Medical Pharmacology (PHPH D631) is offered in the Spring semester of the M-II year. The overall objective of the course is to provide the minimum essential knowledge in pharmacology that every medical student trained as an undifferentiated physician must have prior to entering the clinical years of education. With the fund of knowledge gained through this course students should be prepared to approach pharmacotherapy as it applies to the practice of medicine in a rational manner and gain the requisite tools to continue to expand their knowledge in pharmacology as they advance in their clinical training.

COURSE TOPICS AND FORMAT:

The format for presenting the material is a combination of lectures, self-study [independent learning] with small group discussions, and case-study conferences. Lectures will concentrate on the pharmacology of a class of drugs. In covering each class of drugs the principles and knowledge objectives will focus on [i] mechanism[s] of action for both therapeutic and adverse effects of the drug[s] or drug classes, [ii] the pharmacokinetics of prototypic drugs within the class, [iii] clinical indications for the use of the drug[s] or drug classes, [iv] adverse effects of the drug[s] or drug classes, [v] contraindications, warnings, and precautions in the use of the drug[s] or drug classes, and [vi] drug-drug interactions.

The following topics are covered in the course.

General Principles

Autonomic Pharmacology

Renal Pharmacology

Autacoids / NSAIDs / Treatment of GI Disorders

Endocrine Pharmacology

CNS Pharmacology

Cardiovascular Pharmacology

Antimicrobial Chemotherapy

Toxicology

Anesthesia

Cancer Chemotherapy.

Five sectional exams are given along with a comprehensive final. Material for these exams comes from each of the varied pedagogical formats and each exam focuses on assessing a student’s understanding, application, and integration of the material.

TEXTBOOKS AND OTHER MATERIALS:

The recommended texts are either B.G. Katzung’s Basic and Clinical Pharmacology, Lange, 9^th edition or Goodman and Gilman’s The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, Hardman, et al., McGraw Hill, 10^th edition. In addition, the students receive a course syllabus for each of the 5 sections.  All information contained within the syllabus, each faculty member’s slide presentations [PowerPoint or Corel Presentation], practice exams and other course materials are available on the Blackboard website .

COURSE MEETING TIMES:

Lectures are on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 8 -10 AM and Friday from 9 AM- Noon in the MII classroom during the Spring semester.

COURSE DIRECTOR:

Craig W. Davis, Ph.D.
Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience
SOM Campus, Building 1, Room D13
Phone: 803 733-3260
E-mail:cwd@med.sc.edu

BLACKBOARD WEBSITE:

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