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Frontiers in Biomedicine (BIOM30001)

Undergraduate level 3Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)

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Overview

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Semester 2
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In this subject, students are presented with established and developing issues affecting health and disease that require a holistic appreciation of medical biology, including anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, pathology, microbiology, immunology and pharmacology.

Students should gain an integrated understanding of selected health issues that will be explored across their breadth of complexity from molecular mechanisms through to population health considerations. Health issues include: obesity and the metabolic syndrome; allergy, genes and the environment; new approaches to treatment and prevention of drug-dependence; evaluating new therapeutics.

Students should also gain an appreciation of the research process and its relationship to the evolution of therapeutic approaches including public health initiatives that assist in health promotion and disease control, through prevention and effective treatment.

Intended learning outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students should have:



  • an ability to use an interdisciplinary approach to studying diseases;
  • an ability to use a holistic view of medical biology to systematically analyse diseases for opportunities for intervention;
  • the capacity to see how a better understanding of disease biology leads to new public health initiatives, new diagnostic protocols, treatments or prevention of disease through eg. the use of personalised medicines; health promotion; novel applications of established drugs;
  • an appreciation of issues in the conduct of ethical research and an ability to act as an advocate for medical research.

Generic skills

Upon completion of this subject, students should have developed the following generic skills:

  • the ability to interpret scientific literature and interpret data from electronic databases;
  • the capacity to integrate knowledge across disciplines;
  • the ability to comprehend a question, evaluate the relevant information and communicate an answer;
  • an appreciation of the ability to communicate scientific knowledge to an informed lay audience.

Last updated: 31 October 2023