University of California, San Francisco Courses

Diabetes: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Opportunities

4.5

Class Central TipsLearn How to Sign up to Coursera courses for free1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely FreeOver a dozen faculty from UC San Francisco's Schools of Pharmacy, Medicine, Nursing, and Dentistry will present on topics including the epidemiology, diagnosis, nutritional strategies for self-management, the role of insulin in managing diabetes, effects of diabetes on oral/dental health, and current research in the field.

Nutrition for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

4.1

Class Central TipsLearn How to Sign up to Coursera courses for free1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely FreeThis course covers the basics of normal nutrition for optimal health outcomesand evidence-based diets for a variety of diseases. Participants will learnthe fundamentals of nutrition science and build upon these to explore emergingdiet therapies, to analyze nutrition research and to plan well-balancedmeals and dietary interventions for both healthy individuals and thosewith a number of diseases and health conditions. 

Understanding Research: An Overview for Health Professionals

4

Class Central TipsLearn How to Sign up to Coursera courses for free1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely FreeThis course looks at the various aspects of research as it pertains to health.The course objectives are as follows:Summarize the format of research articles and the research methods included in each section of an article.Analyze and critique research questions, study design, methods including sample selection, bias, data collection procedures, measures, and analysis plan, results, discussion and interpretation of findings.Compare and contrast different quantitative study designs.Analyze the validity and reliability of measures.Understand the ethical and cultural issues related to research methods.

Caries Management by Risk Assessment (CAMBRA)

5

Class Central TipsLearn How to Sign up to Coursera courses for free1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely FreeDental Caries (tooth decay) is a bacterially based disease that progresseswhen acid produced by bacterial action on dietary fermentable carbohydratestravels into the tooth and dissolves the carbonated hydroxyapatite mineral. This process is called demineralization.Pathological factors, including acidogenic bacteria, salivary dysfunction, anddietary carbohydrates are related to caries progression.  Protective factors, which includeantibacterials, salivary calcium, phosphate and proteins, salivary flow, andfluoride in saliva can balance, prevent or reverse dental caries through aprocess of remineralization. Remineralization is a natural and reliable repair mechanism fornon-cavitated carious lesions.This course will provide the scientific basis behind the “caries balance”concept, which is the key to caries management by risk assessment in clinicalpractice.  If pathological factorsprevail caries progresses.  If protectivefactors prevail the caries process is halted or reversed.The course will present tools to implement  CAMBRA, “caries management by risk assessment,”in your clinical setting.  It can be inimplemented medical and dental settings, and can benefit children and adults ofall ages. Implementation in dental practice provides patients with genuine hopeand success for the management of their oral health.  It is a practice builder for dentistry.

Contraception: Choices, Culture and Consequences

5

Class Central TipsLearn How to Sign up to Coursera courses for free1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely FreeThis course gives a broad overview of contraceptive methods and explores issues that influence contraceptive choices today. We will discuss the mechanism of action, effectiveness, risk/benefit, side effects and contraindications for each contraceptive method, as well as ask some questions about contraceptive decision making. What are some of the factors that influence contraception use and decision making?   Are there specific cultural, ethnic, social and environmental factors?  We will also look at the relationship between contraception use and risk of acquiring Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). 

Clinical Problem Solving

4.4

Class Central TipsLearn How to Sign up to Coursera courses for free1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely FreeClinical problem solving or diagnostic reasoning is the skill that physicians use to understand a patient’s complaints and then to identify a short, prioritized list of possible diagnoses that could account for those complaints.  This differential diagnosis then drives the choice of diagnostic tests and possible treatments. Despite striking advances in information technology, clinical problem solving has not yet been effectively replicated by computers, making it essential that clinicians work to develop expertise in this very important skill set.  While television shows make this seem like a magical process, work done by cognitive psychologists and medical educators has helped us understand the ways in which expert physicians reason through these difficult problems to help their patients. This course will examine the ways physicians think about clinical problem solving and will help participants develop competence in the building blocks of clinical problem solving. The professor will use cases to illustrate different reasoning strategies and will discuss how both correct and incorrect diagnoses result from these strategies. Participants will use sample clinical cases to practice what they have learned through the lectures. Finally, the professor will discuss strategies to help students and young physicians read textbooks and articles in a way that enhances their ability to use information in the clinical environment. 

Introduction to Clinical Neurology

4.1

Class Central TipsLearn How to Sign up to Coursera courses for free1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely FreeAn overview of the relevant aspects of the epidemiology, clinical presentation, basic disease mechanisms, diagnostic approaches and treatment options of the most common neurological diseases.

