FRS 001F — Sec. 001
— (1 unit) — CRN 76132 — R 10:00 – 11:50am — 25
Wellman
Spinal Cord Injury: From the Patient’s Reality
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: 1) Have
a better understanding of spinal cord injury from the perspective
of the patient,
health care provider, and the scientist. 2) Be able to critically
evaluate scientific
and political opinions on current biomedical/ethical issues and 3) Conduct an
information search, critically evaluate information, and assimilate
information
into cohesive summary of the topic.
Format: The course will meet for 2 hours in five
sessions (sessions
1-5) and 1-hour session (session 6). Assignments: 1) Debate:
students will draw
from a hat a position (pro/con) 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 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.
F 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.