Development of a 4-year, comprehensive curriculum model for undergraduate immunology education

Abstract

Abstract In addition to protecting individuals against infectious diseases, it is now well appreciated that the immune system influences a wide range of diseases including autoimmunity, cancer, and inflammatory syndromes that affect every organ in the body. Because it plays a key role in maintaining health, the immune system is important for several clinical specialties beyond infectious diseases. In spite of this, the development of robust curricula and educational programs at the national level that that are focused on teaching undergraduate students about the immune system are still in the earliest stages. This is in contrast to the current state of other specialized science majors. Because immunology is a highly conceptual discipline and understanding how the multiple cellular and soluble components of the immune system work in concert requires knowledge in a number of disciplines, time is needed for students to process and apply this information in meaningful ways. Concomitantly, knowledge in the field of immunology is expanding rapidly, bolstering the need for increased time in the curriculum to facilitate the ability of educators to convey information so that it can be effectively understood and applied. To address the need for undergraduate education in immunology, and the challenges faced in a multidisciplinary major, we have developed a 4-year program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham that provides a broad-based curriculum; delving into the normal and pathological workings of the immune system. We propose that it is time to follow this model, and that of a handful of other immunology programs to create a national curriculum that can be effectively implemented at the national level to promote undergraduate education in immunology.