Ethical and Social Challenges of Genomic and Precision Medicine

4

Class Central TipsLearn How to Sign up to Coursera courses for free1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely FreePlease note: This course was developed in 2014. This course is not actively moderated by course instructors, please use the course forums to collaborate with other learners.Knowledge linking genomics to health and disease is rapidly expanding. Translation of this knowledge into clinical and public health practice offers promising opportunities but also raises a host of ethical, legal, social, and policy questions.Using case examples, this inter-disciplinary course will explore the challenges of genomic and precision medicine.This seven week, inter-disciplinary course provides an introduction to ethical, legal, social, and policy issues that arise in the translation of genomic knowledge into medical and public health practice. It considers challenges in health related and reproductive testing/screening focusing on six specific areas:•Pre‐conception genetic diagnosis, and prenatal testing/screening •Newborn screening •Use of genomic sequencing technologies to diagnose and predict disease •Targeting genomic testing/screening by race/ethnicity •Direct‐to‐consumer genomic testing/screening •Use of “big data” for genomic research and genomic translation Course Objectives 1.Critique the promise of genomics and precision medicine for improving health outcomes for individuals and populations. 2.Through analysis of key cases, demonstrate an understanding of the ethical, legal, social, and policy (ELSI) challenges that accompany the translation of new genomic knowledge into clinical medicine and public health practice. 3.Apply a critical analysis of ELSI concerns to your professional practice (if relevant), your interest as a potential user of genomic knowledge, and as a citizen with a responsibility to shape health policy.

Genomic and Precision Medicine

4.3

Class Central TipsLearn How to Sign up to Coursera courses for free1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely FreePrecision medicine has the potential to change fundamentally how health care is practiced, but requires a health care workforce that understands the complexities of this field. One important component of Precision Medicine is the use of an individual’s genomic information to offer targeted treatment, tailored to the individual. Our course aims to provide participants with some baseline knowledge of genomics, an overview of the clinical applications of genomic medicine, the skills to evaluate the clinical validity and utility of new tests, and an appreciation of the associated ethical and social issues inherent in this field.The course is geared toward practicing health care providers, although it should be accessible to anyone with a background in the biological sciences and a basic understanding of genetics.It is designed to be succinct and clinically-focused, offering both conceptual and practical information about real-world applications of genomics.Two lessons offer a basic primer on molecular genomics relevant to the individual patient as well as to patient populations. The remaining five lessons focus on five applications of genomics and present the material as case studies, highlighting the strengths, limitations, and issues that arise in the use of each test.

Abortion: Quality Care and Public Health Implications

0

Class Central TipsLearn How to Sign up to Coursera courses for free1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely FreeAbortion isa common experience for reproductive-aged women around the world.  In the US, half of all pregnancies areunintended and half of these end in abortion. (Finer 2013) Around the world,43.8 million abortions were done in 2008 representing one fifth of allpregnancies. (Sedgh 2012)  Abortion issafe and has lower morbidity and mortality than childbirth when carried out bytrained practitioners in sanitary conditions (Raymond 2012), but nearly half ofthe abortions done in the world are unsafe, according to the WHO definition.Despiteits universality, abortion remains controversial and inaccessible for manywomen. Both the clinical and public health contexts of abortion are oftenexcluded from curricula in medicine, nursing, and other health professions. Restrictionsat the hospital or clinic level, and conscientious objection at the providerlevel compounded with legal restrictions further reduce women’s access toservices. In this six-weekcourse, over twenty faculty from various institutions and multiple disciplines will place abortion within the context ofpublic health and fill in the gaps left by its exclusion from mainstreamcurricula in health professions. Each week’s lectures will incorporate thestories of women who seek abortion in order to better portray abortion significance and rationale.  Other topics will include a briefhistory of abortion, the clinical aspects of medication and proceduralabortions in and after the first trimester, an overview of patient-centeredabortion-care, the basics of abortion counseling, the professional obligationsof health care practitioners to ensure that women have access to safe abortioncare, and the maze of restrictions that make safe abortion care inaccessible tomany women.  In addition to video lectures, there will beweekly quizzes, peer assessments, and optional additional content and readingfor learners who want to explore the topic further.  

Poisonings in the Home and Community: Assessment and Emergency Response

2

Class Central TipsLearn How to Sign up to Coursera courses for free1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely FreeClinical Toxicology: Poisons in the Home and Community will cover clinical assessment & emergency response.Here are the overall learning objectives for this course:1.    Describe the epidemiology of poisonings to include most common age groups, scenarios, substances involved, and outcomes.2.    List the steps taken if confronted with a poisoning to include appropriate first-aid, history necessary to assess a poisoning, and appropriate emergency response (poison control center, 9-1-1).3.    Recognize the hazard potential among common household products (cleaning agents, personal care products, hydrocarbons, caustics).4.    Describe the clinical presentation and emergency treatment for poisonings caused by plants and mushrooms, venoms, stimulants, and depressants.5.    Identify useful clinical signs and symptoms to diagnose a suspected poisoning.  6.    Describe the advantages and disadvantages of methods to decontaminate a poisoned patient.7.    List the steps taken to manage a comatose poisoned patient to include supportive care and use of antidotes.

Collaboration and Communication in Healthcare: Interprofessional Practice

4

Class Central TipsLearn How to Sign up to Coursera courses for free1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely FreeInterprofessionalcollaborative practice is essential to the provision of safe, high qualitypatient-centered care. This course will introduce health professions learners tothe concept of interprofessional collaborative practice and the evidence basethat supports its effectiveness. In order for learners to better understand theprofessionals with whom they will collaborate, specific modules will focus onthe roles of various healthcare professionals, their scope of practice, andsettings in which they work. Additional modules will focus on communication strategiesand tools for effective interprofessional collaborative practice and learnerswill practice to gain competence in interprofessional communication, conflict managementand negotiation. Finally, the course will introduce the concepts of leadershipand membership and explore leadership and membership strategies to promoteeffective interprofessional teamwork.