UB to launch mini-med school for general public

On Tuesday, May 6, the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences will launch its Mini-Med School, a series of lectures dealing with subjects covered in traditional medical school but geared to a general audience.

The faculty will be composed of several of the most dynamic teachers and accomplished scientists on the medical-school faculty. Lectures will be held from 7-9 p.m. on six consecutive Tuesdays through June 10 in Butler Auditorium in Farber Hall on the South Campus.

Class size will be limited only by the auditorium's 280-some seats. Cost for the full curriculum is $25 per person, with special rates for couples, seniors and students.

The mini-med school concept has been tried at more than 30 U.S. medical schools and has been wildly successful. Harry Sultz, D.D.S., M.P.H., UB professor of social and preventive medicine, director of UB's Health Services Research Program and "dean" of the Mini-Med School, said the idea is to help people understand the science behind medicine. "This program will address the public's desire for better understanding and knowledge about health and disease," he said.

The six lectures will be devoted to

anatomy, physiology, neurology, pharmacology, microbiology and immunology. Courses and lecturers are:

- May 6-Cardiology 101: "The Heart is a Wonderful Organ" and "Sometimes It Needs Repair," Perry Hogan, Ph.D., professor of physiology, and Susan Graham, M.D., associate professor of medicine.

- May 13-Neuroanatomy/Neurosurgery 101: "Stroke Can Currently Be Treated In A Variety of Ways" and "New Methods Are Emerging For Dealing With Stroke," Linda Hershey, M.D., Ph.D., professor of neurology and research assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology, and L. Nelson Hopkins III, M.D., professor and chair, Department of Neurosurgery.

- May 20-Immunology 101: "Your Body is A Hero," Roger Cunningham, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology and immunology and director of the Ernest Witebsky Center for Immunology.

- May 27-Microbiology/Infectious Diseases 101: "The Microbes Are Out There: It's a War" and "New Diseases Are Emerging: Old Ones Re-emerging: The War Continues," Alan M. Reynard, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology and toxicology, and Alan J. Lesse, M.D., associate professor of medicine and pharmacology and toxicology.

- June 3-Oncology 101: Genes Give Us Life; Genes Give Us Cancer" and "Slowly, But Surely, We Find Ways to Combat This Disease," Peter Aplan, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics, microbiology and immunology, and Daniel Green, M.D., professor of pediatrics.

- June 10-Psychiatry/Psychotherapy 101: "The Chemistry of the Brain" and "Therapeutics of the Mind," Jerold C. Winter, Ph.D., and Cedric M. Smith, M.D., professors of pharmacology and toxicology.

Registration is required; everyone completing the curriculum will receive a certificate.

All faculty lecturers are donating their services; costs of developing the Mini-Med School and lecture materials are being covered by a UB Faculty Development Public Service Initiative award and support from Millard Fillmore College. For more information or to register, call 829-2196.