Key Information
About the content
Precision medicine has the potential to change fundamentally how health care is practiced, but requires a health care workforce that understands the complexities of this field. One important component of Precision Medicine is the use of an individual’s genomic information to offer targeted treatment, tailored to the individual. Our course aims to provide participants with some baseline knowledge of genomics, an overview of the clinical applications of genomic medicine, the skills to evaluate the clinical validity and utility of new tests, and an appreciation of the associated ethical and social issues inherent in this field. The course is geared toward practicing health care providers, although it should be accessible to anyone with a background in the biological sciences and a basic understanding of genetics. It is designed to be succinct and clinically-focused, offering both conceptual and practical information about real-world applications of genomics. Two lessons offer a basic primer on molecular genomics relevant to the individual patient as well as to patient populations. The remaining five lessons focus on five applications of genomics and present the material as case studies, highlighting the strengths, limitations, and issues that arise in the use of each test.
Syllabus
Week 1: New insights into the structure of the human genome and different types of genetic and non-genetic variation that occur
Week 2: Genetic screening and diagnosis: prenatal carrier testing and newborn screening for Mendelian diseases
Week 3: The use of next-generation sequencing for solving diagnostic dilemmas
Week 4: Methods used in patient populations to uncover associations between genome variation and common diseases
Week 5: Predictive tests for common, complex diseases
Week 6: Pharmacogenomic testing for drug selection, dosing and predicting adverse effects of commonly prescribed drugs
Week 7: Tumor profiling for targeting cancer treatment and the use of blood-based gene expression profiles in cancer prognosis
Instructors
Jeanette McCarthy, MPH, PhD
Adjunct Associate Professor
UCSF Department of Medicine
Robert L. Nussbaum, MD
Chief and Professor of Medicine
Division of Genomic Medicine
Content Designer
The University of California, San Francisco, is dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and high-quality patient care. UC San Francisco is the only campus in the University of California system dedicated exclusively to the health sciences. UCSF's innovative, collaborative approaches for health care, research and education span disciplines across the health sciences and make it a world leader in scientific discovery and its translation into improved health.
Platform
Coursera is a digital company offering massive open online course founded by computer teachers Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller Stanford University, located in Mountain View, California.
Coursera works with top universities and organizations to make some of their courses available online, and offers courses in many subjects, including: physics, engineering, humanities, medicine, biology, social sciences, mathematics, business, computer science, digital marketing, data science, and other subjects.
