Erin Horstman, MD

Hematology for PA students

The Genes and Development course begins with an introduction to foundational genetics principles. Students gain an understanding of how the genome is organized and controls all cellular processes within our cells, the clinical significance of genetic variation among individuals, the available DNA diagnostic tools, and how these tools are utilized in the diagnosis and management of disease. The course then transitions to embryology, presenting how the program for human development is controlled and how deregulation of this program results in birth defects. Students are then introduced to the field of clinical genetics and have the opportunity to apply their genetics knowledge as they learn about common genetic disorders affecting children and adults. This is followed by an overview of the first organ system in the curriculum, the hematologic system. This introduction to benign hematology serves as a foundation for the second part of the course, which focuses on cancer, starting with cancer biology and pathology. In this portion of the course, students are introduced to the types of genetic changes that occur in somatic cells and enable tumorigenesis. Cancer biology and principles of neoplasia are integrated with developmental genetics and embryology, with students gaining an appreciation of neoplasia as a genetically-based aberration of normal development and cellular regulation. This knowledge is further expanded as the students learn malignant hematology before moving on to learning about solid tumors. The course incorporates cancer pharmacology and clinical aspects of drug development and concludes with a broad introduction to the clinical oncology discipline.

Attacks and Defenses introduces principles of immunity, tissue injury and repair and medical microbiology. These principles are integrated with the clinical fields of clinical immunology and allergy, infectious diseases, dermatology and rheumatology. Students are introduced to the prevention, diagnosis, and management of infectious, allergic, autoimmune and immune deficiency related diseases. Selected examples of immune based neoplastic therapy especially with respect to melanoma. Medical microbiology and infectious disease are taught during the entire course. Principles of immunobiology are taught concurrently with clinical immunology, followed by rheumatology and then dermatology. Understanding disease in underserved and diverse populations is a critical component of the course.