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Biochemical Education in Iran
Biochemical Education 27 (1999) 204}206
Short communication
Biochemical Education in Iran Javad Mohiti!,*, Nour Mohammadi" !Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Yazd Shahid Sadoughi Medical Science University, Yazd, Iran "College of Paramedical Science, Department of Biochemistry, Iran Medical Science University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract Over the past few decades, there have been great strides in the teaching of biochemical sciences in Iran, both in the number of institutes of higher education o!ering courses and degrees in the "eld and in the number of trained professionals making up the faculty of these institutes. Here, a brief description of the status and system of Biochemistry education in Iranian universities is presented. ( 1999 IUBMB. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction Iran is one of the most populous countries in the Middle East with a population of about 60 million. There are a number of large universities throughout the country. The oldest of these institutions of higher learning, the University of Tehran, was established in 1932, being the "rst in the country to train specialists in a wide variety of disciplines. The Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics (IBB) is a research centre, which also trains specialists in the two related "elds of Biochemistry and Biophysics. At the present time the centre is training 44 M.Sc. and 45 Ph.D. students under the supervision of 14 full-time faculty members.
2. Biochemistry in medical school curricula The educational system of Iranian universities is based on the unit-hour credit system in which the subject matter is planned on an hourly basis arranged into a semester. A unit-hour in any subject equals a minimum of 17 h of classroom instruction or 34 h of laboratory or 51 h of workshop (Fig. 1). Biochemistry is a required course for all medical, dental, agriculture, veterinary, biology and premedical students (Fig. 2). The subject is usually taught in the "rst or
* Corresponding author.
second year of study for medical students, the course consisting of 120 h of instruction during one or two semesters for six credit hours. These 120 h of teaching are broken up into 100 h of theory and 20 h dedicated to practical instruction. The curriculum for medical students also consists of courses in Molecular Biology, Genetics and Medical Physics for a total of 120 h of teaching during the second or third year of study. Clinical Biochemistry is not included in the program for medical students. The course of study for medical students was previously seven years, but this is being shortened to six years, by reducing the period of pre-medical and preclinical education. The degree course is divided into three phases. Phase I: "ve semesters consisting of pre-clinical subjects: Human Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry (including, Molecular Biology and Genetics). At the end of Phase I, all students must pass a comprehensive examination before beginning Phase II of their studies. Phase II: three semesters consisting of paraclinical subjects: Pathology, Pharmacology and Physiopathology. Phase III: four semesters consisting of in-hospital clinical study. At the end of this phase, all students must pass a comprehensive exam before receiving their certi"cation. Farsi is the o$cial language throughout all graduate programs at the most of the Medical universities. However, lectures are presented in English at Shiraz university of Medical sciences.
0307-4412/99/$20.00 ( 1999 IUBMB. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 3 0 7 - 4 4 1 2 ( 9 9 ) 0 0 0 5 4 - 0
J. Mohiti, N. Mohammadi / Biochemical Education 27 (1999) 204}206
205
Table 1 Titles of presentations at the Iranian Biochemistry Society Meeting (1997)
Fig. 1. Some students on the practical biochemistry course in Yazd.
Title
University/Institute
(1) Intracellular tra$c and regulation of GM-CSF in human bladder carcinoma cell line (2) Comparison of serum hormone level in patients with chronic renal failure before and after transplantation (3) The e!ects of potassium channel a!ecting on the serum levels of ACTH and aldosterone in the rat (4) Study of e!ect solazonin on the fertilization in the male albino rat (5) Expression of the gene coding for the antibacterial IL-37 is induced in human keratinocytes during in#ammatory disorders. (6) Searching for immunostimulators and immunosuppressors in Iranian #ora (7) The e!ect of designed nucleosides on adenosine deaminase (8) Transcription factor(s) involved in aldoreductase induction during oxidative stress (9) Measurement of estrogen and progesterone receptors at breast cancer (10) Study of e!ect adriamycine on H1 histone puri"ed from cow thymus
IBB, Tehran
Shiraz Medical Science
Yazd Medical Science University, Yazd
Pasteur Institute, Tehran
Tarbiat Modarres University, Tehran
IBB, Tehran
IBB, Tehran
Bern, Buhlstrasse, Tehran
Cancer Institute
Tehran University
Fig. 2. The Biochemistry Department in Yazd.
