St. John Fisher College
Wegmans School of Pharmacy
Syllabus
PHAR 5526 – Introduction to Cancer Biology and Treatment: (2 credit hours)
A Service Learning Course
Fall 2012
WEGPHR 129
M 3:00-4:50 pm
Secretary: Mrs. Debbie Favro
Phone: (585) 899-3818
I.
Course Coordinator: Dr. Amy Parkhill
Office: WEGPHR 338
Phone: (585) 385-7235
Email: aparkhill@sjfc.edu
Office hours: M 12-1pm
F 12:30-1:30 pm
Additional times by appt.
Course Description
This course is designed to provide a foundation for the understanding of the biological
aspects of cancer and its treatment. Students will be given an overview of cancer biology
and the pharmacology of chemotherapeutic drugs and agents used to manage the side
effects of those drugs. The focus of the course is on the impact of cancer and cancer
treatment on individuals, families, and communities using a multidisciplinary approach. The
course will include a service learning component where students will work with a
community agency to complete a project.
II.
Technology in the Classroom
ExamSoft: Wegmans School of Pharmacy is migrating to an electronic exam system,
ExamSoft. All of your course exams will be administered in this computer-based
environment. Please note that all testing conducted through ExamSoft is subject to the
Academic Conduct and Integrity Policy outlined in the Wegmans School of Pharmacy
Student Policies and Procedures handbook.
ECHO 360: Wegmans School of Pharmacy has equipped several instructional classrooms
with Echo 360, a system to capture lectures digitally. If the system is installed in your
classroom, your sessions will be captured. The focus of the camera is on the front of the
classroom; therefore, unless you are presenting in that area, your voice may be recorded
but your image will not. Faculty members may elect to make digital records of the lectures
available to you for instructional purposes. Each faculty member has the discretion to
decide whether they will make the recordings available to students in BlackBoard. ECHO
360 does not replace the expectation that students will attend every lecture.
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III.
Required Textbook
No required textbook. Handouts will be provided by the instructor.
IV.
Prerequisites
PHAR 3147 and PHAR 3247- Biosystems I and II
V.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students are expected to:
VI.
1.
Define common terminology used in cancer biology.
2.
Describe the principles and procedures for treating cancer.
3.
Characterize the pharmacological properties of chemotherapy agents.
4.
Interpret and evaluate popular media articles on cancer and its treatment.
5.
Describe how cancer affects individuals, families and communities.
6.
Communicate clearly, accurately, and effectively with the general public, patients,
peers, and health care professionals.
7.
Demonstrate leadership and teamwork skills by addressing a community need in
collaboration with classmates and community partners
Course Methodology
Definition of Service Learning (http://www.servicelearning.org/what-is-service-learning).
Service-Learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community
service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic
responsibility, and strengthen communities
Characteristics of Service Learning (taken from Eyler & Giles, Where's the Learning in ServiceLearning?,1999)

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Positive, meaningful and real to the participants.
Involve cooperative rather than competitive experiences and thus promotes skills
associated with teamwork and community involvement and citizenship.
Address complex problems in complex settings rather than simplified problems in
isolation.
Offer opportunities to engage in problem-solving by requiring participants to gain
knowledge of the specific context of their service-learning activity and community
challenges, rather than only to draw upon generalized or abstract knowledge such as
might come from a textbook.
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
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Offers opportunities to acquire the habits of critical thinking; i.e. the ability to identify
the most important questions or issues within a real-world situation.
Promote deeper learning because the results are immediate and uncontrived. There
are no "right answers" in the back of the book.
Personally meaningful to participants, generates emotional consequences,
challenges values as well as ideas, supports social, emotional and cognitive learning
and development.
Why I developed this course
Cancer is pervasive in our society. The majority of the population has been impacted by
cancer in some way. However, because cancer biology and treatment are complex topics
that require knowledge of cell biology, biochemistry and pharmacology, the general public
knows very little about what causes cancer and how it is treated. The goal of this course is
to provide an introductory knowledge of cancer biology and treatment and to have students
use that knowledge in a meaningful way that will benefit their communities.
