Course coordinator
Dr Melissa Reichelt
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2025 (28/07/2025 - 22/11/2025)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Biomedical Sciences School
Students will examine how physiological systems maintain health throughout life & how these systems change with ageing & disease. Pathophysiology will be introduced as a basis for understanding the consequences of disease.
BIOM3015 is designed to build on the knowledge base and skills developed in second and third-level physiology. This course focuses on integrating and understanding the multiple pathways that contribute to the pathophysiology of diseases by exploring the mechanisms underlying the epidemic of chronic diseases that are emerging in our society. The lecture content is based on the themes of cardiovascular, renal, metabolism, endocrine, cancer and neurology.
We will explore how life events contribute to the onset of heart disease, type II diabetes, renal disease, and dementia as well as studying the wide-ranging pathological mechanisms of disease such as cancer, oxidative stress, inflammation, insulin resistance, hormone imbalances, and the role of the renin-angiotensin system in health and disease including cancer biology.
The theme of Physiology and Pathophysiology is continued in five modules that form the scientific reporting component of BIOM3015. "Cardiovascular Pathophysiology", "Renal Pathophysiology", "Cancer Pathophysiology", "Metabolic and Endocrine Pathophysiology" or "Neuro Pathophysiology". Guest lecturers will present current clinic developments.
Course requirements
Assumed background
Students are expected to have completed BIOM2012.ﾠCompletion of second level biochemistry and pharmacology coursesﾠwould also be advantageous.
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
BIOM2012
Course contact
Course coordinator
Dr Kelly Walton
School enquiries
Student and Academic Administration Team
The SBMS Student and Academic Administration Team is located on Level 1 of the Sir William Macgregor Building (64-130).
Course staff
Lecturer
Dr Melissa Reichelt
Dr Kelly Walton
Dr Adam Hagg
Professor Elizabeth Coulson
Professor Fiona Simpson
Dr James Kesby
Dr Niwanthi Rajapakse
Associate Professor Sebastian Furness
Dr Sherry Wu
Professor Wally Thomas
Guest lecturer
Dr Jack Lockett
Dr Pieter Jansen
Associate Professor Ross Francis
Honorary Professor Kristen Radford
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Aims and outcomes
To gain an appreciation of how health is maintained throughout life by physiological systems (e.g., cardiovascular, renal, brain and endocrine systems) working in an integrated manner to regulate essential aspects of our internal environment (e.g., blood pressure, body weight). Embryonic development, normal ageing and disease processes will be examined and the student will be introduced to pathophysiology as a basis for understanding the consequences of disease on cells and tissues.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation | Pathophysiology of Disease Series: Presentation slides | 5% |
22/08/2025 5:00 pm |
| Presentation |
Pathophysiology of Disease Series: Oral Presentation
|
20% |
25/08/2025 - 25/09/2025
In class - during scheduled workshop |
| Examination |
In-Semester Exam
|
25% |
In-semester Saturday 6/09/2025 - 20/09/2025
Will be held on either the 6/09/25, 13/09/25 or 20/09/25 (personal timetables to be released on 7/08/25). |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation |
Integrated Pathology Learning Centre Assessment
|
10% |
31/10/2025 2:00 pm |
| Examination |
End of Semester Exam
|
40% |
End of Semester Exam Period 8/11/2025 - 22/11/2025 |
Assessment details
Pathophysiology of Disease Series: Presentation slides
- Mode
- Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 5%
- Due date
22/08/2025 5:00 pm
Task description
The assessment component is required for the following Pathophysiology of Disease Series: Oral Presentation assessment.
Students will research and present on the pathophysiology of a disease of their choice (not covered by the lectures). Each presentation should include the known cause(s), pathophysiology, influences from other systems studied in the course (if relevant), current treatments, and an example of current cutting edge research in the disease or treatment. Students will be exposed to a diverse range of pathophysiological changes, their causes and treatment strategies. Further details of the assessment format and marking criteria will be provided on Blackboard during the semester.
