Gastrointestinal Medicine

Catalog description: The gastrointestinal system provides a large surface area to move nutrient material from the external environment into the bloodstream for distribution to the cells of the body. In this process, simple and complex molecules are ingested, digested, transported and finally either absorbed or excreted. In this course, we will travel through the gastro-intestinal tract from the mouth to the anus, learning first normal physiology followed by abnormal pathology and clinical problems. The role of various infectious agents will be examined and the therapeutic effects of pharmacological interventions will be presented. The course will end with study of normal and abnormal aspects of pancreatic, hepatic and biliary function. Since the major point of all this processing of ingested materials is to provide good cellular nutrition, a substantial portion of this course is directed toward understanding basic nutritional principles and requirements.

Prior to Spring 2021, this course was 9 credit hours.