3. Graduate education in biochemistry The "rst step toward expanding the knowledge of the science of Biochemistry in Iran was taken with the formation of the Iranian Biochemistry Society in 1958. The "rst symposium on Biochemistry was held in 1942, the ninth in 1975, with the participation of both domestic and foreign experts and researchers as well as students [1]. Babol, a city in Northern Iran, was the venue for the latest Symposium in 1997 (Table 1). Universities in Iran have programs at the Masters and Ph.D. levels. Candidates for the master's program are selected through national graduate examinations administered annually by the ministry of culture and higher education. Depending on the major "eld of study, total credit hours required for graduation range from 32 to 38 units. Pre-requisites include pro"ciency in a foreign language and satisfactory completion of compulsory courses. The minimum load per semester is 9 and the
maximum is 14 credit hours. Every student is required to submit a thesis in partial ful"lment of the requirements for a M.Sc. degree. The Ph.D. program is divided into two stages. The "rst consists of course work, which must be completed within a period not exceeding four semesters. Candidates carry a course load of six to ten credit hours a semester. The minimum passing grade for the Ph.D. course is 14 (out of a possible 20) and students must repeat those courses in which the minimum grade is not obtained. A student's overall grade point average must not be less than 15 under any circumstances. Students who have completed the formal Ph.D. course work and prerequisite courses are eligible to participate in a comprehensive exam held under the supervision of a committee consisting of "ve faculty members: the students advisor, two associate professors with at least three years teaching and research experience and two faculty members holding the minimum position of assistant professor. The comprehensive exam consists of both written and oral sections.
206
J. Mohiti, N. Mohammadi / Biochemical Education 27 (1999) 204}206
Table 2 Titles of Biochemistry-related projects of Ph.D. students (1998/99) Title
University/Institute
(1) The e!ect of detergents on the plasma membrane of Paracoccus denitrixcans with and without cell wall (2) Puri"cation of a monoclonal antibody against lipoprotein A and its measurement in plasma of patients with coronary artery disease (3) Correlation between the laboratory and clinical "ndings in clinically diagnosed b-thalassemic patients (4) Detection of mutation in 5-9 exons of the human p53 gene in patients with oesophageal cancer (5) Investigation of secretary antigens in epididymal cells (6) Denaturation, deactivation, activation of adenosine deaminase by nucleosides and surfactants (7) Puri"cation and kinetic properties of cytoplasmic malate dehydrogenase from bovine liver Echinococcus granulosus protoscolices (8) Determination and sequencing of the G6PD gene in Iranians (9) E!ects of an aqueous extract of (physalis-alkekengi) fruit and or various doses of b-estradiol on rat pituitary and hypothalamic glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activities
IBB, Tehran
Tehran Medical Science, Tehran
Shiraz Medical Science, Shiraz IBB, Tehran
Tehran Medical Science, Tehran IBB, Tehran
Shiraz Medical Science, Shiraz
Tarbiaet Moddares, Tehran Shiraz Medical Science, Shiraz
The lowest pass mark for the exam is 15 and any student who receives a grade below this is allowed to retake the exam one time only. Students who successfully complete the comprehensive exam can begin the second stage of the Ph.D. program, i.e. the research phase during which they are required to submit a proposal for their doctoral dissertation, which must meet with the approval of the thesis committee. Once accepted, the student may begin research work under the supervision of an advisor and two co-advisors to whom students must periodically report the progress at their work. When completed, the dissertation is defended before the committee who, if the thesis and defences are satisfactory, can give a rating of excellent, fair or acceptable (Table 2). The maximum four-year period prescribed for the completion of the Ph.D. program may, under special circumstances, be extended for up to three additional semesters. All postgraduate students have to pass both English exam as well as entrance examination. Some of the universities require a TOEFL score 500. Consequently, Ph.D. students are able to read the scienti"c literature in
English. The lectures are generally presented in Farsi and/or English. Some special courses are presented only in English. In recent years, research in Biochemistry has been on a developing trend in Iran. Researchers have access to a number of facilities for their work. The communication network of most universities is on-line and linked to the Internet. The libraries of larger universities contain a good assortment of specialised books, national and international journals and other publications. A one-year paid sabbatical for research at universities abroad is available every four years for university sta!. Universities also sponsor the participation of researchers in national and international symposia and conferences in order for them to present the results of their research and exchange information and ideas with other professionals. The relevant national scienti"c societies hold many symposia in order to create channels of communication among sta! and students of the university community. The Iranian Biochemistry Society is one such organisation whose main activity is organizing and sponsoring an annual conference. Researchers and experts usually attend the conference from abroad creating valuable contacts for researchers within the country. However, in spite of the steps taken to promote and improve both the teaching of Biochemistry and research in the area, some problems still exit. One of these is a lack of adequate "nancial support for the purchase of equipment and supplies, and for salaries for sta! and students. In addition, faculty members have a heavy teaching load, which leaves them with little time to devote to research. Also, often the required literature references are not readily available and the latest journal articles can be di$cult to obtain. The government needs to allot more and better facilities for researchers especially in the area of basic Biochemistry now that many Ph.D. graduates who have studied abroad are returning to Iran. We are conducting a detailed study into the status of Biochemical sciences in Iran, which will be published in the future.