Students are required to submit their presentation slides for the Oral presentation to Turnitin. Upon submission of the Presentation Slides, you should check in the Turnitin Assignment Inbox page that your report was submitted successfully.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
Submission guidelines
You must submit your Assessment task, with the electronic coversheet available on the School's website, to Turnitin by the submission deadline. You may submit drafts to Turnitin up to the due date, but you will only be able to submit once on or after the due date. You should also keep an electronic copy of every piece of assessment you submit.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
This assessment has a maximum extension of 7 days to facilitate timely feedback and scheduling of associated oral presentations.
A request for an extension must be submitted through my.UQ as soon as it becomes evident that an extension is needed, but no later than one calendar day after the assessment task submission due date and time.
Requests for extension received more than one calendar day after the assessment task submission due date and time will not be accepted for consideration unless you provide evidence of exceptional circumstances preventing you from submitting a request prior to the deadline, e.g., due to hospitalisation.
If you have been granted an extension, then the assessment specified penalty listed under Late Submission will be applied to submissions made after the due date of the approved extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
If you are experiencing technical difficulties uploading your submission, please email a copy of your assessment to sbms@enquire.uq.edu.au so this can be logged on your behalf before the due date.
Pathophysiology of Disease Series: Oral Presentation
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Mode
- Oral
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 20%
- Due date
25/08/2025 - 25/09/2025
In class - during scheduled workshop
- Other conditions
- Secure.
Task description
Students will research and present on the pathophysiology of a disease of their choice (not covered by the lectures). Each presentation should include the known cause(s), pathophysiology, influences from other systems studied in the course (if relevant), current treatments, and an example of current cutting edge research in the disease or treatment. Students will be exposed to a diverse range of pathophysiological changes, their causes and treatment strategies. Further details of the assessment format and marking criteria will be provided on Blackboard during the semester.
Have your UQ student ID card available at the oral presentation.
The oral presentation will test the student's ability to present scientific data orally. Students must prepare and present a 20 minute oral presentation on their research project to the rest of the group. All students must attend the presentations by other students in their group.
Note these presentations will be recorded.
This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct .
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to defer this exam.
If students are unable to attend the tutorial class in which they are scheduled to present, they can contact the class tutor to discuss an alternate date. A reschedule will only be permitted once. If a student is unable to attend a rescheduled session, or if they are scheduled to present in the last scheduled tutorial class of the semester, they must apply for a deferred exam and meet the eligibility criteria to be considered for a deferral.
Late submission
No late submissions permitted.
In-Semester Exam
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Examination
- Weight
- 25%
- Due date
In-semester Saturday
6/09/2025 - 20/09/2025
Will be held on either the 6/09/25, 13/09/25 or 20/09/25 (personal timetables to be released on 7/08/25).
- Other conditions
- Time limited, Secure.
Task description
MCQ, Short Answer questions, and various question types. Questions will be related lectures from weeks 1 to 5. Details of the examination format will be provided in class and on the course Blackboard site during the semester.
The exam will be a closed book invigilated exam held on campus, undertaken via the Inspera eAssessment platform. Students will be required to bring a laptop to the exam that meets the device requirements for Inspera. It is important that you check before the exam that your laptop meets the device requirements for using the Inspera Assessment platform. If you do not own a suitable laptop, you can borrow one from the Library. The Library website Get familiar with Inspera provides the latest information for students about using Inspera. Further information about the exam will be provided on Blackboard.
Have your UQ student ID card available for all of your exams.
This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct .
The in-semester Saturday exam will be held on either 6/09/25, 13/09/25 or 20/09/25.
Students will be receive their personal exam timetable from Examinations on or after the Thursday of Week 2. The Deferred In-Semester exam will be scheduled on Saturday, 11/10/25.
Exam details
| Planning time | 10 minutes |
|---|---|
| Duration | 60 minutes |
| Calculator options | No calculators permitted |
| Open/closed book | Closed book examination - no written materials permitted |
| Exam platform | Other |
| Invigilation | Invigilated in person |
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to defer this exam.
