Clinical Pharmacology

This module will look at latest advances in therapeutics through the lens of the clinical pharmacology themes studied in years 1 and 2.

Students will select a research topic relating to some aspect of pharmacology. They will use the scientific literature to establish what is already known on the subject. They will develop a research question or hypothesis based on their findings and will design a study to investigate their hypothesis. They will write this up as a funding proposal for assessment. Projects may focus on laboratory or clinical science as they relate to pharmacology. Students should select one laboratory-focussed and one clinical-focussed topics for their two research projects (years 2 and 3).

In this advanced module students will be taught basic computer techniques to ‘model’ pharmacokinetic processes from human data and learn to interpret these models. These techniques are used in drug development to help select the right dose of the drug.

In this advanced module students will develop more advanced knowledge and skills in clinical trials and drug development. They will learn about novel trial designs, trials using high risk drugs (e.g. for cancer), trials using novel therapies (e.g. nanomedicine, gene therapy) and how drugs are tested in children and pregnant women.

In this advanced module students will learn more about how drugs are regulated and how organisations such as the national institute for healthcare excellence (NICE) and the medicines and healthcare products regulatory agency (MHRA) influence the use of medicines. Students will learn how to pull lots of research studies together (systematic review) and how to interpret data from these big reviews (metaanalysis).

We will use a variety of teaching and learning approaches to help you develop your knowledge and skills:

• Hubs: You will test your understanding of each week’s learning and develop your team working and presentation skills.
• Interactive lectures: you will learn core information and key concepts and have the opportunity to test your understanding and ask questions.
• Practical classes: you will learn clinical and laboratory research skills in weekly practical classes.
• Computer workshops: each week you will work with data, some of which you will generate yourself in practical classes and through projects. You will learn how to use data to answer questions and how to do statistical analysis.
• Workshops: These will use a combination of talks and team working to study key topics in more detail.
• Drug-based learning: You will be set problems including clinical cases and research questions and find solutions to these in small groups.

Learning will be supported by excellent online course material and a strong teaching faculty. You will have a regular hub tutor to support your learning needs and a personal tutor for general support.

How is the course planned and assessed?

The topics and skills are revisited several times over the three years of the course with increasing complexity to build your understanding and capabilities.

Year 1

This will give you a good introduction to and overview of each topic and a strong grounding in the skills you will need. You will be assessed by in-course quizzes, an end of year exam and the first stage of your skills portfolio.

Year 2

For the first half of the year you will study topics in more depth and build your skills, ending with an end of semester exam. For the second half of the year you will do a practical research project, build your workplace skills and spend time with employers. You will continue to develop your skills portfolio.

Professional year

There will be an option for a professional year between years 2 and 3 to develop your experience and CV.

Year 3

A ‘hot topics’ module about cutting edge drug developments, such as biological drugs, nanotechnology and gene therapy, and a written research project are compulsory. Otherwise you will choose modules that interest you and support your career plans. All year 3 modules are assessed by incourse assessment and exams. You will complete your portfolio and graduate with a skills certificate that demonstrates your competence to employers.

Clinical Pharmacology course co-directors are Professor Emma Baker, Professor of Clinical Pharmacology, and Professor Iain Greenwood, Professor of Vascular Pharmacology.

Professor Baker is currently the Clinical Vice-President of the British Pharmacological Society (BPS) and is a member of the Clinical Pharmacology Skills Alliance. She is a National Teaching Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has received many student-selected teaching awards.

Professor Greenwood was the inaugural recipient of the BPS Zaimis prize in 2017 for sustained commitment to the teaching of pharmacology at an outstanding level.

Other key course faculty include Dr Mark Preece, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology, Dr Lila Mayahi, Consultant in Clinical Pharmacology, Dr Dan Burrage, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacology and Dr Chris Threapleton, Specialist Registrar in Clinical Pharmacology.

During the first two years of the course, you will learn about all areas of clinical pharmacology and identify areas that you find interesting. You will hear from experts working in industry, healthcare, academia and regulation and undertake short placements in each area. In year 3, you will be able to study one or two topics of clinical pharmacology in more depth, developing advanced knowledge and skills in areas you hope to work in in your future career. There will also be an option for you to undertake a professional year between years 2 and 3 to gain direct experience of working in industry, healthcare, academia or regulation.

The course will help you develop skills required for employment in the science sector. By the end of the course you will be confident at giving verbal presentations and will be able to write clearly in a scientific style. In particular you will be able to explain complicated ideas simply to non-specialist audiences and be able to make persuasive arguments. You will be able to write all sorts of scientific documents and will have practical skills in doing research in humans and in the laboratory. You will be able to collect data from human and laboratory experiments and enter it into a spreadsheet accurately and perform and report statistical analysis of that data. You will be able to do a critical review of scientific papers of different types. Throughout the course, you will collect evidence of competence in all these areas in a portfolio that you will be able to show to future employers.

Each student has a personal tutor to provide support and advice around career development. A careers programme will support you throughout the course, with workshops on topics such as writing a CV and developing interview skills. You will also be able to book a one-to-one appointment with the St George’s Careers Consultant to discuss all aspects of careers and employability. This might include investigating options and making career decisions, gaining advice and guidance on where to look for jobs, CV and application checking, or booking in for a practice interview. 

You must provide the following.

• Full details of your Level 2 (GCSE or equivalent) qualifications with grades.

• Full details of your Level 3 (A Level or equivalent) qualifications with achieved/predicted grades.

• A personal statement (more information about this document is available on the UCAS website). We recommend that you include in your statement a recognition that studying for a BSc in Physiotherapy will include practice and study in a number of settings.

• An academic reference from your current or most recent institutions with predicted grades.

After submitting your application to UCAS:

• log in to UCAS Track and make sure all your academic details have been included

• if any subjects or predicted results are missing, email the Admissions Officer with your UCAS number and missing subjects and grades.

We will consider applications from applicants who wish to defer entry by a year, provided you plan to use the time constructively. If you are offered a place on the course and subsequently decide to defer, you must inform us by 1 June of the year of application.

We will send you an acknowledgement email and letter when we receive your application. Please make sure your email account is able to accept communications from St George’s as we will mainly communicate with you via email. Selected applicants will be invited to attend interview. Decisions from St George’s will be entered onto UCAS Track and direct applicants will be contacted via email.