Four-Week Electives for the Clinical Continuum - Department of Pharmacology

The Department of Pharmacology offers Senior medical students a Selective Advanced Clerkship to work on a project and/or participate in research.  Typically, this Selective will combine laboratory and library work.  Each student participating in the clerkship is expected to take part in the Pharmacology departmental seminars.

The areas of intensive study and/or participation in research are Hematopharmacology, Renal Pharmacology, Pulmonary Pharmacology, Cardiovascular Pharmacology, Drug Metabolism, Clinical Pharmacology, Cancer Chemotherapy, Neuropharmacology, Endocrine Pharmacology or Toxicology.

Students who wish to enroll in one of the above specialized areas for a clerkship should first consult with the Chairman of the Department of Pharmacology to discuss their specific interests in one of the above areas of study.

Quota:  6 students
Duration:  2 months

Clinical Pharmacology And Therapeutics - Tulane Medical School (MDPH CLN TMS)

This is a one-month clerkship for Senior students (offered only in April) with the goal of emphasizing fundamental principles of drug dosing and problem solving in therapeutics. It will include a series of core topics in the field of Clinical Pharmacology, as well as specific areas of therapeutics (i.e. therapy of congestive heart failure, bronchial asthma, seizure disorders, hypertension, etc.).  The format for instruction will include didactic sessions, problem-solving sessions, clinical case presentations, Journal Club presentations, and clinical pharmacology rounds at our teaching hospitals.

Objectives:

To instruct the students in basic, rational principles of drug dosing. To instruct the students in the recognition of adverse drug reactions.  To provide a framework for critical assessment of drug therapy in a variety of clinical conditions.

Students will be expected to attend all scheduled activities for the duration of the course (one month during April).  Also, the students will be responsible for identifying clinical cases for presentation at the weekly case report sessions.  For Journal Club, the Course Director will offer a list of articles from the current literature in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics, and the students will present a critical review and assessment.

Outline of Topics:

1. Core Topics:
   1. Principles of Drug Dosing and Applied Pharmacokinetics
   2. Drug Dosing in Renal Failure
   3. Drug Dosing in Hepatic Failure
   4. Drug Therapy in Pediatrics
   5. Drug Therapy in Geriatrics
   6. Pharmacogenetics
   7. Adverse Drug Reactions
   8. Drug Interactions
   9. Toxicology and Management of Drug Overdose
   10. Clinical Trials and Drug Development
2. Special Topics:
   1. Therapy of Hypertension, Ischemic Heart Disease, Congestive Heart Failure and Cardiac Arrhythmias
   2. Therapy of Bronchial Asthma and COPD
   3. Therapy of Diabetes Mellitus and Hyperlipidemias
   4. Rational Use of Analgesics in Acute and Chronic Pain
   5. Rational Therapy of Anxiety and Depression
   6. Antibiotics and Antiviral Agents
   7. Therapy of the Epilepsies and Parkinson's Disease
   8. Principles of Cancer Therapy
   9. Therapy of Peptic Ulcer Disease and other GI Disorders
   10. Therapy of Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Gout

Director: Juan J. L. Lertora, M.D., Ph.D.;
Co-Director: Albert W. Dreisbach, M.D.
Quota: 10 students
Time Offered: Block 10 only
Duration: 1 month
Method Of Evaluation: Clinical case reports. Journal Club presentations.

Anesthesiology Basic Science & Clinical Research Dermatology Family & Community Medicine Medicine Neurosurgery Obstetrics/Gynecology Opthalmology Orthopaedics

Otolaryngology Pathology Pediatrics Pharmacology Psychiatry/Neurology Radiology Surgery Urology