Acknowledgements This work was support by the University of Shahid Sadoughi, Medical Science, Yazd. We are grateful for their funding of this work.
Reference [1] P.N. Campbell, Biochemical Education in Iran, Biochem. Educ. 3 (1975) 47.
Short communication
Biochemical Education in Iran Javad Mohiti!,*, Nour Mohammadi" !Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Yazd Shahid Sadoughi Medical Science University, Yazd, Iran "College of Paramedical Science, Department of Biochemistry, Iran Medical Science University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract Over the past few decades, there have been great strides in the teaching of biochemical sciences in Iran, both in the number of institutes of higher education o!ering courses and degrees in the "eld and in the number of trained professionals making up the faculty of these institutes. Here, a brief description of the status and system of Biochemistry education in Iranian universities is presented. ( 1999 IUBMB. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction Iran is one of the most populous countries in the Middle East with a population of about 60 million. There are a number of large universities throughout the country. The oldest of these institutions of higher learning, the University of Tehran, was established in 1932, being the "rst in the country to train specialists in a wide variety of disciplines. The Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics (IBB) is a research centre, which also trains specialists in the two related "elds of Biochemistry and Biophysics. At the present time the centre is training 44 M.Sc. and 45 Ph.D. students under the supervision of 14 full-time faculty members.
2. Biochemistry in medical school curricula The educational system of Iranian universities is based on the unit-hour credit system in which the subject matter is planned on an hourly basis arranged into a semester. A unit-hour in any subject equals a minimum of 17 h of classroom instruction or 34 h of laboratory or 51 h of workshop (Fig. 1). Biochemistry is a required course for all medical, dental, agriculture, veterinary, biology and premedical students (Fig. 2). The subject is usually taught in the "rst or
* Corresponding author.
second year of study for medical students, the course consisting of 120 h of instruction during one or two semesters for six credit hours. These 120 h of teaching are broken up into 100 h of theory and 20 h dedicated to practical instruction. The curriculum for medical students also consists of courses in Molecular Biology, Genetics and Medical Physics for a total of 120 h of teaching during the second or third year of study. Clinical Biochemistry is not included in the program for medical students. The course of study for medical students was previously seven years, but this is being shortened to six years, by reducing the period of pre-medical and preclinical education. The degree course is divided into three phases. Phase I: "ve semesters consisting of pre-clinical subjects: Human Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry (including, Molecular Biology and Genetics). At the end of Phase I, all students must pass a comprehensive examination before beginning Phase II of their studies. Phase II: three semesters consisting of paraclinical subjects: Pathology, Pharmacology and Physiopathology. Phase III: four semesters consisting of in-hospital clinical study. At the end of this phase, all students must pass a comprehensive exam before receiving their certi"cation. Farsi is the o$cial language throughout all graduate programs at the most of the Medical universities. However, lectures are presented in English at Shiraz university of Medical sciences.
0307-4412/99/$20.00 ( 1999 IUBMB. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 3 0 7 - 4 4 1 2 ( 9 9 ) 0 0 0 5 4 - 0
J. Mohiti, N. Mohammadi / Biochemical Education 27 (1999) 204}206
205
Table 1 Titles of presentations at the Iranian Biochemistry Society Meeting (1997)
Fig. 1. Some students on the practical biochemistry course in Yazd.
Title
University/Institute
(1) Intracellular tra$c and regulation of GM-CSF in human bladder carcinoma cell line (2) Comparison of serum hormone level in patients with chronic renal failure before and after transplantation (3) The e!ects of potassium channel a!ecting on the serum levels of ACTH and aldosterone in the rat (4) Study of e!ect solazonin on the fertilization in the male albino rat (5) Expression of the gene coding for the antibacterial IL-37 is induced in human keratinocytes during in#ammatory disorders. (6) Searching for immunostimulators and immunosuppressors in Iranian #ora (7) The e!ect of designed nucleosides on adenosine deaminase (8) Transcription factor(s) involved in aldoreductase induction during oxidative stress (9) Measurement of estrogen and progesterone receptors at breast cancer (10) Study of e!ect adriamycine on H1 histone puri"ed from cow thymus
IBB, Tehran
Shiraz Medical Science
Yazd Medical Science University, Yazd
Pasteur Institute, Tehran
Tarbiat Modarres University, Tehran
IBB, Tehran
IBB, Tehran
Bern, Buhlstrasse, Tehran
Cancer Institute
Tehran University
Fig. 2. The Biochemistry Department in Yazd.
