Advances in Hypertension Research
- Course Number: GMS 6413
- Credit Hours: 2 credit hours
- Course Format: This online course is tailored for asynchronous distance learners.
- Course Syllabus: View Full Course Details
Course Description
This is an advanced graduate class, also suitable for postdoctoral students, which will expose students to important, current aspects of hypertension research. It begins with clinical trials and pharmacogenomics; considers mono- and polygenic forms of hypertension; dietary / environmental influences leading to salt dependent hypertension / metabolic syndrome / type 2 diabetes; neural control of BP and stress-induced hypertension; endothelial dysfunction / inflammation and stem cells in hypertension; and concludes with hypertension in pregnancy and fetal programming of hypertension. The teaching faculty are drawn from a wide range of disciplines and are all actively involved in research in their areas of expertise. The structure of this course involves 1) lectures by research faculty on areas of their expertise and 2) tutorial-style discussions on original articles which expand on the didactic lecture material.
Prerequisites
This course requires a BA or BS and a strong science foundation with at least 5 full semester courses related to biology, chemistry and/or physics. In addition, Principles of Medical Physiology (GMS6400c) is required.
Contact
Abdel Alli, Ph.D., MPH, Assistant Professor of Physiology and Functional Genomics, aalli@ufl.edu; Tel: 352-273-7877.
Schedule
This course is designed to be taken as part of the medical physiology certificate program and should be preceded by GMS 6400C, GMS 6410 and GMS 6414.
Course Goals
Hypertension is a multifactorial disease and this course explores: 1) some of the current treatments available; 2) how cardiovascular, neural, endocrine and renal function all influence blood pressure control; 3) how vascular endothelial dysfunction / inflammation are associated with hypertension; 4) how genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors can determine the level of the blood pressure; and 5) the complexity of the factors that lead to hypertension.
