Health Sciences

The course provides students with an understanding of the pharmacological actions of a selection of the main classes of drugs in current therapeutic use. Lectures provide insight into the use of drugs in the treatment of a variety of human diseases ranging from cardiovascular and respiratory disease, through to inflammation, allergy, and pain. The drug treatment of the diseases is considered against the backdrop of the underlying disease processes, focusing primarily on the mechanisms by which the drugs bring about therapeutic relief. 

This course explores the concept of physical activity and the importance of encouraging people to move more and sit less as part of health promotion efforts. Students examine measuring movement behaviors to equip students with the ability to judge data based on how it was obtained. Students identify and analyze various factors that impact how much or little people move. This includes looking into the psychology of physical activity, environmental assessments, and policy enquiries. Insights allow students to design an intervention that can improve movement behaviors. Students can gain tangible knowledge and skills for assessing, understanding, and changing movement behaviors across diverse populations.

The course familiarizes students with epidemiological methods to develop and test hypotheses pertaining to physical activity and health and disease outcomes at the population level. It also develops skills in designing, implementing, and evaluating interventions for improving physical activity at the population level, and provides an opportunity for in-depth analysis, critical thinking, and discussion on how epidemiological methods are used in studying physical activity behavior.

This course provides students with a solid understanding of the key aspects in energy metabolism, and the effects of nutrients on (muscle) metabolism during exercise of different types. The course requires prior knowledge on some basic biochemical concepts (e.g. the structure and function of macromolecules, common forms of chemical reactions, basic cell structure, and metabolism of macromolecules). The course builds around a practical case study. With a group of students, develop a cohesive and evidence-based recommendation regarding nutrition and exercise for a client sports team. The first part of the course provides a theoretical foundation on the basics of exercise physiology and biochemistry. In the form of tutorial groups, discuss the physiology of muscles, the metabolism of macronutrients, the hormonal regulation of metabolism, the biochemical and physiological role of macro- and micronutrients in relation to exercise and fatigue, and adaptations of the body to endurance, and resistance training. You are expected to conduct a further search of the literature, as the theoretical foundation covers only part of the concepts important for developing a cohesive recommendation regarding nutrition and exercise. Prerequisite SCI2035 Biochemistry. Recommended SCI2009 Human Physiology and/or, SCI2037 Cell Biology.

This course teaches the psychological processes that inform eating behavior, and the challenges in changing these behaviors. Receive a recent model to explain how many people can display eating behaviors that run counter to their intentions. This model is used to connect biological, sensory, consumer-level, and psychological processes to understand eating behavior. This course focuses in depth on the different psychological processes that explain differences in people’s eating behavior with a strong emphasis on automatic processes that steer behavior in the moment of food choice and eating, and how these contribute to current difficulties to behavior change. The course. focuses on the question of how people’s eating behavior can be changed by employing psychological insights and interventions, and how to deal with psychological resistance to change. Learn how these psychological insights can be applied and integrated in two distinct approaches to behavior change: ‘Nudging’ and ‘Boosting’. Learn to design strategies to change behavior and reflect on the applied and ethical implications of the two different approaches by literature self-studies, quiz learnings, and groupwork assignments. Basic knowledge of biology, psychology, nutrition and/or health sciences required. This course is part of the minor Psychobiology of Eating Behavior.

Human immunity plays an important role in biological defense and the control of various diseases, and this course covers the specific role and function of immune cells. In addition, this course covers the application principles of vaccine development, cancer treatment, and organ transplantation using immunomodulation. In addition, various experimental techniques that are essential in immunology are introduced to promote a broad understanding of applied immunology. 

Topics include Immunological strategies against various infections, Infectious diseases: pathological response and therapeutic options, Vaccine development and practical applications, Immunodeficiency diseases, Hypersensitive responses/allergy, Atopic diseases and practical application, Transplantation and adaptive immunity, Technical advancement in transplantation, Tumor immunology, Immunotherapy for cancer, Autoimmunity and autoimmune diseases.  

This course brings teachers and students from different disciplines together to understand and combine the roles different disciplines to support a healthy society through public health. The overall objective of this program is to develop a comprehensive understanding of public health, and to acquire specific skills to apply this knowledge. This course includes practical examples, and this includes field visits within the Dutch setting. For example, the course investigates public health services like newborn, child and youth services, vaccinations, screening, and how these services provide support to vulnerable populations that are usually underrepresented in health dialogues. These examples are used to reflect on other global public health practices to understand a broad range of community health issues in the socio-political and cultural contexts in which they occur. Students participating in this course act as “experts” in their field and work in an interdisciplinary team to understand health systems in place. Students much be upper division standing in a related major.

This course serves as an introductory course for undergraduate nursing students entering the professional field. It guides students closer to the nursing profession through three modules: "Expert Perspectives," "Dialogues with Frontline Nursing," and "Student-Themed Discussions."

This is a general nutrition course that addresses the relation between nutrition and human health and is primarily aimed at food technology students. The course addresses study design process, nutrient metabolism, micronutrients, and targeted nutrition. Basic knowledge on Nutrition (FCH11306 Nutritional Aspects of Foods) required.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. 

At the end of the course the student understands the health-related behavioral determinants and has an overview of some recent policies aimed at improving the population's lifestyles. He/she has adequate knowledge of: 1) the demand for health and health capital; 2) the behavioral determinants leading to unhealthy outcomes such as obesity and addiction; 3) the trade-offs between health and welfare objectives; 4) the policies aimed at changing health-related behavior and lifestyles. The course combines theoretical analysis and discussion of case-studies on the following topics:

• The demand for health and health capital;
• The behavioral determinants leading to unhealthy outcomes such as obesity and addiction;
• The trade-offs between health and welfare objectives;
• Policies aimed at changing health-related behavior and lifestyles.