Courses Taught at GVSU

Note: some of these courses are also taught by other colleagues in the department. The descriptions that follow are based on when the course is 'in my hands,' for better or worse.

HS 212 - Introductory Microbiology (3 credits) Textbook: Fundamentals in Microbiology (5 th Ed.) by Kathleen Park Talaro

This course is an introduction to the fundamental principles and techniques of bacteriology, immunology, and virology. Some attention is also given to eukaryotic parasites of medical importance. The emphasis (when I'm not digressing) is on the morphology, genetics, physiology, and epidemiology of species causing human disease and on the human response to these agents. The material is organized and presented from a taxonomic perspective, as opposed to a 'systems' format. Lectures are driven by PowerPoint slides (files of which are made available on BlackBoard) and supplemented by use of the dry erase board or overhead projector, depending on the lecture hall. Occasionally I will resort to interpretive dance.

HS 213 - Microbiology Laboratory (1 credit)

Textbook: Microbiology Laboratory Manual (2002 Ed.), by various GVSU Microbiology staff

This is a companion course to HS212 and provides hands-on experience with many of the concepts that are covered in lecture. Students learn aseptic techniques (first and foremost!), are shown various procedures for culturing and counting microbes, and learn a variety of methods for isolating and identifying different species of bacteria. The course culminates with the famous 'Unknown Test' in which students put into practice all the techniques and deductive skills learned during the course by attempting to isolate and identify bacteria from an unknown mixture. What pressure!

HS 523 - Epidemiology (2 credits) Textbook: Epidemiology (3rd Ed.) by Leon Gordis. Inspiration is also derived from Modern Infectious Disease Epidemiology (2nd Ed.) by Johan Giesecke.

In a nutshell, this course examines how disease is distributed in populations and the factors that influence or determine this distribution. Topics range widely and include such areas as: the dynamics of disease transmission; outbreak investigation; assessing the validity and reliability of screening tests; comparing cohort and case-control studies; causation vs. correlation; and identifying the roles of genetic and environmental factors in disease causation. Given my background in microbiology, I tend to emphasize epidemiology from an infectious disease perspective, but I make a point of including a variety of topics and examples that draw from chronic or non-infectious disease epidemiology. Evaluation is based on performance on exams and on several take-home case studies.

Note: this course is not a 'bug parade' (e.g. "Here is disease X , it's caused by infection with microbe __, its prevalence is __, the incubation period is __, the symptoms include __, treatment is __. Here is disease Y...) This sort of content is available in several other courses in the department, namely HS 212 and HS 223.

HS 433 - Medical Parasitology (3 credits) Text: Foundations of Parasitology (7 th Ed.) by Larry S. Roberts and John Janovy Inspiration is also derived from: Parasitism: the diversity and ecology of animal parasites by A.O. Bush et al.; Parasitism: The Ecology and Evolution of Intimate Interactions by Claude Combes; New Guinea Tapeworms and Jewish Grandmothers by Robert Desowitz; and Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer

This course provides an introduction to the basic principles and concepts of parasitology. Among the topics covered are: immunological, pathological, and biochemical aspects of parasitism; population and community dynamics; the influence of parasites on host populations; reproduction, transmission, and colonization; and evolution. As the title of the course implies, emphasis is on parasites of medical importance, but many non-human examples are presented as well--some of these are just too fascinating and gruesome to ignore! We also explore the relevance of parasitism to global public health and welfare. Finally, we observe selected parasites, and parasitological principles, through microscopy and lab exercises using live material. Evaluation is based on performance on exams and a class presentation.