Overview

Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, taken within the Bachelor of Biomedical Science at The University of Western Australia, explores the scientific foundations of how human disease is diagnosed, treated and prevented. It shows how laboratory investigation underpins evidence-based medicine and how ongoing research continues to reveal new insights into illness. Students learn from medical practitioners, pathologists, researchers and medical scientists, and gain a broad view of how many disciplines work together to understand disease.

What You'll Learn

• Foundations in human biology and the molecular biology of the cell

• The principles of human disease, including cell injury, inflammation and repair

• Pathology of the body's organ systems, and how disease presents, progresses and responds to treatment

• Immunobiology and immune-related disease

• Medical genetics and the role of inherited factors in disease

• Cancer pathology

• Biotherapeutics and regenerative medicine

• A sampling of pathology disciplines, including microbiology, biochemistry, anatomical pathology and haematology

• Laboratory diagnostic methods, applied in practical sessions and tutorials that draw on clinical cases and current research topics

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to explain how cells grow, become injured and repair themselves, and how inherited, developmental, environmental and infectious influences lead to the onset, progression and resolution of disease. They will recognise how laboratory measurements of cell and tissue changes are used to identify disease and track its course. Students will apply scientific knowledge and laboratory techniques to real problems, locate and critically evaluate scientific information, and communicate their findings effectively. They will also finish with an appreciation of how different pathology disciplines contribute jointly to diagnosis, treatment and our continuing understanding of human disease.