Immunology, Hematology and Oncology
Med 6541 | Spring Semester, 2015
Basic Science Course Director: Kristine Krafts, M.D.
Med 227 726-7911 kkrafts@d.umn.edu
Clinical Course Director: Emily Onello, M.D.
Med 153 726-7820 econello@d.umn.edu
Course Description
Immunology, Hematology and Oncology is a three-part interdisciplinary course. The
immunology portion of the course covers the elements of immunology, including the structure
and function of immune system components, and the principles of innate and acquired
immunity. Diseases resulting from abnormalities of the immune system are also covered. The
hematology part of the course covers the basic principles of hematology, including the
structure and function of the cells and organs of the hematologic system, and the features of
hematologic diseases. The oncology portion of the course covers general principles of oncology
including the origin, development, and treatment of tumors. Content from many different
disciplines, including biochemistry, nutrition, pathology, pharmacology, and clinical science, is
used to construct a complete framework for understanding these separate but closely related
systems.
Course Textbooks
The following textbooks are optional and may be useful to you as references:
1. Geha, Case Studies in Immunology, a Clinical Companion, 6th ed. Garland Science, 2012.
($47.20, Kindle edition)
2. Katzung, Basic & Clinical Pharmacology, 13th ed., Appleton & Lange, 2015. (available online
for free on Access Medicine)
3. Kuby Immunology, 7th edition. Owen, Punt, Stranford. W. H. Freeman, 2013.
4. Kumar, et al., Robbins & Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease, 9th ed., Saunders: Philadelphia,
2015.
5. Marks, Basic Medical Biochemistry, 4th ed. Williams & Wilkins: Baltimore, 2012.
6. Review of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, 12th edition. Levinson. Lange, 2012
(available online for free on Access Medicine). Part VII (Chapters 57-68) focuses on
immunology.
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Course Wiki
Our course wiki is the repository for all the information about our course. The address is:
https://wiki.umn.edu/MedDuluth/ImmunologyHematologyOncology
We hope that you will use this wiki as your portal for information about the course, and that
you will feel at home contributing your thoughts and knowledge. Please check back frequently;
new information (course changes, answers to student questions) will be posted under the
Directors Corner section.
Exams
The course has 6 exams. Broadly speaking, the exams will cover the prior week’s material. If
there is any deviation to this schedule (for example, if a particular lecture will not be on the
following Monday’s exam), I’ll post that information on the wiki in the Director’s Corner. In
addition to the exams, there will be a 10 point assignment in conjunction with Dr. Fitzakerley’s
Simulation Case.
Exam 1: All lectures from Monday, April 20 through Friday, April 24
Exam 2: All lectures from Monday, April 27 through Friday, May 1
Exam 3: All lectures from Monday, May 4 through Friday, May 8
Exam 4: All lectures from Monday, May 11 through Friday, May 15
Exam 5: All lectures from Tuesday, May 19 through Friday, May 22
Final Exam: All lectures from Tuesday, May 26 through Monday, June 1, plus a comprehensive
component covering the entire course (see below). The Sim lab scheduled for June 2 will have a
written assignment rather than having explicit test questions asked on the final exam.
Exam dates, times, and approximate points are as follows:
 Exam 1 (40 points): Monday 4/27/15, 9:00 – 10:00
 Exam 2 (44 points): Monday 5/4/15, 8:00 – 9:00
 Exam 3 (38 points): Monday 5/11/15, 9:00 – 10:00
 Exam 4 (40 points): Monday 5/18/15, 11:00 – 12:00
 Exam 5 (28 points): Tuesday 5/26/15, 9:00 – 10::00
 Final Exam (30 points + 65 cumulative points): Friday 6/5/14, 9:00 – 12:00
Exams will be computer scored and an item-analysis performed on all exam questions.
Question appropriateness will be at the discretion of the Course Faculty. Tests and exams will
be administered in accordance with the Duluth Campus Examination Policy and Honor Code,
which outlines legitimate reasons for absences.
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Course Grading Policy
In accordance with the U of M Medical School Grading Policy, all final course grades will be
either Pass (P), Not Pass (N) or Honors (H). An incomplete grade (I) will be assigned whenever
coursework has not been completed due to legitimately excused absences, such as an
extended illness. In order to receive a grade of pass (P), a student must obtain 70% or more of
the points available for the entire course (including the final exam) AND 70% or more of the
cumulative points available on the final exam, in accordance with Medical School Policy.
A grade of 90% or higher for the entire course – or for the final exam – will be required for
honors (H). If no students achieve this level of performance, the faculty will consider setting a
lower criterion.
Remediation
The Immunology, Hematology and Oncology faculty reserves the right to develop a
remediation program that is unique to each student, which may include exam formats other
than multiple choice questions.
If a student receives a grade between 60% and 70% in the course or on the final exam, a
remedial exam may be offered as part of the remediation program. In accordance with the
Duluth Campus remediation procedure, a student must achieve a grade of 70% on the
remedial exam in order to remediate the N grade. If the student fails to pass the remedial
exam, he or she will be required to repeat the course.
If a student’s score in the course is substantially below 70% (i.e., <60% of total course points),
the faculty will meet to determine if remediation will be offered to that student.
If a remedial exam is recommended, it will be scheduled as soon as feasible. Most often this is
scheduled during the summer, when Year 1 classes have been completed.
It is the students' responsibility to check their final grades and to make arrangements with the
Course Director to remediate a grade of "N" or remove a grade of "I".
Student Evaluation of the Course
Evaluations are very important to us as we plan for the following year’s course. All courses use
CoursEval for student evaluations. We will have a special reward for the class if ≥90% of the
class fills out the evaluation form – more details on that as we near that point in the course.
In addition, please email either course director (kkrafts@d.umn.edu or econello@d.umn.edu)
as issues arise throughout the course so we can deal with them as they occur.
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Special Student Needs
Accommodations can be made for students with special needs. Students must contact the
Student Affairs Office to make arrangements for such accommodations.
Course Faculty
Dr. Ben Clarke
Dr. Kevin Diebel
Dr. Steve Downing
Dr. Janet Fitzakerley
Dr. Basem Goueli
Dr. Alan Johns
Dr. Peter Kebbekus
Dr. Kristine Krafts
Dr. Thomas Nelson
Dr. Daniel Nikcevich
Dr. Emily Onello
Dr. Amy Prunuske
Dr. Jean Regal
Dr. Pat Scott
Dr. Andy Skildum
Dr. Ruth Westra
Dept. of Biomedical Sciences
bclarke@d.umn.edu
Dept. of Biomedical Sciences
kwdiebel@d.umn.edu
Dept. of Biomedical Sciences
sdowning@d.umn.edu
Dept. of Biomedical Sciences
jfitzake@d.umn.edu
St. Luke’s Hospital
bgoueli@slhduluth.com
Dept. of Family Medicine
ajohns1@d.umn.edu
Essentia Health
peter.kebbekus@essentiahealth.org
Dept. of Biomedical Sciences
kkrafts@umn.edu
Essentia Health
Thomas.Nelson@essentiahealth.org
Essentia Health
Daniel.nikcevich@essentiahealth.org
Dept. of Family Medicine
econello@d.umn.edu
Dept. of Biomedical Sciences
aprunusk@d.umn.edu
Dept. of Biomedical Sciences
jregal@d.umn.edu
Dept. of Biomedical Sciences
pscott@d.umn.edu
Dept. of Biomedical Sciences
askildum@d.umn.edu
Dept. of Family Medicine
rwestra@d.umn.edu
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