This course integrates all basic science disciplines in one system-based course to discuss respiratory system-related topics. Each of the basic science departments is incorporated into an integrated body of knowledge covering anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, pathology, and microbiology. Also, Clinical implications for this information will be addressed by specialists in the clinical departments including internal medicine, surgery, and radiology. The goals of this course will be achieved via lectures, relevant laboratory sessions, seminars or small group discussions, and self-directed learning methods. A hybrid style combining both face-to-face and online teaching methods will be utilized.
More specifically, respiratory system (RS)-related topics will be covered at first to provide basic knowledge and understanding of the structure, the function of the respiratory system, the biochemical basis of its function, as well as the pathological basis of respiratory disorders in the lungs and airways. Fundamental principles of basic medical sciences will be applied to pathological situations to distinguish the clinical basis for central respiratory system disorders.
During the course and whenever relevant the students are exposed to clinical problems to emphasize the explanations of symptoms, signs, investigations, and forms of treatments. Practical sessions are planned whenever appropriate to be stations around tables to allow students to expose their knowledge for discussion and confirm concepts learned in lectures. Small group discussions of clinical cases are planned at the end of the course where students are divided into small groups and with the help of an instructor they analyze and discuss the problem. Research ideas with specific embedded objectives are also included to emphasize social responsibility, evidence-based medicine, community service, and innovative thinking.