Learning objectives
Students are requested to understand the essentials of the environment and health relationship, and to recognize the substantial differences between distinct classes of human diseases. Moreover they have to acquire the conceptual tools useful to distnguish the role played by environmental factors in causing such diseases.
Prerequisites
A basic knowledge on Ecology and Animal/Human Biology is better.
Course unit content
The relationship between environment and health is ever more recognized as a major issue of the health systems worldwide. The course aims to provide the scientific and cultural basi to understand how environmental deterioration affects the biology and health of animals, with particular reference to humans. The main topics of this course will be: the organism-environment interaction, the health outcomes of the human genome project, the drivers of human diseases, the health indicators at global scale, the chronic and degenerative diseases linked to the environment, the frequency measures of human diseases, and the basic elements of ecology and environmental medicine of human populations.
Full programme
- The epistemological basis of biology and medicine
- Evolutionary dimension of disease
- Human genome, health and disease
- Global health: indicators and etiological data
- Communicable diseases
- Non communicable diseases
- Human populations and environment
- Carcinogenic risk
- Anthropized ecosystems, industrialization and public health
Bibliography
Scientific papers, on-line sources, and:
"Ecologia umana
Sviluppo sociale e sistemi naturali"
di Gerald G. Marten
a cura di Modonesi Carlo. Edizioni Ambiente, Milano.
Teaching methods
Frontal lessons, interactive discussions and lectures
Assessment methods and criteria
Oral or written exam
Other information
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