Nutrition

Catalog description

The nutrition module will include an integrated approach combining biochemistry, anatomy/physiology, medicinal chemistry, pathophysiology, pharmacology, pharmaco-therapeutics, and alternative medicine of the gastrointestinal system. This course will include key concepts from anatomy and physiology and biochemistry that will be correlated to the pathophysiology and principles of drug action. This will bridge students into understanding therapeutic drug targets, mechanisms of action, medicinal chemistry and pharmacological principles. Concepts from medicinal chemistry will be coupled with the pharmacology of the drugs involved in this module. This will include chemical features of therapeutic agents required to elicit biological response and their role in affecting physiochemical properties. Pharmacology principles will include drug receptor interactions and subsequent biological responses, biochemical mechanisms of drug action, adverse and toxic effects, contraindications and important drug- drug interactions. Clinical pharmacokinetic concepts will also be included with application of basic biopharmaceutical and pharmacokinetic concepts to clinical management of various patients’ conditions in order to provide safe and effective optimal therapy. The pathophysiology and therapeutic principles in clinical practice will then follow in sequential and integrative manner. This will enable students to relate knowledge from both basic sciences and clinical sciences. Relevant pharmacogenomic considerations that may impact safety or efficacy of therapeutic agents and the role of pharmacogenomics in the clinical decision-making process and making therapeutic recommendations will also be discussed. The concepts of alternative medicine will also be discussed as they relate to the gastrointestinal system. This module will include active learning modalities in order to facilitate…