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Graduate Courses
Adding and Dropping Courses
Course add/drop requests can be made through ACORN.
For course add and drop deadlines, please refer to the SGS Sessional Dates website.
For 0.25 FCE modular courses offered in the Fall and/or Winter sessions, the deadlines are:
- Add Deadline: Before the first day of class
- Drop Deadline: No more than 50% of the course has passed
For 0.25 FCE courses running in the Spring/Summer sessions, the add/drop deadlines follow those outlined in the SGS Sessional Dates website.
If you miss the add/drop deadline, you will need to submit an Add/Drop Course Request Form.
Course Listing
PCL1300H: Selected Topics in Clinical Pharmacology
Coordinator: Dr. Cindy Woodland
Grade Scale: CR/NCR
Credits: 0.5 FCE
Pre-requisites
- Open to Applied Clinical Pharmacology students only
PCL1400H: Systems Pharmacology I
Coordinator: Drs. Peter McPherson and Martin Beaulieu
Systems Pharmacology I examines a variety of drugs and drug classes with an emphasis on drugs acting on the central nervous system and immune systems as well as those used in cancer and infectious diseases. A comprehensive approach to drug properties and the interactions of these drugs with the human body are discussed with a focus on mechanisms of drug action, clinical indications and adverse effects. Drugs are introduced in lecture sessions and discussed from a clinical perspective in small group sessions. Small group sessions involve in-depth examinations of the scientific literature and clinical cases.
Grade Scale: Letter Grade
Credits: 0.5 FCE
Pre-requisites
- Students should have a general background in biology, biochemistry, pharmacology and/or physiology.
- Exclusions: PCL470H1; PCL1001Y
- Priority will be given to students enrolled in the Applied Clinical Pharmacology field of study.
- Non-Pharmacology graduate students may request this course via an Add/Drop Course form. A complete transcript must accompany the form.
PCL1402H: Pharmacology & Toxicology in Drug Development
Coordinator: Dr. Rebecca Laposa
The aim of this course is to provide instruction on the basic principles of drug development, with a primary focus on the application of fundamental principles of pharmacology and toxicology to the design and conduct of early phase clinical trials. Students will become familiar with the standard safety and pharmacokinetic assessments that take place during early clinical development, as well as with proof-of-concept and proof-of-mechanism studies, evaluations of exposure- toxicity relationships and refinement of dose selection for later phase trials. In addition to actual clinical studies, the course will examine various modeling approaches that are also conducted during drug development. At the end of the course, students should understand the phases of drug development, be able to design an early phase clinical study, understand the standardized practices and ethical implications of clinical research, and be aware of some of the scientific and non-scientific career paths/roles in drug development.
Grade Scale: Letter Grade
Credits: 0.5 FCE
Pre-requisites
- Open to students enrolled in the Applied Clinical Pharmacology field of study only
- Exclusions: PCL402H1
PCL1491H: Clinical Pharmacology: Principles in Practice
Coordinator: Dr. Anita Hamadanizadeh
The overall goal of this laboratory course is to provide students with practical experience and understanding of experimental methods used in clinical pharmacology research. The 12-session course will be taught through a combination of wet labs and dry labs. During wet labs, groups (~3-5 individuals per group) will be given a drug that they will investigate in the laboratory. Dry labs will involve lectures, case studies, and assignments. Topics will include assessments of drug solubility, absorption/bioavailability and bioequivalence, distribution and protein binding, biotransformation, renal excretion, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics modeling, drug-drug interaction, and assessment of pharmacodynamic effects.
Grade Scale: Letter Grade
Credits: 0.5 FCE
Pre-requisites
- Open to students enrolled in the Applied Clinical Pharmacology field of study only.
- Co-requisite: PCL1004Y or prior pharmacokinetics course.
