There are quite a few books out there entitled "Evolutionary Medicine" and variations on that theme. I used one of them in our senior seminar course. There is an incredible wealth of material that has been well researched in these books. There are also several lengthy essays on why medical schools really want their incoming students to have a background in evolution. The medical schools feel it is vital to an understanding of everything from how our bodies react to pathogens to conditions such as metabolic syndrome and why it is considered to be an evolutionary consequence of how our bodies responded long ago to starvation and why we now see obesity, diabetes etc. The medical schools feel they are not qualified to really teach the basic evolution, and there is really no time in the medical curriculum. It has to happen sooner. The students in my classes were amazed at the links between evolution and medicine. I learned an amazing amount about the subject as a result of moderating the senior seminar course.
Liane ********************* Liane Cochran-Stafira, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Biology Saint Xavier University Department of Biological Sciences 3700 West 103rd Street Chicago, IL 60655 Ph: 773-298-3514 Fax: 773-298-3536 [email protected] http://faculty.sxu.edu/dlc1 -----Original Message----- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Juan Alvez Sent: Tuesday, February 02, 2016 6:36 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] promoting Ecology course Hi Russel and Ecolog, There are a few books that talk about these issues. Here is one of my favorites: http://www.amazon.com/Soil-Grass-Cancer-Andre-Voisin/dp/0911311645 - - Juan P. Alvez, PhD -----Original Message----- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Russell L. Burke Sent: Monday, February 01, 2016 9:18 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] promoting Ecology course Don't you all think it is high time we had a text book for a course like this called why pre-health students should study ecology and evolution? We could cover every major topic taught in intro ecology and evolution courses using medical examples--human microbiome, evolution of resistance, biodiversity and human public health...why hasn't anyone written this book? Lyme disease and malaria would be great case studies for such a book RBurke -----Original Message----- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Emily Moran Sent: Monday, February 1, 2016 8:03 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] promoting Ecology course If the question is "how do we get more students to see ecology as an interesting career path" rather than "how to we get premeds to take ecology classes", the key seems to be to expose them to interesting uses of ecology and interesting ecological careers as early as possible. In most schools, the kids who come in wanting to major in biology tend to say they are pre-med, in part because that is the only biology-related career they are aware of. One thing we're trying at UCM is to have ladder-rank faculty give guest lectures in the intro bio class - along with delivering the basic material, we get the chance to tell students a little about our research and have the option of talking about how they can get involved in research, other classes they might consider if they like the ecology/evolution section of bio 1, or career paths. It is too early yet to see if it is having much effect in recruiting students to the EEB track or environmental sciences major, but I know I got some good questions from students about options for including plant-related stuff in their educational and career trajectory. Involving students in research and hands on projects in their freshman or sophomore year can also be a great way to stoke their interest in biology outside of a clinical setting. Emily Moran UC Merced > > > On 2/1/16, 11:23 AM, "Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, > news on behalf of Kay Shenoy" <[email protected] on behalf of > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Does anybody have ideas on how to promote Ecology among Biology >> undergraduates? We are finding that Biology majors are increasingly >> focused on health-care fields; many students consider Ecology >> ³unimportant² for their future careers, and it is not addressed in >> the MCAT exams, so they give it a low priority. How does one increase >> enrollment in Ecology courses, and particularly in schools that do >> not have dedicated Ecology departments? Any thoughts would be welcome!
