THER 201 Pharmacologic Basis of Therapeutics

Ther 201 is traditionally a two-semester course given to Learning Unit 4 medical students, and primarily runs as an intensive introductory pharmacology course early in the academic year. Pharmacology lectures aligned to the objectives of Ther 201 are then given within different Organ System (OS) modules for a total of approximately 80 hours of Ther 201 course work. Being basic therapeutics, Ther 201 covers the basic principles of pharmacodynamics (PD) and pharmacokinetics (PK) in physiological and pathological states.

Central themes are drug mechanism of action and disposition in the body, adverse drug reaction and drug interactions, effect of formulation and delivery system to drug concentration and action, role of receptors, effect of pharmacogenetics on efficacy and safety, pathophysiologic basis for choosing a particular drug treatment, and characteristics and properties of prototype drugs for common ailments. 

For Academic Year 2023 – 2024, Ther 201 will be delivered using the Blended Block Learning (Model 2) with combination of blocks of online learning (asynchronous and/or synchronous) and F2F or in-person learning. The course will mainly run from October 9 to 20, 2023. Together with synchronous/asynchronous online lectures/ plenary session, and readings, there will be timed individual and group (10-20 students) work and assignments, quizzes (online) and long exams (in-person), capped by a Basic Pharmacology full research proposal.