Mini Med School back in session

Mini Med, a free course on science and medicine that began at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and has caught on in more than 100 cities, has returned.

The eight-week course, a community service offered by the University of Colorado School of Medicine, involves no tests, fees or credit hours. Those who attend regularly receive an unofficial “diploma.” Thousands of Coloradans have gone through the course.

Who attends Mini Med? Youngsters, grandparents, Aurora school kids, anyone with curiosity about the science that is the basis of modern medicine. It’s fascinating and sometimes practical. One woman learned the symptoms of a heart attack, then recognized them in a relative and likely saved his life.

Lectures offered by medical school faculty and other experts include anatomy and physiology, cell biology, microbiology, immunology, pharmacology and cancer biology. Classes start at 7 p.m. with an hourlong lecture, followed by roughly a half-hour of questions and answers. Participants receive a book of lecture notes. Mini Med teachers make complex material understandable, but not “dumbed down.”

The originator of Mini Med, J. John Cohen, M.D., Ph.D., a CU medical school professor, recently received the 2010 Award for Public Understanding of Science and Technology, given by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Mini Med School began Wednesday and continues weekly through Oct. 26 (except Sept. 28) on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. It’s fed by satellite to the CU campuses in Boulder and Colorado Springs and other sites around the state. More information and registration information is available at http://medschool.ucdenver.edu/minimed/