UU直播 Mini-Med School in high demand
The public is definitely hungry for medical knowledge, to judge by the waiting list for the first UU直播 Mini-Med School, scheduled to start October 17 and run for eight consecutive weeks. Registration filled up over a month ago, and organizers have opened a long waiting list. With cookies and juice provided at the start, and an opportunity to ask questions at the end of each evening, the course had to be limited to 275, especially given the space available. To meet the demand, Dr Abraham Fuks, dean of the Faculty of Medicine, hopes the Mini-Med School can be offered on a regular basis in the years to come. If the project is considered a success at the end of the eight weeks, long-term funding will be sought from a variety of sources.
The response from UU直播聮s medical staff has been as enthusiastic as the public response. "Despite the additional workload, some of our very best people across the departments have lined up to offer their services in teaching one of the classes," said Dean Fuks. UU直播 volunteer, member of the Board of Governors, and a guiding force behind the initiative, Kappy Flanders adds,"It was hard to choose, but the organizers had to match subject content with the appropriate faculty member willing to attempt to convey a substantial body of information in a manner the general public could relate to." She noted that UU直播聮s Molson Informatics group - which includes medical students - helped in preparing "course materials that would be lively and fun, wherever possible."
The UU直播 Mini-Med series has attracted the attention of CEGEP and university students, senior citizens, journalists, and many others with a wide variety of motives -- "a real cross-section of the population," says Dr Fuks. He points out that it was a UU直播 graduate, Dr John Cohen, now at the University of Colorado Health Science Centre in Denver, who started the first Mini-Med School a decade ago, and that since then, the concept has spread to more than 35 states and to several other countries.
The courses being taught cover anatomy, physiology, the human genome, neuroscience, pharmacology, pathology, immunology and cancer. No homework and no exams are required, but participants are expected to attend all eight classes, and there will be a 聮graduation ceremony聮 on the final night (December 5).
Confirmation of registration and entrance passport required.