Why this is a great course to take

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By taking the course, you will satisfy your annual volunteer requirement
You will learn about an interesting topic in a meaningful way
You will build relationships with the community that will set you apart from your
classmates.
You will make a difference in your community and receive credit for it! It is a winwin!
Community partners that you will be interacting with:
American Cancer Society B. Thomas Golisano Hope Lodge Hospitality House
(http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/SupportProgramsServices/HopeLodge/Rochester-NY/rochester-ny-about-our-facility)
Students working with Hope Lodge will assist with fundraising activities and supplies drives. They will also
create one page reference sheets for guests on tips on managing the side effects of chemotherapy.
Teens Living with Cancer (TLC)
(http://www.teenslivingwithcancer.org/)
Students working with TLC will assist with securing donations for and will also volunteer at the Journey’s
fundraiser on October 20th. Additionally, as part of the TLC fit program, students will create reference sheets
on managing the long term effects of chemotherapy and how chemotherapy can impact physical activity in
young adults and adolescents.
VII.
Course Requirements
1. All students must spend a total of 20 hours on their service learning project. 10 of
those hours must be interacting directly with your community partner, the remaining
hours could be used for research and developing the project. The 10 hours that you
spend with your community partner can be used to fulfill your annual volunteer
hour requirement.
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2. All students are expected to attend every class session and to be on time. If a student
arrives late and/or disrupts the class by talking or engaging in other disruptive activity,
the student may be asked to leave the classroom.
3. All students will actively participate in class discussions.
4. At times students may need to meet outside of scheduled class time. However, several
times throughout the semester, there is scheduled team meetings and group
discussions. Additionally, class may be canceled to accommodate off-site meetings.
5. All students are expected to act professionally. You are a representative of the
Wegmans School of Pharmacy. It is important to maintain a professional role at your
service site and a professional relationship with all you come in contact with. Take time
to understand and follow the policies and procedures of the agency (and participate in
any training).
6. All students are expected to adhere to the Wegmans School of Pharmacy Dress Code
as published in the Student Handbook. Copies are available in the Dean’s Office.
VIII.
Evaluation
Exam on cancer biology and pharmacology
Attendance and Class participation
Guest speaker writing assignment
Community partner documentation reports
Service learning project and power point presentation
50 pts
10 pts
10 pts
50 pts
80 pts
Guest speaker writing assignments
Students are required to submit a 1- 2 page, double-spaced written reflection on one of the
guest speakers (student’s choice), due one week after the speaker’s presentation. Further
guidelines on the format of the writing assignments are detailed below.
Community partner documentation reports (5 total, each worth 10 points)
Each time students interact with the community partner they will write a short report (1 pg)
on the experience. Copies of emails sent to the community partners regarding the meeting
should be included as attachments. Answers to the following questions should be included
in the report:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Name of service learning site
Date and time spent at the service learning site
Brief summary of meeting
Did you learn anything new or surprising?
How did you use what you have learned in this class or in previous coursework during
this interaction with your community partner?
6. What will you work on for your next meeting?
Service –learning project and PowerPoint presentation
After the first week of class, you will be divided into groups and assigned based on your
preference to a community partner. You will begin work on the project during week 3 of
classes and conclude by week 15. During that time, you will meet regularly with your
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community partner to develop a project that meets an identified need and uses your
expertise. You must submit the goals of your project by week 5. A copy of the completed
project MUST be submitted to the community partner at the end of the semester.
Additionally, your group will give a 20 minute in-class presentation on your project. In this
presentation you will describe your site and the project you developed, what you
accomplished, challenges you encountered, and future goals and directions.
Each group member must contribute to the presentation.
A copy of the power point presentation will be turned into the course coordinator and the
service learning site coordinator. The following items should be included in your group’s
presentation:
1. The service learning site you worked with. Whom does this site serve? How do they
accomplish their goals? How could pharmacy students best be utilized in this setting?
