, physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals.

This course is designed to familiarize students with economic structure, conduct, and performance of the pharmaceutical industry. The course includes such topics as prices and profits in the industry, productivity, cost, economies of scale, innovation, economic effects of regulation, cost benefit and cost effectiveness of pharmaceuticals, and efficiency of drug delivery systems. Prerequisite: One undergraduate economics course or permission of the instructor.

Health education is a scientific process designed to achieve voluntary behavioral changes to improve health status. Health promotion utilizes health education to promote health and prevent disease. The PRECEDE Model is used to demonstrate the analytical process to explore health problems, identify and assess the behavioral and non-behavioral factors associated with them in order to develop and evaluate interventions. This course addresses health education at the level of the individual, the family and the community at large. Because the relationship between practitioner and patient is often a major determinant of outcome, health promotion in the clinical setting is given emphasis. Cross-listed with PREV 650.

This course is designed to introduce the student to the concepts of scientific research in pharmacy practice and administrative science. Topics to be discussed include the scientific method and problem-solving processes, social science measurement, and several specific methods of research. Co-requisite: Introduction to Biostatistics

This course is designed to give research tools to design studies in the impact of pharmaceutical (or other) interventions or policies in actual practice settings. Unlike clinical trials where subjects are randomized to treatment or placebo arms, health services researchers typically are forced to use non-experimental designs with secondary data. This course will take you through the pitfalls in such designs and show you how to deal with them. Prerequisite: Research Methods I and an upper level graduate course in multiple regression.

This course is an introduction to the field of pharmacoepidemiology that uses quantitative research methods to examine questions of benefit or risk in regard to the use of marketed medications. The course is intended to offer useful techniques to medical and health researchers who wish to assess the utilization, effectiveness, and safety of marketed drug therapies. Prerequisite: Introduction to Biostatistics and Principles of Epidemiology. Cross-listed with PREV 705

This interdisciplinary modular based course describes the inter-relationship among the disciplines of the pharmaceutical sciences, and establishes the basic theoretical background essential to the drug design and development process. A progression of pharmaceutical sciences content is presented and considers the drug discovery process, beginning with traditional drug design and optimization of drug structure, continuing with principles of pharmacology, including macromolecular structure, genomics, and proteomics, followed by modern drug discovery methods based on knowledge of the structure and pharmacology of target molecules.

This course focuses on the rationale for existing and future drug delivery systems. Students explore underlying physical, chemical, and biological bases for each system and identify benefits and drawbacks. Examples of delivery systems include inhalation aerosols, transdermal patches, microspheres, implants, and tablets. Emphasis is on the biopharmaceutics, and transport properties and barriers associated with each method of delivery. The course also stresses written and oral presentation skills through student presentations and paper critique sessions.

This course focuses on physical aspects of the structure and function paradigm of biological and pharmaceutical molecules. Designed for both experimentally and theoretically/computationally oriented graduate students in pharmaceutical, chemical, biochemical, and medical sciences, this course offers students exposure to basic theories and computational methods for studying the mechanisms of biological systems at an atomic level of detail.

Interindividual variability in drug effects and the lack of reliable prediction of this variability have been recognized as major barriers to safe and efficient therapeutics. Genetic makeup is one of the intricate factors that has substantial influence on drug efficacy or toxicity. Pharmacogenomics deals with heredity and effects on drug response. It combines traditional pharmaceutical sciences with contemporary knowledge of genes, proteins, and SNPs. The objective of this course is to enable the student to understand basic pharmacogenomic principles and their potential use for developing better and safer drugs.

This course describes current techniques and strategies for isolating, detecting, and analyzing experimental data. Topics range from methods relevant to small molecules, tissues, and cells to methods relevant to whole animals.

This course covers the theoretical and practical application of statistics and experimental design to help students use tools in research problems. The class discusses and uses computer programs to analyze data representing actual experimental situations. Prerequisites: PHAR 602 or PHAR 663.

Advanced Pharmacology I and II cover mechanisms by which pharmacological agents interact with the living organism to provide the student with a rational basis for investigations in biomedical research. Topics include the pharmacodynamics and the biochemical and physiological effect of drugs on biological systems, including the central and peripheral nervous system, and the endocrine, renal, respiratory, and cardiovascular systems. Lectures supplement weekly conferences and discussion groups.

Advanced Pharmacology I and II cover mechanisms by which pharmacological agents interact with the living organism to provide the student with a rational basis for investigations in biomedical research. Topics include the pharmacodynamics and the biochemical and physiological effect of drugs on biological systems, including the central and peripheral nervous system, and the endocrine, renal, respiratory, and cardiovascular systems. Lectures supplement weekly conferences and discussion groups.

After successful completion of this course, students should be able to describe the principles of and most current approaches to therapeutic drug monitoring, describe the mechanism of and predict the effects metabolic drug interactions (induction vs. inhibition), give the rationale for dose adjustments in special populations including elderly, obese, liver and kidney disease patients, apply pharmacokinetic principles, in a scientific manner, to solve a clinical problem/question, and provide a succinct, well-written pharmacokinetics consult note.

Students are taught the application of synthetic organic chemistry to drug design. The course includes instruction in a range of standard functional group transformations and chemical mechanisms. Discussion then shifts to apply this synthetic chemistry knowledge to the synthesis of peptides, peptoids, small-molecules and natural products. Protecting group chemistry as well as solid phase synthesis are also discussed.

An oral presentation given in the fall of Year 3 as part of the graduate student’s “advancement to PhD candidacy,” this seminar focuses on the student’s thesis project.

A detailed study of the principles of drug transport, distribution, biotransformation, binding and excretion, with emphasis on quantitative aspects and measurement of these processes.

This course covers applications of chemical and biological principles to the rational design of drugs. Topics include targets of biologically active molecules, approaches to studying ligand and target interactions, overview of drug discovery, agents acting on specific targets, combinatorial chemistry, computation chemistry, and structure activity relationships.

This course introduces basic concepts pertaining to metal ions in biological systems. Topics include metal ions in proteins, cofactors and metal clusters, metal ion transport and storage and regulation, and metalloenzymes. There is a series of two-hour lectures on specific topics, followed by student presentations of recent research articles from the literature on said specific topics. Students are graded on their paper selection, presentation, analysis of the paper, and intellectual contribution. Prerequisites: PHAR 600/601

Research projects are selected from a set of pre-defined projects provided by the Center for Translational Medicine (CTM). Students also use projects from their organizations towards the research. Projects need to be identified by the end of the first year. CTM staff guide the students on these projects. Pre-Requisites: PHMX 747, 759