PCL1500H: Systems Pharmacology II
Coordinator: Drs. Walter Swardfager and Landon J. Edgar
Systems Pharmacology II examines a variety of drugs and drug classes with an emphasis on drugs acting on the cardiovascular and endocrine systems. A comprehensive approach to drug properties and the interactions of these drugs with the human body are discussed with a focus on mechanisms of drug action, clinical indications and adverse effects. Drugs are introduced in lecture sessions and discussed from a clinical perspective in small group sessions. Small group sessions involve in-depth examinations of the scientific literature and clinical cases.
Grade Scale: Letter Grade
Credits: 0.5 FCE
Pre-requisites
- Students should have a general background in biology, biochemistry, pharmacology and/or physiology.
- Exclusions: PCL469H1; PCL1001Y
- Priority will be given to students enrolled in the Applied Clinical Pharmacology field of study.
- Non-Pharmacology graduate students may request this course via an Add/Drop Course form. A complete transcript must accompany the form.
PCL2101Y/2102Y/2100Y: Practicum in Clinical Pharmacology
Students may wish to include a 4-month (PCL2101Y or PCL2102Y) or 8-month (PCL2100Y) placement option with an approved employment site (e.g., pharmaceutical company, contract research organization (CRO), consulting business, government agency, healthcare partner). The placement is an opportunity for students to explore and immerse themselves in areas such as drug development, medical writing, adverse event reporting, pharmacokinetic analysis, and clinical trial design and management.
Grade Scale: CR/NCR
Pre-requisites
- Open to students enrolled in the Applied Clinical Pharmacology two-year stream only
PCL2200Y: Major Research Project
Coordinators: Drs. Cindy Woodland and Prateek Lala
The aim of this course is to give students an opportunity to conduct independent research in pharmacology. Students will be matched to faculty members who will supervise their project and provide guidance and assistance. Students will be required to apply their knowledge of pharmacology and research methodologies. This course will allow students to acquire important practical skills, in-depth knowledge of the research subject, and develop scientific communication skills.
Grade Scale: CR/NCR
Credits: 1.0 FCE
Pre-requisites
- Open to students enrolled in the Applied Clinical Pharmacology field of study only
- Applied Clinical Pharmacology students are automatically enrolled in this course
- Pre-/Co-requisite: PCL1100H
PCL2201Y: Major Research Project Extended Study
This course is an opportunity to complete further study under the supervision of the same graduate faculty member as PCL2200Y. It is intended for students who wish to pursue more in-depth study of their research question(s), generally with the intention of publishing their research findings.
Grade Scale: CR/NCR
Credits: 1.0 FCE
Pre-requisites
- PCL2200Y
PCL3000H: Foundational Pharmacology Principles
Coordinator: Dr. Peter McPherson
The purpose of this course is to provide instruction to incoming graduate students on foundational principles in Pharmacology. Although a significant number of our incoming graduate class have mastered these concepts through our undergraduate PCL programs, an increasing number of our new graduate students come with undergraduate education that does not include a significant instruction in pharmacology.
Incoming students with undergraduate PCL will be allowed to opt of completing this module provided they score 70% or greater on an exam they are able to write in September.
Grade Scale: Letter Grade
Credits: 0.25 FCE
Pre-requisites
- Open to 1st year Pharmacology thesis-stream graduate students only
PCL3001H: Pharmacology Research & Communication Skills
Coordinator: Drs. Peter McPherson and Wai Haung (Ho) Yu
Researchers require many skillsets to be successful. Increasingly, it is important to develop a broad range of practices to support your research, be it in an academic setting, not-for-profit or for-purpose environment. This module will provide a knowledge base using first-person perspectives and best practices to develop a program that supports diverse career objectives. In particular, will learn how to apply for research funding and scholarships, how to enter and navigate a career in the pharmaceutical industry, and how to communicate research findings to various stakeholders.
Grade Scale: CR/NCR
Credits: 0.25 FCE
Pre-requisites
- Open to 1st year Pharmacology thesis-stream students only