General Pathology (HBP 531)
2007
schedule
faculty
laboratories

Introduction:

Course Content:
This course is an introduction to the principles of general pathology. The processes leading to morphological and functional changes underlying the pathogenesis of disease is presented in lecture and laboratory format. The course presents the details of the immune system including cellular and molecular immunology and immunopathology. Several diseases with an immunologic basis are presented. The processes underlying hemostasis and thrombosis, cellular injury and repair, inflammation, neoplasia, environmental pathology, neonatal pathology and aging are presented in detail in lecture format. Laboratory exercises provide an examination of the morphologic changes that occur in cells and organs in response to disease processes. Clinical Pathologic Correlation Conferences (CPCs) help to illustrate the functional changes that lead to clinical features, signs and symptoms, of disease. The course serves an important role in providing an information base to allow the student to transition from the basic sciences to the clinical sciences and provides the foundation for the second year systems courses.

Textbooks:
Robbins and Cotran, Pathologic Basis of Disease, 7th edition is a required textbook. We will cover material included in the first ten chapters in general pathology (the remainder of the book will be utilized during the second year systems courses).

For the immunology component of the course we recommend:
Basic Immunology: Functions and Disorders of the Immune System, 2nd edition, by A.K. Abbas and A.H.Lichtman

Students who have had previous experience with immunology may want to use one of the following textbooks:

Readings:
The reading assignment for each lecture is posted on cBase.

Websites:
There are several websites that will serve as additional resources during the course:http://www.path.sunysb.edu/coursemat/genpath.htm where there are links to the following sites:

Format:
The course covers a great deal of material. Students are strongly advised to prepare in advance of lectures, interactive sessions, and laboratories.

Interactive sessions:
There are seven interactive sessions scheduled in the course (five in immunology, one in inflammation, and one in coagulation). It is essential that the student prepare for these sessions by doing the reading assignments and reviewing the topics that will be discussed in the interactive sessions. The goal of the interactive sessions is to allow a dialogue to take place concerning essential concepts in immunology, coagulation and inflammation. Discussions may vary from group to group, but the same fundamental information will be addressed. The syllabus will contain a guide to the topics that will be discussed in the immunology interactive sessions and clinical scenarios will be posted for discussion in the coagulation and inflammation interactive sessions. Attendance and participation in the interactive sessions is mandatory and material covered in these sessions will be the basis for exam questions. In addition, the interactive sessions provide access to additional faculty to serve as a resource to help you to learn material. The grade for the interactive session (10% of the final grade in the course) is based both on attendance and participation. The faculty member directing the interactive session will evaluate the extent of a student’s participation.

Clinical Pathologic Conferences (CPC):
The goal of the CPC is to apply the concepts of disease that you have learned in Pathology to clinical cases. The small group nature of the CPC allows for self-directed learning and collaborative learning with the faculty member serving as a facilitator. Each clinical case will vary in style and detail. At a minimum, there will be an introductory section on patient history with presenting symptoms and some physical findings. There may be indications that gross organ pathology and/or histologic examination of tissue was performed.
Attendance at the CPCs is required and active participation is expected. Faculty facilitators will note absences and provide some written evaluations of student performance and participation. Evaluative comments from faculty may be used in the narrative comments provided to students at the end of the course. The grade for the CPCs will comprise 10% of the final grade in the course.

Attendance at mandatory activities:
Attendance at the interactive sessions and CPC sessions are mandatory. Students who fail to attend must have an acknowledgement of an excused absence (see below for criteria for excused absences) submitted from their Dean (Dr. Schiavone for medical students or Dr. Kucine for dental students). Specific written assignments may be required from students who are absent from mandatory activities.

Exams:
A mid-course exam is scheduled for May 8 which will cover the topics of coagulation, immunology, immunopathology, and inflammation. A comprehensive final exam is scheduled for June 8 and will consist of 90 to 110 multiple choice questions. The Laboratory exam (June 7) will consist of two parts: one part will consist of multiple choice questions based on digital images of the microscopic materials and the second part with consist of a practical exam in which multiple choice questions will be based on gross specimens displayed in the laboratory.

Sample questions:
Lecture-based quizzes will be posted on cBase on a weekly basis to aid the students as self-assessment exercises. Answer keys will be posted the following week. There will be review sessions to discuss and review material during the course.

Excused Absences/Make-up Examinations:
Examinations are given only on the day scheduled. A student must submit a written explanation of their absence from their Dean. For an individual who has an excused absence for an exam, we will offer a make-up exam that will be of the same format as the regularly scheduled exam.

Grading policy:

A student’s final grade in the course will be determined from several components including: attendance and participation in interactive sessions and CPCs, mid-course examination, comprehensive final examination, and laboratory examination. The final grade will be determined according to the following table:

The grades for attendance and participation in the interactive sessions and CPCs will be submitted to the course director by the individual faculty leading the sessions (unexcused absences will reduce the grade by 1% for each absence). The passing grade for each component of the course is 70% following normalization of the data obtained from each of the individual examinations. You must have a passing grade in each component to satisfactorily complete the course. Failure to maintain a 70% average in either lecture or laboratory will result in the student failing the entire course. Evaluations derived from interactive sessions and CPCs will be an important part of the narrative for medical and dental students and may be used to raise or lower the overall evaluation, particularly in marginal cases.

The passing grade in this course is 70% for all students. Medical students may receive one of the following grades: honors, high pass, pass, low pass, fail. Dental students will receive letter grades (A,B,C,F).

For graduate students, the mid-course examination accounts for 30%, the final examination accounts for 60%, and the interactive sessions accounts for 10% of the final grade.

Students who feel that they are having difficulty in mastering the material are strongly advised to seek help during the course. Dr. Fleit will help to direct you to the appropriate resource for assistance. Students may evaluate their progress in the lecture part of the course using the practice quizzes.

No grade will be reviewed or changed after August 24, 2007. It is important that you read the narrative comments.

Summer Make-up Examinations:
If you do not receive a satisfactory grade in this course, the Academic Standing Committee of your school will consider the possibility of taking a summer make-up examination. Students who are not eligible will be required to repeat the course the following year.

Questions and Special Requests:
Any questions pertaining to course materials or grading should be directed to Dr. Fleit. The class should select course representatives to serve as liaisons to deal with scheduling and other administrative issues. Those representatives should contact Dr. Fleit within the first two weeks of the course. Dr. Fleit will schedule regular meetings with the course representatives to discuss various issues arising during the course. Changes without concurrence of all segments of the class will not be considered.

Students with Special Needs:
If you have any condition, such as a physical, psychological, medical or learning disability which will make it difficult for you to carry out the work as outlined above, or which requires extra time on examinations, please notify Dr. Fleit, the course director, in the first two weeks of class so that special arrangements can be made. In addition, we strongly urge you to contact the staff in the Disability Student Services Office (DSS), room 133 Humanities, 632-6748. DSS will review your concerns and determine, with you, what accommodations are necessary and appropriate. All information regarding any disability is confidential.

Email:
E-mail can be used to correspond with the course director, Dr. Howard Fleit (hfleit@notes.cc.sunysb.edu). Students are welcome to ask questions or set up appointments for questions and answers outside of the lecture. General questions or concerns about the course can be communicated by e-mail. Dr. Fleit will use e-mail to communicate to all students any announcements about lecture hall changes, review sessions or other course related announcements.

Course Director:
Dr. Howard B. Fleit
BHS T9-191
Phone: 444-3020
Email: hfleit@notes.cc.sunysb.edu

Acknowledgements:
We thank all of the faculty who participate in this course for their excellent contributions. Without them we would not be able to offer a course of quality.