This unit aims to equip graduates with an in-depth knowledge of medical virology and cell technology that will enable them to work effectively as laboratory personnel in relevant hospital laboratories, clinics or research institutions. Students will develop skills in evaluation of scientific literature, in problem-solving and in scientific communication that will enable them to develop careers as administrators or policy-makers in hospitals, health care organisations or government bodies. The core of the program is a series of lectures, given face-to-face and/or available online. Practical classes will focus on the identification of viruses and cell culture technology, and on techniques used in research investigations and will be conducted in an appropriately equipped student laboratory.

This unit of study aims to build on the student's basic knowledge of microbiology by providing an awareness of modern concepts and the latest knowledge of medical bacteriology at the molecular level. This knowledge is relevant to the susceptibility and response of the host to pathogenic bacteria. There is a particular emphasis on the host-pathogen relationship at the cellular and molecular levels regarding symptoms, virulence factors, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, control and prevention. The practical component will allow candidates to become familiar with modern molecular-based bacteriological techniques used to identify the characteristic genetic features of bacterial species that cause infections. The unit will provide an advanced scientific and intellectual base to augment student's knowledge and understanding, at a postgraduate level, in a career involving medical microbiology or in a related subject area. Lectures will be used to impart knowledge and understanding as well as review key themes of the module, and many of these will be given by experts in the current field. Tutorials will utilise activities such as journal review and topic presentation which enable develop their skills by presenting research on a range of issues including advances in knowledge on bacterial pathogenesis, identification and treatment in Australia and worldwide. The use of case studies will enable candidates to examine breakouts of disease and their investigation by the clinical laboratory. Laboratory sessions will enable students to apply the theoretical concepts of laboratory investigation at the molecular level using advanced molecular techniques of DNA, RNA and protein purification and analysis.

This is the capstone unit for the Master of Medicine and Master of Science in Medicine (Infection and Immunity). It will bring together content from the various units within the degree and challenge you to use this acquired knowledge to critically evaluate research discoveries and current global issues in infectious diseases and immunology. The unit is comprised of a self-guided seminar series supported by weekly face-to-face group workshops, with assessments designed to examine real-world problems in this ever-changing field.

Immunology is the study of defence mechanisms that protect individuals against infections and cancers. Studies in immunology are leading advances in clinical medicine, including understanding allergies, transplant rejection, cancer and autoimmune diseases, as well as the development of new vaccines. In this unit you will explore the essential features of the immune system at the molecular and cellular level, the mechanisms of pathological immune processes and immune system dysfunction, mechanisms of immune responses to microorganisms and immunological techniques used in clinical diagnostic and research laboratories. Practical and tutorial sessions are designed to illustrate particular concepts introduced in other face-to-face activities. Further self-directed learning activities, including online learning activities, will facilitate integration of fundamental information and help you apply this knowledge to the ways in which the host organism fights disease. Consequently, you will develop skills in problem-solving, evaluation of scientific literature, as well as oral and written communication skills. Upon completion, you will have developed the skills required to follow a career in medical research, clinical and diagnostic services and/or the corporate system that supports the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease.

In this unit students will learn how to apply their knowledge of fundamental immunology to understanding the clinical diagnosis and management of a broad range of immune-mediated human disease. Taught across six disease themes, namely autoimmunity, immunodeficiency, cancer, infectious disease, transplant rejection and allergy, the unit will explore topics relevant to clinical practice. Within each theme, students will explore the underlying immunopathology of disease and learn how laboratory assays are used to inform clinical decision making about diagnosis and disease management. Students will learn how immunotherapies, including therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, cellular therapies and therapeutic vaccines, are changing the treatment landscape for many conditions. Instruction will comprise of lectures, tutorials and laboratory classes. The lectures will be given by scientists and clinicians who are leaders in their respective fields. Tutorials will reinforce material covered in lectures, with an emphasis on understanding concepts through clinical cases and appreciating how laboratory investigations contribute to the diagnostic pathway. Laboratory classes will focus on techniques central to the diagnostic lab and taught with the perspective of real-world situations.

Effective prevention and treatment of disease requires early, accurate and specific diagnoses. Biomedical advances in disease diagnosis and treatment are underpinned by the fundamentals of physics, cell biology and biochemistry. New imaging modalities for example, allow us to diagnose neurological diseases earlier and track the course of metastic cancers. New discoveries about how our genes contribute to disease enable design of novel intervention strategies that are leading to cures for some genetically-based diseases. And break-throughs in immunology mean we can now harness the power of our immune system to fight disease. In this unit, you will hear from clinician scientists at the frontier of biomedical research and translation. Working independently and in groups, you will deepen your knowledge and applicationn of the theory and technologies that underpin disease diagnosis and treatment. This will equip you to participate in the latest developments to diagnose and treat diseases.