Integrated Pathology Learning Centre Assessment
- In-person
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 10%
- Due date
31/10/2025 2:00 pm
Task description
Students write a ~500 word diagnosis based on a clinical case study/patient profile given based on the learning activities of this lecture block.
Upon submission of the Case Study task, you should check in the Turnitin Assignment Inbox page that your report was submitted successfully. Further details of the assessment format and marking criteria will be provided on Blackboard during the semester.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
Submission guidelines
You must submit your Assessment task, with the electronic coversheet available on the School's website , to Turnitin by the submission deadline. You may submit drafts to Turnitin up to the due date, but you will only be able to submit once on or after the due date. You should also keep an electronic copy of every piece of assessment you submit.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
A request for an extension must be submitted through my.UQ as soon as it becomes evident that an extension is needed, but no later than one calendar day after the assessment task submission due date and time.
Requests for extension received more than one calendar day after the assessment task submission due date and time will not be accepted for consideration unless you provide evidence of exceptional circumstances preventing you from submitting a request prior to the deadline, e.g., due to hospitalisation.
If you have been granted an extension, then the assessment specified penalty listed under Late Submission will be applied to submissions made after the due date of the approved extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
If you are experiencing technical difficulties uploading your submission, please email a copy of your assessment to sbms@enquire.uq.edu.au so this can be logged on your behalf before the due date.
End of Semester Exam
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Examination
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
End of Semester Exam Period
8/11/2025 - 22/11/2025
- Other conditions
- Time limited, Secure.
Task description
MCQ, Short Answer questions, and various question types. Questions will be related lectures from weeks 6 to 13. Details of the examination format will be provided in class and on the course Blackboard site during the semester.
The exam will be a closed book on-campus exam.
The exam will be a closed book invigilated exam held on campus, undertaken via the Inspera eAssessment platform. Students will be required to bring a laptop to the exam that meets the device requirements for Inspera. It is important that you check before the exam that your laptop meets the device requirements for using the Inspera Assessment platform. If you do not own a suitable laptop, you can borrow one from the Library. The Library website Get familiar with Inspera provides the latest information for students about using Inspera. Further information about the exam will be provided on Blackboard.
Have your UQ student ID card available for all of your exams.
This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct .
Exam details
| Planning time | 10 minutes |
|---|---|
| Duration | 90 minutes |
| Calculator options | No calculators permitted |
| Open/closed book | Closed book examination - no written materials permitted |
| Exam platform | Other |
| Invigilation | Invigilated in person |
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to defer this exam.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 29 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: A cumulative score for all intra-semester and end of semester assessment items of 0% - 29%. |
| 2 (Fail) | 30 - 44 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: A cumulative score for all intra-semester and end of semester assessment items of 30% - 44%. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 45 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: A cumulative score for all intra-semester and end of semester assessment items of 45% - 49% |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: A cumulative score for all intra-semester and end of semester assessment items of 50% - 64%. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: A cumulative score for all intra-semester and end of semester assessment items of 65% - 74%. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: A cumulative score for all intra-semester and end of semester assessment items of 75% - 84%. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: A cumulative score for all intra-semester and end of semester assessment items of 85% - 100%. |
