MEDS 440
Introduction to Surgical Principles
FALL or SPRING
UNITS:
PREREQUISITES:
Wednesdays 2:00pm-3:40pm
2
BISC 220L or BISC 221L; Chem 103 or 105; MEDS 220; MEDS 320, or
EXCL 301L academic standing as Junior or Senior, prior approval
Course Directors:
Maura Sullivan, MSN, PhD
mesulliv@usc.edu
323 442 8040
Peter Crookes, MD
Peter.Crookes@med.usc.edu 323 442 6236
Craig Baker, MD
Craig.Baker@med.usc.edu
Office Hours:
Dr. Sullivan
Dr. Baker
Dr. Crookes
323 442 6878
Tuesday 1-3 or by email
by email
by email
Introduction and Purpose:
The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of surgery and how it impacts health care
in the community. Students will be introduced to the spectrum of surgical care with the goal of
developing an appreciation of the role that surgery plays in society. The interaction between
faculty and students is a critical component and students will be exposed to surgeons from
multiple surgical specialties. Each session will consist of a short interactive didactic lecture
followed by a skill module when applicable. Case-based teaching, small group discussions and
independent study will be utilized. At the end of the course, students will have an
understanding of the role of surgery in all aspects of health care and an appreciation of how
surgical approaches are used to treat disease in the community. In addition, students will have
an awareness of the career opportunities that exist within the surgical discipline.
Course Requirements and Grades:
 Required texts:
There is no required text for this course. Students will be given an instructor prepared
syllabus (8-10 pages/lecture) which is a synthesis of the current literature, along with 12 articles from the current medical literature and thinking about the topic on the first
day of the course. Students are expected to come to class prepared to discuss the
assigned readings. This will be reflected in their class participation grade.

Grading Breakdown:
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The course grade will be determined by participation in class discussions, preparation
(pre-reading) for each session and the two multiple-choice, short essay examinations.
The grading breakdown is as follows:
Class Participation/Preparation
Mid-term multiple choice, short essay examination
Final multiple choice, short essay examination
10%
40%
50%
Grading Scale is as follows:
A = 93- 100 %
A- = 90-92%
B+ = 87-89%
B = 83-86%
B- = 80-82%
C+= 77-79%
C= 73-76%
C- = 70-72%
D+= 67-69%
D= 63-66%
D- = 60-62%
F = below 60%

Attendance Policy
Attendance is required. An excused absence may be obtained for illness, personal
emergencies or religious holidays by calling the course director before the date of the
absence. An unexcused absence will be reflected in the overall course grade.
Class Sessions:
Lecture
Week 1
Introduction to course
The History of Surgery
Faculty
Pre-Reading
Assignment
Maura Sullivan,
PhD
Peter Crookes,
MD
Week 2
Ethical Principles of
Surgery and Society
Peter Crookes,
MD
Week 3
Cardiac Disease and the
Role of Surgery
Craig Baker, MD
Week 4
Epidemiology of Trauma
Trauma Faculty
2
Week 5
Laparoscopic Surgery
Namir
Katkhouda, MD
Week 6
Economics of Surgery
Anthony
Senegore, MD
Week 7
Surgical Oncology
Stephen Sener,
MD
Week 8
MID TERM EXAM
Surviving Trauma; The
Role of the Surgeon
Trauma
Faculty
Week 9
Obesity in Society and
the Role of Surgery
Peter Crookes,
MD
Week 10
Transplantation/Organ
Donation
Transplant
Faculty
Week 11
Plastic Surgery
Plastics Faculty
Week 12
Surgical Simulation
Michael Minetti,
RCT, BA
Week 13
The Peri-Operative
Environment
Craig Baker, MD
Week 14
The Regionalization of
Health Care
Maura Sullivan,
PhD
Week 15
Course summary and
wrap up
Drs. Sullivan
Baker and
Crookes
EXAM
PERIOD
FINAL EXAM
Statement for Students with Disabilities
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register
with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved
accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me (or to
TA) as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m.–5:00
p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.
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Statement on Academic Integrity
USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic
honesty include the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation
that individual work will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the
obligations both to protect one’s own academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid
using another’s work as one’s own. All students are expected to understand and abide by these
principles. Scampus, the Student Guidebook, contains the Student Conduct Code in Section
11.00, while the recommended sanctions are located in Appendix A:
http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/SCAMPUS/gov/. Students will be referred to the Office
of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards for further review, should there be any
suspicion of academic dishonesty. The Review process can be found at:
http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS/.
Emergency Preparedness/Course Continuity:
In case of emergency, and travel to campus is difficult, USC executive leadership will announce
an electronic way for instructors to teach students in their residence halls or homes using a
combination of Blackboard, teleconferencing, and other technologies. Instructors should be
prepared to assign students a "Plan B" project that can be completed at a distance. For additional
information about maintaining your classes in an emergency please access:
http://cst.usc.edu/services/emergencyprep.html
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