FRS 004 — Sec. 004 — (2 unit) — CRN 92655 — T 1:10 – 3:00pm — 25 Wellman
Spinal Cord Injury: From the Patient’s Perspective to the Promise of Research

Instructor: Candace L. Floyd, Department of Neurological Surgery, School of Medicine

Description: Nearly 11,000 new spinal cord injuries (SCIs) occur each year, not including persons who die at the scene of the accident. The number of people in the US living with a spinal cord injury was estimated in December 2003 to be approximately 243,000 people with a range of 219,000 to 279,000 people. SCI primarily affects young adults. Fifty-three percent of SCIs occur among persons in the 16 to 30 year age group, and the average age at injury is 32.6 years. Thus, patients are often injured at a young age and live the rest of their adult lives with an injury. Biomedical research has recently been highlighted in the popular press for the potential of finding “cures” for spinal cord injury, especially through the high-profile efforts of Christopher Reed. This mini-course will provide an overview of spinal cord injury in America as an example of a disease state with a large focus in the biomedical research community. We will examine the relationship of science, research, fundraising, politics, and health care from the perspective of both the researcher and patient. Instructor of record will be a Candace L. Floyd, Ph.D., a pre-clinical researcher in the field of spinal cord injury. Special guests will include spinal cord injured patients attending UCD, members of Research for a Cure (local SCI research fundraising group), and a local neurosurgeon and physical therapist with experience treating spinal cord injury. Upon course completion the students will have a better understanding of spinal cord injury from the perspective of the patient, health care provider, and the scientist, be able to critically evaluate scientific and political opinions on current biomedical/ethical issue, and conduct an information search, critically evaluate information, and assimilate information into cohesive summary of the topic.

Format: The course will meet 1 day per week for 2 hours throughout the quarter (April 4 to June 6). Assignments: 1) Debate: students will draw from a hat a position (pro/con) on the use of stem cells in biomedical research. Using background material provided as well as outside sources, students will give a 3-5 minute persuasive speech. 2) Using topics overviewed with spinal cord injury as an example, students will be asked to write a 3-5 page report on another disease state (i.e. stroke, Parkinson’s Alzheimer’s, ALS, leukemia, etc.). The report will include discussion of epidemiology, current research areas, available patient support groups, and a summary of public policy. Use of the internet, Pub-Med, research journals, and the library will be required. The writing assignment will be due at the end of the quarter. Grading: 30% in-class participation, 30% discussion/debate, 40% report.

About the Instructor: Candace L. Floyd, Ph.D. received her doctoral degree from the Medical College of Virginia of Virginia Commonwealth University in December 2000. Her graduate research focused on the role of astrocytes in traumatic brain injury. She continued her training as a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Neurological Surgery at University of California, Davis from January 2001 to July 2004. She maintained her research focus of the pathophysiology of traumatic brain injury and added work on the pathology of spinal cord injury. In July 2004, she was promoted to Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at UCD, where she currently is conducting research in both traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury.