Last year some 450 people from all walks of life, including many University employees, attended this course intended to teach the general public about the wonder of the human body, how it works, what can go wrong with it, and how this knowledge can help people stay healthier.
A community program of the School of Medicine and The Emory Clinic, the Emory Mini-Medical School is being offered through Evening at Emory, the University's community education program. Randy Martin, associate director of The Emory Clinic and head of the Health Communication Project at Emory, is once again serving as course director. Jeffrey Houpt, dean of the School of Medicine, and Rein Saral, director of The Emory Clinic, will speak briefly to the students at the beginning and end of the course.
Martin said the course has expanded this year by popular demand. More than 20 of Emory's most distinguished medical school faculty will discuss systems of the body and the major diseases that affect them.
The first class will focus on the brain and nervous system. Ray Watts, director of the Emory Movement Disorders Program, will provide an overview and a closer look at Parkinson's disease. Suzanne Mirra, director of the Emory Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, will talk about Alzheimer's; and Philip Ninan, an associate professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences, will discuss biochemical factors in emotional disorders.
In the succeeding weeks, students will learn about the cardiovascular system, endocrine system, gastrointestinal system, cancer, pulmonary system, eyes, skin, bones and other mainstays of medical education. The last night, Nov. 14, will conclude with a lecture on cells and genes by Douglas Wallace, chair of the Department of Genetics and Molecular Medicine. That is also the night students will receive their diplomas and Emory MiniMedical School t-shirt.
As for all Evening at Emory courses, Emory employees receive a 20 percent discount, bringing the cost to $40. This fee covers a shuttle from Michael Street parking deck, light refreshments, a notebook and handouts, diploma and t-shirt. Graduates of this year's school, as well as those who finished last year, will have tuition waived for a winter quarter course in medical advances and a spring quarter course in family medicine.
"The course is part of Emory's growing move toward becoming a health information resource for the general community as well as health professionals," said Martin. "We're pleased that some of our leading faculty, many with international reputations, are willing to take their own time to share their expertise through this community program."
-- Sylvia Wrobel