Environmental Health Sciences

Environmental Toxicology Training Grant - Curriculum

Supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH

Core Courses

EHS 506 Principles of Toxicology
Principles underlying the chemical, physiological and anatomical basis of toxicity, including dose-response relationships, toxicokinetics, biotransformation, mechanisms of cellular injury and death, organ system toxicity, developmental toxicology, genotoxicity, toxicogenomics, and chemical carcinogenesis. Principles are illustrated with specific examples of toxicity from environmental contaminants and pharmaceutical agents.

EHS 628 Toxicology Research Analysis and Presentation
Presentations of research topics from current literature by first year students, with the aim of developing skills for interpreting and communicating scientific information in a seminar format. Advisors assist in selection and preparation for the presentation. The requirement for this course will be waived if a trainee gives a seminar in his or her home department during the first year in the program and notifies the director of the training program in advance of the seminar.

BIOSTAT 553 Applied Biostatistics
Fundamental statistical concepts related to the practice of public health: descriptive statistics; probability; sampling; statistical distributions; estimation; hypothesis testing; chi-square tests; simple and multiple linear regression; one-way ANOVA. Use of computer in statistical analysis.

Two of the Following Biomedical Science Courses

HUMGEN 541 Molecular Genetics
Fundamental and current research methods for analysis of gene structure and gene expression based on classic and current papers of molecular genetics, including: positive and negative regulation of transcription, mRNA splicing and turnover; DNA recombination, repair and transposition in relation to cancer, evolution and mutagenesis; strategies for developmental regulation; and genetic engineering.

BIOLCHEM 550 Protein Structure and Function
Relationship of protein structure to various aspects of protein function; general introduction to three-dimensional protein structure including discussion of structure determination methods and forces in protein structure and stability; binding and allosterism; enzyme catalysis; protein-nucleic acid interaction, signal transduction and membrane proteins.

CDC 530 Cell Biology
Membranes, protein synthesis, protein folding, protein trafficking, epithelial polarity,
cytoskeleton, cell-cell and cell-substrate interactions, and signal transduction.

One of the Following Courses in Physiology/Pathology

EHS 616 Toxicologic Pathology
Chemical-induced pathologic outcomes on mammalian cells, tissues and organs with an emphasis on methods used for investigative toxicologic pathology; integration of toxicologic mechanisms and pathologic outcomes. Lectures, student-led discussions and slide-reading sessions.

PHYSIOL 510 Systems and Integrated Physiology
Basic principles of physiological regulatory systems and integration among the systems that enable them to function as a coordinated unit, emphasizing the experimental basis for current understandings.

One of the Following Courses in Biochemical Mechanisms of Xenobiotic Action

EHS 612 Biochemical and Molecular Toxicology
In-depth analysis of the biochemical and molecular pathways altered in cells and organisms by exposure to environmental and therapeutic chemicals. Topics focus on how chemicals disturb cellular processes through interaction with cellular receptors, ion channels, transporters, signal transduction pathways, transcription factors, metabolic pathways, enzymes, cytoskeletal elements and other macromolecular targets. Regulation and initiation of cell death, mediation of toxicity through redox status and oxidative stress, mechanisms of carcinogenesis, genotoxicity and immunotoxicology are also discussed. Readings from the current literature.

One of the Following Courses in Mechanisms of Mammalian Toxicology

EHS 622 Mechanisms of Developmental Toxicology
Integration and analysis of scientific information to enhance understanding and elucidate biochemical and molecular mechanisms in developmental toxicology. Course emphasis is on student discussions of the theoretical and practical aspects of embryology as related to biochemical, physiological and molecular mechanisms of embryotoxicity based on readings from the scientific literature.

EHS 623 Mechanisms of Reproductive Toxicology
Analysis and integration of scientific information to enhance understanding of molecular and cellular mechanisms of reproductive toxicity. Emphasis is on student discussion of theoretical and practical aspects of mechanistic studies based on assigned reading from the scientific literature.

EHS 624 Mechanisms of Neurotoxicology
Analysis and integration of scientific information to enhance understanding of molecular and cellular mechanisms of neurotoxicity. Emphasis is on student discussion of theoretical and practical aspects of mechanistic studies based on assigned reading from the scientific literature.