Curriculum

Course Requirements

The LHB curriculum does not replicate the pre-clinical coursework taken by medical students, but rather focuses on knowledge and concepts of particular use to biomedical investigators. There are three full semester courses and one quarter course that are required. Note that all LHB students must fulfill the curriculum requirements of their home PhD Program.

In parallel with formal courses, LHB students have structured opportunities to learn about the culture of medicine and explore roles for basic scientists in clinical settings. Students may choose between two courses or take both courses. The two courses are, the Mentored Clinical Casebook Course (MCCB) or the Disease-Centered Tutorial and Clinic. Both courses are limited to LHB students.

Course Descriptions

1. HBTM 301qc: Case Studies in Human Biology and Translational Medicine (January G1 Year)

HBTM 301qc is a two-week course (9 days) that is required for first-year LHB students. The course starts during the first week in January, and attendance is mandantory.  Each class lasts only for 60-90 minutes so that students can also do a lab rotation during this time.

Each week of the course focuses on a different “case study” in translational medicine.  These case studies are selected to represent examples in which fundamental discoveries in human disease biology led to the development of new therapeutic approaches.  In the process of reviewing these case studies and in the critical reading of selected papers, the LHB students will also learn some of the basics of clinical trial design and the principles of clinical epidemiology. 

2. BCMP 234: Cellular Metabolism in Human Disease (Spring G1 or G2 Year)

This course explores the relationships between cellular and organismal metabolism and human disease, and uses a combination of lectures, critical reading conferences, and patient encounters to explore the molecular basis for human metabolic derangements ranging from starvation to diabetes. The course meets three times per week, and includes lecture sessions, student-led critical reading conferences with expert faculty, and classroom-based patient encounters and/or therapeutic correlations. Lectures focus on key metabolic pathways, including: biochemical mechanisms for the uptake and metabolism of glucose; the transport and transformation of lipids and lipoproteins; metabolism of calcium, iron, nucleotides, prostaglandins and fatty acids; and the organismal pathways involved in starvation, satiety and obesity.

3. HBTM 200: Principles and Practice of Human Pathology (Spring G1 or G2 Year)

This semester-length course in the spring term of G1 year offered by the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology (HST) Program provides a comprehensive overview of human pathology, with emphasis on mechanisms of disease and modern diagnostic technologies. Topics include: general mechanisms of disease (inflammation, infection, immune injury, host response, transplantation, genetic disorders and neoplasia); pathology of lipids, enzymes and molecular transporters; pathology of major organ systems; and review of diagnostic tools. The course has integrated lectures and labs, as well as a student driven term project. The course is recommended for the G1 Spring semester, but can be taken during a later year.

4. HBTM 235: Principles of Human Disease – Physiology and Pathology (Fall G2 Year)

This course was designed for PhD students and presents fundamental mechanisms of human physiology and disease or selected organ systems. Using a combination of interactive large-group lectures and case-based small group tutorials, the course is organized around 6-7 organ systems. Core principles of human physiology and selected pathological mechanisms are presented. Examples are drawn from cancer biology, cardiovascular diseases, reproductive disease, and neurodegenerative disease. The course has two lectures and one tutorial session per week. The tutorials cover 5 cases, with 2-3 sessions dedicated to each case. The first of the tutorial sessions covers the medical presentation of a patient, with the second session establishing an understanding of the known mechanisms and diagnostics for the disease. The final session is one in which students suggest new avenues towards understanding and/or treating the disease. Meeting time: M., W., F., 9-10:30, Fall semester, typically during the G2 Year, but can also be taken in later years. It is recommended to take this course prior to the clinical experience.

5. Clinical Experience: Disease-Centered Tutorial and Clinic (HBTM340)

The Disease-Centered Tutorial and Clinic (HBTM340) will take place one half-day each week during spring semester. Each weekly session will be organized around a clinic at one of the HMS affiliated hospitals with a one-hour tutorial (led by a physician-scientist member of the faculty) that highlights the scope of medical problems being addressed in the particular clinic, after which the students will “shadow” a physician-scientist as s/he evaluates the patients in the clinic. Some of the affiliated clinics include: AIDS Clinic (MGH), Breast Cancer Clinic (DFCI), Vascular Medicine Clinic (BWH), Metabolic Diseases Clinic (CHMC), Movement Disorders Clinic (BIDMC), Colon Cancer Clinic (MGH), and Sickle Cell Clinic (BWH), among others. At the conclusion of the course, students will write up a synopsis of their experience, or present a particular case in depth, and then provide an oral presentation to the LHB Program.

OPTIONAL BCMP 301qc: Translational Pharmacology (January G2 Year)

This course has been highly recommended by LHB students (it used to be required, but is no longer as of 2017). This is an intensive course held during the first two weeks of January (nine days) covering basic principles of pharmacology and how they are translated into the development of new drugs.  Students participate actively in project groups composed of both graduates students and post-graduate M.D.'s to propose a strategy for drug development from target choice through clinical trials. There are two hours of lectures each of the first eight mornings; in the afternoons , there are case studies discussed by guest faculty from the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, a discussion of a research paper, or time to work on the group project. Evaluation is based on the project and class participation.

Additional Courses

LHBTM does not require any electives. However, there are many Quarter Courses and Nano Courses that are focused on specific human diseases, including courses (for example) on diabetes, amyloidosis, and atherosclerosis, among others. The quarter course and nanocourse formats are ideal for the presentation of core concepts in specific human disease states, and for the exploration of connections between basic biological concepts and the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. Additionally, a broad range of elective courses are available that span topics from biomaterials and tissue engineering to cancer biology to advanced biostatistics.