Coordinator: Dr Jim Manos PhD Room 671, Blackburn Building D06 Ph: 9351 8942 jim.manos@sydney.edu.au

Graduate Studies in Infection and Immunity (INIM) Sydney Medical School

Aims • To up-skill graduate students in the latest advances in medical research and technology. • To provide theoretical and practical training by medical scientists currently working in the field.

•To develop independent thinking that positions graduates as potential future research scientists.

A postgraduate coursework program of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology

Why study Infection and Immunity?

• Human health is always a “hot topic” for investigation and research.

• The diagnosis and treatment of infections is a major field of employment.

• The deliberate combination of infection with immunity means students can connect the infectious process with the host response.

• Bacterial infections were thought conquered by antibiotics until the

1980s.

• Today however, high levels of antibiotic resistance mean new drugs and treatment options need to be identified – an exciting challenge!

• New viral infection outbreaks (SARS, HIV, Bird flu, West Nile virus) mean new opportunities for vaccine development .

Legionnaires' disease kills 10 in Quebec From Colleen McEdwards, CNN September 2, 2012 -- Updated 0709 GMT (1509 HKT)

(CNN) -- Ten people have died, out of 165 total cases, after contracting Legionnaires' disease in Quebec City, the provincial government said Saturday. Canadian authorities have not publicly pinpointed the exact source of the outbreak, caused by the bacterium Legionella pneumophila. Results from samples may take until mid-September to come in, said Regional Directorate of Health. The agency said it is focusing on places frequented by those afflicted with the disease. Hantavirus identified in six visitors to Yosemite National Park Infectious Diseases News August 31, 2012

Four new cases of the Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome have been identified among people who visited Yosemite National Park. Between early June and mid-July, Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) has been confirmed in six visitors: Two have died, three have recovered and one is currently hospitalized. 1590 West Nile Virus Infections and 66 Deaths in the USA January-August 2012 according to a report issued by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) 3 Sept 2012- 56% (889) of them were classified as neuroinvasive disease.

Infectious Diseases in the News

What do our graduates say The combination of students from medical and science backgrounds provides an opportunity for each student to contribute their own knowledge, experience and abilities to the class. The small class sizes encouraged a very interactive learning environment with more one-on-one time with the lecturers. This degree has given me an edge in applying for jobs and other opportunities within the Infectious Diseases and Immunology field.

about our Infection and Immunity program? The excellent facilities, enthusiastic and expert lecturers and reputation for research made the University of Sydney the right choice for me. The Infection and Immunity graduate studies curriculum combines extensive study of the basic fundamentals while concurrently encompassing the most important advances in research. Students are immersed in an environment conducive to learning and grounded in a strong research culture. I have since started a PhD at UNSW and my INIM degree has assisted my entry.

ANNA LISA IGONIA MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MEDICINE GRADUATE 2011

BUDOOR AL QARNI MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MEDICINE GRADUATE 2010

What are our graduates doing now? • Working as research assistants in Pathology, Microbiology, Immunology. - INIM degree has led to shorter waiting times compared to those with undergraduate degrees only. • Continuing to further study: MPhil, PhD.

MMed graduates: • Working in diagnostic medicine, clinical research and undertaking specialist training.

This degree attracted my attention because I am a medical doctor from a tropical country with high infectious disease levels. The teaching curriculum is standardized and internationally updated, including lectures group discussions, relevant wet-lab practicals, seminars, presentations and assignments. It strives to help improve our communication skills, language fluency and practical skills in addition to academic knowledge. All lecturers provide updates on their teaching topics, are “hands on” in practical classes, sharing their expert opinions and knowledge. I really appreciate and value what I have learnt and gained from this course and I will definitely share my knowledge with others. Being an internationally accepted degree, it helped me to achieve the position I wanted without difficulty in the medical diagnostic field in Burma.

