Mini Med School returns this fall to the Faculty of Medicine

By Rebecca Eras
Posted July 31, 2007

Imagine learning about the basic science of immunology in 40 minutes.

Not just anyone can explain something as complex as immunology and make it sound simple, but UofC medical experts like Dr. Paul Kubes can. With the help of Pac-Man-like cartoons, Dr. Kubes, director of the Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, illustrated how the immune system protects our body from infectious agents, in a presentation to a class of Mini-Med School students last year.

This fall leading researchers in the Faculty of Medicine at UofC are once again availing themselves to the general public with the return of Mini-Med School, an informative, entertaining Continuing Medical Education course that teaches everything from basic anatomy to the complexities of disease pathogenesis and transmission. Experts present the basic framework of medicine through lectures on anatomy and physiology as applied to, for example, the neurological and cardiovascular systems, and they discuss cutting-edge developments in medical research such as new cancer treatments and gene discoveries.

One evening (two hours) a week for two months is all it takes to learn the latest in health and medical science. Sitting in the same building as real medical students, studying many of the same topics from the same academic and clinical professionals, it’s no surprise the course fills quickly with an average of 300 participants per session eager to learn topical, proximate and relevant health information.

“People want substance when they sign up for Mini-Med School,” says Dr. David Severson, co-chair, Mini-Med School organizing committee and professor, Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics. “If they can be entertained in the process, so much the better, we’ve done our job.”

People attend Mini-Med School for many reasons; some to step inside the world of their children or co-workers who may be studying or practicing medicine; others to revisit a dream they let pass of enrolling in medical school. Prospective students who are considering a career in medicine also appreciate the sessions, as do those generally looking to develop their scientific knowledge in order to critically analyze science and medical news and to learn more about their body in both health and disease situations.

Whatever the reason, Mini-Med School, unlike other types of public medical presentations that center on diagnosis and treatments, delves beneath the surface and explores the physiology of health and disease—all that and more in less time than an episode of Grey’s Anatomy.

For more information and a complete line up of this season’s sessions, visit www.cme.ucalgary.ca or call (403) 220-7240.

About the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary
The U of C's Faculty of Medicine is a national leader in health research with an international reputation for excellence and innovation in health care research, education and delivery. Through its educational programs, the Faculty of Medicine trains the physicians and scientists who will lead the next generation of health practitioners. Through its clinical work, continuing medical education programs, and close relationship with the Calgary Health Region, the Faculty of Medicine moves new treatments and diagnostic techniques from the laboratory bench to the hospital bedside efficiently and effectively, improving patient care.

Find out more about Mini-Med School.
Download a brochure (PDF) with more information.

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