This unit aims to equip science and medical graduates with an in-depth knowledge of medical mycology and parasitology that will enable them to work effectively as laboratory personnel, clincians and medical scientists in relevant hospital laboratories, clinics or research institutions. The course will allow students to develop skills in recognising fungal and parasitic infections, interpret laboraroty reports on identification clincial epidmeiology of the mycotic and parasitic disease agents, molecular typing of clincial isolates, and evaluation of scientific literature, in problem-solving and in scientific communication that will enable graduates to develop careers as microbiologists, clinicians and administrators or policy-makers in hospitals, health care organizations or government bodies. The course structure involves lectures on diseases caused by fungal, protozoan and helminthic agents, laboratory classes on identification of fungal and parasitic infections (classical methods, such as morphology and biochemistry, molecular methods, including: sanger and next generation sequencing, whole genome sequencing, a number of PCR based techniques and MALDI-TOF), molecular typing techniques used to investigate potential disease outbreaks, techniques used in research investigations and specific tutorials (e.g. clinical cases, investigation of outbreaks of disease and prevention strategies). Specific lectures will be given by expert clinicans in infectious diseases, basic microbiology, mycology, and parasitology scientists and leading diagnostic specialists in the field. Seminars consisting of presentations of specified topics researched by individual students will complement the course. The course takes place at the new Westmead Institute for Medical Research, in the Molecular Mycology Research Laboratory, Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Marie Bashir Institute for Emerging infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Faculty of Medicine and Health, at the Westmead Campus, Westmead Clinical School.

This unit of study will provide students with knowledge about detection, monitoring and control of existing and emerging pathogens, and with the necessary skills to plan epidemic preparedness strategies, to identify optimal approaches for communicable disease prevention, containment or eradication and to evaluate their effectiveness. This module offers a multidisciplinary framework for understanding the principles of interventions against infectious diseases and focuses on the study of global infectious disease threats in the context of their routes of transmission and potential intervention strategies, as well as the reasons for the success or failure of control programs. The core of this unit is a series of lectures, practical demonstrations and problem­ solving tutorials describing real-­life examples of diagnostic and surveillance strategies and vaccination policies, community outbreak investigations and epidemic/pandemic control and preparedness planning using COVID-19 examples. A significant proportion of the lectures are delivered by invited expert infectious disease practitioners and laboratory scientists. The main principles will be illustrated using examples from pandemic and seasonal influenza, arbovirus diseases, tuberculosis, zoonotic and food­ and water­borne bacterial infections. A large portion of this unit is based at the State public health reference laboratories of the Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research (NSW Health Pathology) at Westmead Hospital, Sydney Medical School ­ Westmead Campus.

Genomics has revolutionised medicine, providing information on a scale not previously available. Pathogen Genomics is part of this revolution and the applications of this technology have provided crucial information on pathogen discovery, new drug development, control of outbreaks, pandemics and antibiotic resistance. This unit of study will introduce students to analysis of bacterial and viral genomes and main applications of genomics for translational research, precision medicine and control of diseases with epidemic potential. Students will learn how DNA or RNA is sequenced in the laboratory and develop analytical skills in microbial genomics, using public databases and the University of Sydney's high performance computing cluster. A combination of lectures delivered by domain experts and interactive practicals will provide detailed understanding of the key concepts of genomics utilized in research and clinical practice.
Case studies will enable students to perform genomic analyses and apply the knowledge gained from the unit to examine virulence, drug resistance and evolution of pathogens. This unit will equip students with knowledge and skills increasingly important for careers in biomedical research and healthcare.

The suite of epidemiological practices and methods unique to infectious diseases comprises a critical toolkit that is urgently needed by epidemiologists in our current pandemic era. This unit will provide students with a firm understanding of infectious disease processes, modes of transmission, and transmission dynamics in populations of diverse demographic characteristics. Students will learn a standardised framework of infectious disease epidemiology to understand how pathogens move through populations and from which we can derive key parameters such as the basic reproduction number, epidemic growth, epidemic thresholds, and herd immunity thresholds. We will also incorporate aspects of networks and ecology to understand the ways in which contacts, and other forms of interaction, between individuals or between individuals and vectors influence transmission dynamics. Finally, we will explore the ways in which various public health interventions can be used to arrest infection transmission within populations and how to monitor the effects of such interventions.

This unit aims to describe the epidemiology, microbiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnostics and management strategies for the common Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). On completion of this unit, students will be able to: (i) Discuss the microbiology, pathogenesis and epidemiology of the common STIs; (ii) Demonstrate an understanding of the clinical spectrum of STIs, including asymptomatic infection, genital manifestations and complications; and (iii) Understand the principles of infection control; methods used in diagnostic microbiology including specimen collection, storage and transport; principle methods of detection for common STIs; (iv)Describe principles of STI prevention andmanagement of common STIs.. HIV infection will only be covered in the context of its interactions with other STIs. Course content includes epidemiology, STIs in key populations, microbiology, diagnostics and clinical aspects of the following conditions: vaginal discharge, urethral discharge, anorectal discharge, genital ulceration, upper genital tract infections including pelvic inflammatory disease, sexually transmitted hepatitis, syphilis, anogenital warts and cancer, genital infestations and genital dermatology. Challenges faced in resource-poor settings and syndromic management will also be covered.