DR NITAR KHINE MASTER OF MEDICINE GRADUATE 2010

Whilst an undergraduate degree provided me with the basic tools required to start my career as a research scientist, my Masters degree in Infection and Immunity provided me with the practical skills and knowledge to really succeed in my desired field. The program is structured in such a way that you are exposed to important concepts in the context of the bigger picture. In doing so, students quickly learn to draw the connections between their own fields of interest and expertise with that of the wider scientific and medical community. In my case, I was able to start work in skin cancer research within a month of finishing my Masters, even though I had a background in infectious diseases. A strong practical component augmented the theory I learnt and this allowed me to readily adapt to a new work environment.

WADE HOWDEN MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MEDICINE GRADUATE 2011

The INIM program is offered at three levels

Master of Medicine or Master of Science in Medicine 48 credit points: Comprising 4 core and 4 elective units (two electives per semester). Graduate Diploma 36 credit points: Comprising 4 core and 2 elective units (one elective per semester). Graduate Certificate (domestic students only)

24 credit points: Comprising 4 core units of study.

Entry Requirements • MMed and M(Sci)Med are the same program with different admission requirements. • MMed is for applicants with an undergraduate medical degree (MBBS or equivalent).

• M(Sci)Med is for applicants with an undergraduate science, medical science, biomedical science or other science degree* • Grad Dip and Grad Cert are open to both medical and science graduates. • *All non-medical applicants must have undertaken and passed basic infectious disease/microbiology and immunology units in their undergraduate degree.

Program structure

• Each unit of study is face-to-face and worth six credit points.

• Lectures are given by a range of specialists in the field.

• Units of study consist of a mix of lectures, tutorials and wet-lab practical classes.

• Continuous assessment and final exam each constitute ca. 50% of the final mark.

•Attendance to lectures, tutorials and practical classes is compulsory.

• Most unit classes are held at the Camperdown campus.

Class Locations

• Most lectures and tutorials are held in the Bosch lecture theatre building (A1). • Most practical classes are held in Lab 625 of the Blackburn Building (D06).

Blackburn Bldg

Bosch Theatre Bldg

Off-campus classes: • INIM 5013 and part of INIM5022 are held at Westmead Hospital • SEXH5200 is held at Jeffrey House, Parramatta Hospital

Modern Laboratory Facilities!

• Two recently refurbished classroom laboratories in the Blackburn Building.

• Modern laboratories at Westmead Hospital for INIM5013.

State of the art equipment for your practicals!

Automated cell dissociators and

counters

• RotorGene® for qRT-PCR

• Fluorescent microscopes

• Flow Cytometers

• Nanodrop Spectrophotometer

• Eppendorf® thermocyclers

•2D –PAGE systems

•Access to Mass Spectroscopy

GentleMACS Octo Dissociator Qiagen RotorGene

LSR Fortessa Flow Cytometer

Thermo Nanodrop Spectrophotometer

Eppendorf Thermocycler Beckman Hi-Speed Centrifuge

• Host Immunology is central to the understanding of infectious disease.

• Our understanding of the immune response forms the basis of many vaccines and is critical to the development of new ones.

• Additionally, studies in immunology are leading to advances in other areas of clinical medicine, including:

• Cancer • Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and insulin-dependent diabetes • Acceptance of transplanted organs/tissue •Treatment of allergies

Core Units of Study:

Fundamental Immunology INIM5001 Offered in Semester 1

Coordinator : Dr Scott Byrne scott.byrne@sydney.edu.au

Advanced Medical Bacteriology INIM5011 Offered in Semester 1

Coordinator: Dr Jim Manos jim.manos@sydney.edu.au

• Pathogenic bacteria are responsible for numerous infectious diseases worldwide.

•Morbidity and mortality from bacterial infections is on the rise due to antibiotic resistance.

•Understanding the host-pathogen relationship is central to development of new therapies.

• This unit investigates cellular and molecular interactions to understand symptoms, virulence factors, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of bacterial infections.

Virology and Cell Technology INIM5002 Offered in Semester 2

Coordinator: A/Prof Barry Slobedman barry.slobedman@sydney.edu.au

• Viruses account for much of the infectious diseases that afflict billions of people around the world.

• For many viral diseases specific treatments are limited or non-existent, and infection often cannot be prevented due to the lack of a vaccine.

• Viruses can only grow when inside cells, and so the study of virus disease and virus-host interactions requires understanding the virus as well as the cells it infects.

• This unit of study aims to equip graduates with an in-depth knowledge of medical virology and cell technology that will enable you to work effectively as laboratory personnel in relevant hospital laboratories, clinics or research institutions, or go on to further higher degree training in virology.

Infection Control and Epidemiology INIM5012 Offered in Semester 2

Coordinator: Prof. Peter McMinn

Peter.McMinn@sydney.edu.au

• The ability to recognise and control the spread of infectious pathogens is central to public health services.

• Testing of samples by hospital laboratory services is essential to trace the source of outbreaks and provide a scientific basis for development of institutional infection control policies. • This unit will equip students with the theoretical and practical knowledge to

follow up and identify individual cases of infectious disease.

Unit aims: • Know how to estimate the risk of transmission of infection and assess the value of

control measures. • Understand the methods used to determine the efficacy of antimicrobial drugs both

for treating individual patients and in terms of policy guidelines. • Understand the scientific basis of vaccination and to appreciate the human factors

involved in achieving effective infection control.

Elective units :

Mycology and Parasitology INIM5013

Coordinator: A/Prof Wieland Meyer w.meyer@usyd.edu.au

• Diseases caused by fungal, protozoan and helminthic agents are often slow to develop and difficult to treat – yet frequently have high mortality levels, particularly in developing countries.

• This unit aims to equip students with the latest knowledge and techniques in medical mycology and parasitology that will enable them to work effectively in hospital laboratories, clinics or research institutions.

•Tutorials focus in clinical cases, investigation of outbreaks of disease and prevention strategies.

• Laboratory classes focus on the latest techniques used to identify fungal and parasitic infections.

Applied Clinical Immunology INIM5016 Offered in Semester 2

Coordinators: A/Prof Stephen Adelstein

Dr Andrew Williams Ms Louise Wienholt

stephen.adelstein@sydney.edu.au Andreww@chw.edu.au

Louise.Wienholt@sswahs.nsw.gov.au

• Modern clinical testing regularly involves the practical application of immunology theory.

• Teaching is closely linked with state of the art clinical diagnostic immunology.

• Practical classes make use of current methodologies used in routine diagnostics.

• Unit is taught by clinicians working at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

• Site visit to RPAH immunology laboratory and clinic for ‘real life’diagnostics.

Global Control of Infectious Diseases INIM5022 Offered in Semester 2

Coordinator: A/Prof Vitali Sintchenko Vitali.Sintchenko@swahs.health.nsw.gov.au

• Infectious diseases are managed at the local and regional level from a global health perspective.

• The integration of food supply chains and human-induced animal movement increases the spread of human pathogens.

•There is a recognised need for radically new ways for surveillance of pandemics, epidemics and community outbreaks.

• This unit investigates the global impact of infectious diseases and examines determinants of success of infectious disease control interventions ,effectiveness of transmission vectors, drug susceptibility and compliance with intervention strategies.

Elective units offered in conjunction with the Sexually Transmitted Infection Research Centre (STIRC) Jeffrey House , Parramatta Hospital.

Advanced STIs - SEXH5200 Offered in Semester 1 • This unit examines the epidemiology, microbiology, pathogenesis, clinical features and management strategies for sexually transmitted infections.

Course Coordinators: A/Prof Richard Hillman

Dr Shailendra Sawleshwarkar richard.hillman@sydney.edu.au

shailendra.sawleshwarkar@sydney.edu.au

Advanced HIV infection - SEXH5202 Offered in Semester 2 • This unit examines the epidemiology, biology, pathogenesis and clinical contexts of HIV infection.

Course Coordinators: Dr Roger Garsia roger.garsia@email.cs.nsw.gov.au

Dr Shailendra Sawleshwarkar A/Prof Richard Hillman

Come join us next year!

INIM5011 Class of 2012: L to R: Jazel, Lois, Simon, Mustafa, Aziza, Naomi, Nick, Augusto, Beatrice, Karina, Denis, Nayia, Taina, Ahmed, Tan, Ibrahim, Dane (Jamia: absent).

Further information: For applications and information: http://sydney.edu.au/courses/programs/infection-and-immunity/ Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology webpage: http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/infectious-diseases-immunology/