2. The service learning project in which you participated (presentation, development of
written materials, etc…)
3. The time spent in the service learning project. Include the time involved in preparation,
a description of the type of preparation that was done for the activity.
4. The outcomes of the project.
5. How this activity could be optimized or a proposal of how new service learning projects
could be launched from this present activity.
6. What have you learned during this service experience? How do you understand the
patient population and their needs differently from when you began?
7. How will this experience affect how you practice pharmacy? Relate one aspect of your
service experience to topics discussed in your pharmacy coursework. What do you
think your role with be as a pharmacist interacting with the cancer community?
8. How could this activity be changed to provide a more optimal experience? What were
the best and worst parts of the experience? Would you recommend that this site be
used as a service learning site in the future?
9. What would you tell your family about your experience working with the community
partner?
The tentative grading scale will be as follows:
Letter
Range
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
F
92-100
89-91
86-88
83-85
80-82
77-79
70-76
Below 70
Quality
Points
4.0
3.7
3.3
3.0
2.7
2.3
2.0
0.0
All students are expected to attend every class session and to be on time. If a student
arrives late and/or disrupts the class by talking or engaging in other disruptive activity, the
student may be asked to leave the classroom. Makeup exams will NOT be given. An un5
excused absence for an exam will result in a grade of 0% for that exam. Final
determination will be the responsibility of the instructors.
Course Evaluation
Students are encouraged to submit to the instructor(s) comments helpful to the
improvement and refinement of the course. All comments will be treated without prejudice.
Students will also be requested to complete a course and instructor evaluation at the end of
the semester, as well as providing feedback on guest speakers. Because your feedback is
critical in the process used to improve courses in the WSOP curriculum, the faculty has
adopted a policy requiring all students to participate in order to optimize the data we
receive. To achieve this, participation in the process is now a requirement for passing all
WSOP courses. Students failing to complete the evaluations will receive an “incomplete”
in all courses not evaluated. The incomplete can only be removed by completing the
evaluations.
IX.
Religious Observances
If you request an alteration in the day or time of a scheduled quiz, exam, assignment, or
other assessment due to a religious exemption, the WSOP and affiliated experiential sites
request that you notify the course coordinator and preceptor, if applicable, of the affected
course during the first week of the semester for each class affected. For more detailed
information please refer to the official St. John Fisher College policy statement at
http://catalog.sjfc.edu/undergraduate/2011-2012/resources/student-life/campusministry.dot.
X.
Students with Disabilities
In compliance with St. John Fisher College policy and applicable laws, appropriate
academic accommodations are available to you if you are a student with a disability. All
requests for accommodations must be supported by appropriate documentation/diagnosis
and determined reasonable by St. John Fisher College. Students with documented
disabilities (physical, learning, psychological) who may need academic accommodations
are advised to make an appointment with the Coordinator of Services for Students with
Disabilities in the Office of Academic Affairs, Kearney 202. Late notification will delay
requested accommodations.
XI.
Academic Integrity
St. John Fisher College has a firm policy concerning academic dishonesty that includes,
but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, or any other action that misrepresents academic
work as being one’s own. Students are expected to demonstrate academic honesty in all
coursework, whether completed in-class or not, individually, or as part of a group project.
Violations of academic honesty include, but are not limited to, cheating and plagiarism. All
students are expected to be familiar with the details of the Policy on Academic Honesty,
which are found in the current Student Handbook.
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XII.
Recommended Resources
“Molecular Biology of the Cell”, Fifth Edition, B. Alberts, A. Johnson, J. Lewis, M. Raff, K.