Additional course grading information
No assessment items are compulsory. A mark of zero will be recorded if an assessment item is not submitted. Penalties apply for late submission unless there is an approved extension date.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Additional assessment information
Refer to the SBMS Assessment Guidelines for School specific assessment information.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
There is no single appropriate textbook which could be recommended. Lecturers are experts in their field and will recommend specific articles. It is therefore essential students attend lectures and make use of internet based information sources (MEDLINE, PubMed; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/). The use of web based information sources will be necessary for the oral assignment.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Not scheduled |
Case-based learning |
Patient Diagnoses Assignment |
Multiple weeks |
Workshop |
Oral Reports Pathophysiology of Disease. |
Lecture |
Introduction to Course [M Reichelt] Overview of the course including lecture content, and assessment items (case study /patient diagnosis and oral presentation) |
|
Lecture |
Cardiovascular [W Thomas] Epidemiological, preclinical and clinical aspects of cardiovascular disease |
|
Lecture |
Cardiovascular [W Thomas] ECGs and arrhythmias |
|
Lecture |
Cardiovascular [M Reichelt] Hypertension: causes, sequelae and treatment |
|
Lecture |
Cardiovascular [W Thomas] Heart Failure: types, management and therapies |
|
Lecture |
Cardiovascular [W Thomas] Cardiac regeneration: can you mend a broken heart? |
|
Lecture |
Cardiovascular [M Reichelt] Ischaemic heart disease and the aging cardiovascular system |
|
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
NO LECTURE - EKKA HOLIDAY Females and cardiovascular disease, diabetic cardiomyopathy and diastolic dysfunction |
|
Lecture |
Cardiovascular [M Reichelt] Tissue crosstalk in exercise: Cardiovascular, metabolic and musculoskeletal crosstalk in exercise |
|
Lecture |
Cardiovascular [P Jansen] |
|
Lecture |
Multidisciplinary [M Reichelt/K Walton] Clinical Hypertension |
|
Lecture |
Cardiac [A Lagendijk] Nitric oxide, hypertension and kidney disease |
|
Lecture |
Cardiac [A Lagendijk] Nitric oxide and cardiorenal syndrome |
|
Lecture |
Renal [N Rajapakse] Oxidative stress and cardiorenal syndrome |
|
Lecture |
Renal [N Rajapakse] |
|
Lecture |
Renal [N Rajapakse] Metabolism, obesity and diabetes 1 |
|
Lecture |
Metabolism [K Walton] Metabolism, obesity and diabetes 2 |
|
Lecture |
Renal [R Francis] Lipid metabolism and liver pathologies |
|
Lecture |
Metabolism [K Walton] Appetite and satiety 1 |
|
Lecture |
Metabolism [K Walton] Appetite and satiety 2 |
|
Lecture |
Metabolism [S Furness] Central control of feeding and eating disorders - guest lecturer from Monash University |
|
Lecture |
Endocrine [S Furness] Pathophysiology associated with disrupted endocrine systems (thyroid, hypothalamus, parathyroid, adrenals) |
|
Lecture |
Metabolism [C Foldi] Diabetes and Obesity |
|
Lecture |
Endocrine [J Lockett] Reproductive endocrine disorders |
|
Lecture |
Endocrine [K Walton] Cancer therapy resistance |
|
Lecture |
Endocrine [K Walton] Therapy regimes and mechanisms |
|
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
MID SEMESTER BREAK (25-29TH SEPT) Immunotherapy in cancer |
|
Lecture |
Cancer [F Simpson] Using nano-approaches to treat cancer |
|
Lecture |
Cancer [F Simpson] Fast tracking clincal translation of cancer therapeutics |
|
Lecture |
Cancer [S Wu] Cancer cachexia - cellular mechanisms driving weakness and frailty in cancer |
|
Lecture |
Cancer [S Wu] Guest Lecture: Cancer Therapy and disease vaccination strategies |
|
Lecture |
Cancer [A Hagg] What is Alzheimer's disease |
|
Lecture |
Cancer [K Radford] Alzheimer's disease - risk factors |
|
Lecture |
Neurology [J Kesby] Other neurodegenerative diseases - differences and mechanisms |
|
Lecture |
Neurology [J Kesby] Schizophrenia |
|
Lecture |
Neurology [J Kesby] Addiction |
|
Lecture |
Neurology [E Coulson] Vitamin D and the brain |
|
Lecture |
Neurology [E Coulson] Review of entire course content |
|
Lecture |
Neurology [E Coulson] Students to select one of 5 clinical case studies for this assignment. Case studies will be released at the beginning of Week 2 and are to be completed at a convenient time prior to end of semester. Students will answer specific questions regarding a patient diagnosis based on a clinical case report and any provided data or on a hypothetical case study. |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.
School guidelines
Your school has additional guidelines you'll need to follow for this course: