To instill in students a firm understanding of the basic principles in molecular, cellular and physiology that will serve as a foundation for your subsequent education and development as physician-scientists.

Welcome to Scientific Foundations 2025

Quiz for week four is available HERE

Week Four - September 8 - 12

Important: Remember to upload your responses to the self-assessment by Sunday, September 7 at 11:45 PM.

Week Three Quiz is available HERE.

This week the Information and Communication theme will begin with an exploration of the major signaling pathways cells use to detect and respond to external molecules. The theme will then explore the dynamics of receptor-ligand interactions and how drugs that affect those interactions are absorbed and metabolized by the body.

The Energy and Metabolism theme will wind up with presentations on how the body metabolizes fatty acids, amino acids and nucleotides. The theme will also discuss the ways the body controls its overall energy balance.

The Life and Death of Cell theme will start with a presentation on how cells replicated and repair their DNA.

The week also has two special sessions.

  • A simulation session on Tuesday afternoon. See BlueDogs for your time slot.
  • A review of the self-assessment will be held on Zoom on Wednesday at 5 PM. The link to the review is in BlueDogs.

Assignments to Complete

Please complete the assignments before the indicated date

Monday, September 8

  • Watch the video or read the notes for the Cell Communication lecture to prepare for the TBL.

Tuesday, September 9

Thursday, September 11

  • To prepare for the Physiology case conference, read the case and be familiar with the listed topics. The case is available on BlueDogs and synced with your iPads.

Friday, September 12

  • To prepare for the Pharmacokinetics and Drug Metabolism interactive session, please watch the video lectures on Pharmacokinetics (Tuesday at 8 AM) and Drug Metabolism (Friday at 8 AM).

Week Three - September 2 - 5

Week Two Quiz is available HERE.

This week we’ll continue the Building a Body theme by exploring the structure and function of nervous tissue and muscle. The theme will also introduce the different types of blood vessels.

The Fluid and Gradients theme will describe how ion channels determine membrane potential and how the same channels generate an action potential which triggers contraction of skeletal and cardiac muscle cells and communication in neurons.

This Energy and Metabolism theme will also continue with an exploration of how glucose is stored in glycogen and then released when energy demands rise.

The self-assessment will open on Friday. You’ll need to upload your responses to the questions by Sunday at 11:45 PM. More information on the self-assessment will be sent later this week.

Assignments to Complete

Please complete the assignments below before the indicated date.

Tuesday, September 2

Thursday, September 4

  • Watch the video or read the notes for the Structure and Function of Muscle and Nerves lecture to prepare for the TBL. Watching the videos or reading the notes for the lectures on Nerves and Muscle will also be helpful.
  • To prepare for the Physiology case conference, read the case and be familiar with the listed topics. The case is available on BlueDogs and synced with your iPads.

Friday, September 5

  • Watch the video or read the notes for the Structure and Function of Connective Tissue and Bone lecture to prepare for the TBL

Week Two - August 25 - 29

The Week One Quiz is available HERE.

This week we’ll continue the Building a Body theme by exploring how cells and extracellular matrix assemble to form tissues. Then, we’ll examine two of the four tissue types: epithelia and connective tissue, which includes bone.

The Gene Expression theme also continues with discussion on the structure of genomes and how genetic information is manipulated in animal models to study human disease. You will use what you have learned in the theme to discuss how the spread of virus infections is tracked.

The Fluid and Gradients theme will present a case on hypernatremia, which is characterized by elevated sodium concentrations in the blood. You will discuss the physiological causes of the condition and how the condition is treated.

This week will see the start of the Energy and Metabolism theme. The theme will start with presentations on the essential properties of enzymes and the principles of how metabolic pathways are organized. The theme will then transition into presentations on several key pathways.

Assignments to Complete

Please complete the assignments below before the indicated date.

Monday, August 25

  • Watch the video or read the notes for the Cells to Tissues lecture to prepare for the TBL

Tuesday, August 26

Wednesday, August 27

  • Watch the video or read the notes for the Epithelia Structure and Transport lecture to prepare for the TBL

Thursday, August 28

  • To prepare for the Physiology case conference, read the case and be familiar with the listed topics. The case is available on BlueDogs and synced with your iPads.

Friday, August 29

  • Watch the video or read the notes for the Structure and Function of Connective Tissue and Bone lecture to prepare for the TBL

Week One - August 20 - 22

Before we start the course, check out the Primer which covers some basic principles from chemistry that you may find helpful to review.

Also, take a look at the syllabus.

All materials and links to videos can be found on BlueDogs. PDFs of slides and notes should sync with your iPad if you have set that up. If a session does not have slides and/or notes, please let me know.

The week will start with an introduction to the course. Three themes in the course will also start this week.

Fluids and Gradients will describe the different fluid compartments in the body, how solutes are transported across cell membranes, and how proper water balance is maintained in the body. You will also have the opportunity to solve problems in these areas that underlie several clinical conditions.

Building a Body will introduce basic building blocks of cells, proteins, nucleic acids and lipids, and then explain how those macromolecules come together to form cellular and extracellular structures. Finally, you’ll have an opportunity to discuss clinical problems that involve the secretory pathway and extracellular matrix.

Gene Expression will describe how information that is stored in DNA is converted into proteins that form the structures and catalyze the reactions which sustain cell viability and function.

Assignments to Complete

Friday, August 22