Roberts, and P. Walters, Garland Science, ISBN 978-0-8153-4105-5 (2008)
“The Biology of Cancer”, Weinberg, Robert, Garland Science, ISBN 978-0-8153-4076-1
(2007)
“Applied Therapeutics: The Clinical Use of Drugs” Ninth edition, Koda-Kimble, Mary Anne,
Young, Lloyd Yee, Kradjan, Wayne A., Guglielmo, B. Joseph, Alldredge, Brian K., Corelli,
Robin L., Williams, Bradley R., Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, ISBN 978-0-7817-6555-8
(2008)
“Pharmacotherapy: A Pathophysiological Approach”, 6th Edition, Joseph T. Dipiro, et al.,
Editors, McGraw Hill Professional (2005),
“Principles of Pharmacology: The Pathophysiologic Basis of Drug Therapy”, David E.
Golan, et al., Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, ISBN #0-7817-4678-7 (2004),
“Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics”, 11th Edition, Joel G.
Hardman and Lee E. Limbird, Editors, McGraw Hill Professional (2005), Chapter 23.
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Guidelines for guest speaker writing assignments
You may choose to write about any one of the guest speakers. Assignments are due no later than one week
after the speaker’s presentation. Papers must be 1-2 pages, well-written, free of grammatical errors, typed in
a font no larger than 12 point, and with margins no larger than 1 inch.
After listening to the guest speakers, write out your reaction to what was discussed during the guest lecture.
Your reaction can include your own opinions, disagreements, and/or interpretation. You may also reflect upon
events in your life that the guest lecturer presentation reminds you of.
The goal of the assignment is to provide evidence that you thought about and sufficiently understood what was
discussed. Therefore, in your reactions, you must reflect on what you learned during the guest speakers’ talks
and not simply summarize the information presented.
Listed below are sample questions that you may want to think about when you write your reflection.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
What did you learn from listening to the speaker?
How did hearing the speaker make you feel?
Is what the speaker discussed relevant and important to pharmacy?
Did you enjoy listening to the speaker? Why or why not?
What did you find most interesting and/or surprising?
What information in the talk have you already learned? Did you find it helpful to hear it again?
Did listening to the speaker change your viewpoint on the topic? If yes, what was your viewpoint before
and why did it change?
8. How can you use what the speaker talked about at your community partner’s site?
9. Did you disagree with anything that the speakers had to say? If yes, what was it? And why do you
disagree?
10. Can you use the information you learned to become a more effective pharmacist? Explain why or why
not.
11. Were you made aware of something that you did not know about previously?
12. What new questions do you have about the topic after listening to the speaker’s presentation?
You are not limited to these questions and are free to reflect upon any question/topic that you may have.
However, anything you turn in must reflect your individual thoughts and opinions and not those of your
classmates.
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Course Schedule
Week
Date
Topics
1
8/20
Overview of syllabus, community partners, and
service learning podcast
Guest Speakers from TLC (Leah Shearer and Lauren Spiker) and Hope
Lodge (Lorraine Clements)
Interest sheets are due at the end of class
2
8/27
Cancer Biology
Contact community partners to set up first meeting
3
9/3
Labor Day – No class
4
9/10
Cancer staging and types of cancer
Dr. Parkhill
Team meetings and in class discussion of sites and projects
5
9/17
Chemotherapy drugs
Service learning project goals are due
*** 1st documentation report is due***
Dr. Parkhill
6
9/24
Chemotherapy drugs and new treatments
Dr. Parkhill
7
10/1
Supportive Care
Dr. Parkhill
8
10/8
Exam on cancer biology and treatment
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10/15
Guest speaker from Cancer Society (patient advocate group)
Team meetings and in class discussion of sites and projects
10
10/22
Guest Speaker from URMC (Jeremiah Moore,PharmD)
Team meetings and in class discussion of sites and projects
Dr. Parkhill
11
10/29
Tour of Wilmot Cancer Center
12
11/5
Team meetings and in class discussion of sites and projects
13
11/12
No class – work on projects
14
11/19
Thanksgiving Break – No class
15
11/26
Team meetings and in class discussion of sites and projects
16
12/3
Group presentations
17
12/10
Finals Week
Final copy of PowerPoint presentation is due.
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