UCSF Mini Medical School VI offers public opportunity for discovery and learning

UCSF kicks off Mini Medical School VI in March with a six-week series of lectures every Wednesday from March 17 to April 21 focusing on the theme “learn and discover.”

Mini Medical School is open to the general public and designed for people who want to learn more about science and the intricate workings of the human body. The course will meet from 7 to 9 p.m. on the UCSF campus in Cole Hall at 513 Parnassus Ave. Each weekly class includes a one-hour lecture followed by a question and answer session.

Participants also have the option of signing up for “elective” classes on Saturday, April 3, which feature one-hour visits to various UCSF Medical Center units as well as campus research and computer labs.

“Mini Med is structured to approximate some of the core learning that health science students experience in their first two years of study,” said Allan Basbaum, PhD, UCSF professor and chair of anatomy who also serves as Mini Med course director and series moderator. “We hope it gives members of our community the opportunity to see and hear what goes on every day in our classrooms and to become better educated health consumers.”

The Mini Med faculty will include some of the best UCSF teachers and scientists who are passionate about their work including some who have received teaching awards. The faculty will communicate to the participants in a simple, straightforward way and will discuss the latest findings in health sciences research and patient care.

Participants are not required to do homework or take exams. Tuition for the course is $75. Parking in the UCSF campus garage is $3 per session.

UCSF first offered the public education course in fall 1999 to a sold-out audience. Over the years the courses have covered a variety of topics. Space is limited to 400 so early registration is encouraged.

For registration information, call the UCSF Public Affairs office at (415) 476-2557 or email [email protected]. For more information about UCSF, visit the web site at www.ucsf.edu.

## A complete schedule for UCSF Mini Medical School classes follows:

* March 17: “Fetal Surgery: What’s Old, What’s New, What’s Right?” by Diana Lee Farmer, MD, Professor of Surgery, Pediatrics, and Obstetrics-Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences; and Chief, Division of Pediatric Surgery

* March 24: “The Heart of the Matter: Congenital Heart Disease in the Newborn” by David Teitel, MD, Professor of Pediatrics; Chief, Division of Pediatric Cardiology

* March 31: “Treating Type I Diabetes or How Can I Eat All the Krispy Kremes I Want?” by Jeffrey Bluestone, PhD, Professor and Director, UCSF Diabetes Center

* April 3:  “Elective Saturday” (additional information to follow)

* April 7: “Childhood Cancer: The Glass Is Half Full” by Kevin Shannon, MD, Professor of Pediatrics; Director, Hematopoietic Malignancies Program, UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center

* April 14: “Allergy, Autoimmune Disease and Vaccines: Harnessing the Immune System” by Abul Abbas, MD, Professor and Chair, Department of Pathology

* April 21: “Same Injury: Why Is Your Pain Different From Mine”? by Allan I. Basbaum, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Anatomy.