3. Graduate education in biochemistry The "rst step toward expanding the knowledge of the science of Biochemistry in Iran was taken with the formation of the Iranian Biochemistry Society in 1958. The "rst symposium on Biochemistry was held in 1942, the ninth in 1975, with the participation of both domestic and foreign experts and researchers as well as students [1]. Babol, a city in Northern Iran, was the venue for the latest Symposium in 1997 (Table 1). Universities in Iran have programs at the Masters and Ph.D. levels. Candidates for the master's program are selected through national graduate examinations administered annually by the ministry of culture and higher education. Depending on the major "eld of study, total credit hours required for graduation range from 32 to 38 units. Pre-requisites include pro"ciency in a foreign language and satisfactory completion of compulsory courses. The minimum load per semester is 9 and the
maximum is 14 credit hours. Every student is required to submit a thesis in partial ful"lment of the requirements for a M.Sc. degree. The Ph.D. program is divided into two stages. The "rst consists of course work, which must be completed within a period not exceeding four semesters. Candidates carry a course load of six to ten credit hours a semester. The minimum passing grade for the Ph.D. course is 14 (out of a possible 20) and students must repeat those courses in which the minimum grade is not obtained. A student's overall grade point average must not be less than 15 under any circumstances. Students who have completed the formal Ph.D. course work and prerequisite courses are eligible to participate in a comprehensive exam held under the supervision of a committee consisting of "ve faculty members: the students advisor, two associate professors with at least three years teaching and research experience and two faculty members holding the minimum position of assistant professor. The comprehensive exam consists of both written and oral sections.
206
J. Mohiti, N. Mohammadi / Biochemical Education 27 (1999) 204}206
Table 2 Titles of Biochemistry-related projects of Ph.D. students (1998/99) Title
University/Institute
(1) The e!ect of detergents on the plasma membrane of Paracoccus denitrixcans with and without cell wall (2) Puri"cation of a monoclonal antibody against lipoprotein A and its measurement in plasma of patients with coronary artery disease (3) Correlation between the laboratory and clinical "ndings in clinically diagnosed b-thalassemic patients (4) Detection of mutation in 5-9 exons of the human p53 gene in patients with oesophageal cancer (5) Investigation of secretary antigens in epididymal cells (6) Denaturation, deactivation, activation of adenosine deaminase by nucleosides and surfactants (7) Puri"cation and kinetic properties of cytoplasmic malate dehydrogenase from bovine liver Echinococcus granulosus protoscolices (8) Determination and sequencing of the G6PD gene in Iranians (9) E!ects of an aqueous extract of (physalis-alkekengi) fruit and or various doses of b-estradiol on rat pituitary and hypothalamic glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activities
IBB, Tehran
Tehran Medical Science, Tehran
Shiraz Medical Science, Shiraz IBB, Tehran
Tehran Medical Science, Tehran IBB, Tehran
Shiraz Medical Science, Shiraz
Tarbiaet Moddares, Tehran Shiraz Medical Science, Shiraz
The lowest pass mark for the exam is 15 and any student who receives a grade below this is allowed to retake the exam one time only. Students who successfully complete the comprehensive exam can begin the second stage of the Ph.D. program, i.e. the research phase during which they are required to submit a proposal for their doctoral dissertation, which must meet with the approval of the thesis committee. Once accepted, the student may begin research work under the supervision of an advisor and two co-advisors to whom students must periodically report the progress at their work. When completed, the dissertation is defended before the committee who, if the thesis and defences are satisfactory, can give a rating of excellent, fair or acceptable (Table 2). The maximum four-year period prescribed for the completion of the Ph.D. program may, under special circumstances, be extended for up to three additional semesters. All postgraduate students have to pass both English exam as well as entrance examination. Some of the universities require a TOEFL score 500. Consequently, Ph.D. students are able to read the scienti"c literature in
English. The lectures are generally presented in Farsi and/or English. Some special courses are presented only in English. In recent years, research in Biochemistry has been on a developing trend in Iran. Researchers have access to a number of facilities for their work. The communication network of most universities is on-line and linked to the Internet. The libraries of larger universities contain a good assortment of specialised books, national and international journals and other publications. A one-year paid sabbatical for research at universities abroad is available every four years for university sta!. Universities also sponsor the participation of researchers in national and international symposia and conferences in order for them to present the results of their research and exchange information and ideas with other professionals. The relevant national scienti"c societies hold many symposia in order to create channels of communication among sta! and students of the university community. The Iranian Biochemistry Society is one such organisation whose main activity is organizing and sponsoring an annual conference. Researchers and experts usually attend the conference from abroad creating valuable contacts for researchers within the country. However, in spite of the steps taken to promote and improve both the teaching of Biochemistry and research in the area, some problems still exit. One of these is a lack of adequate "nancial support for the purchase of equipment and supplies, and for salaries for sta! and students. In addition, faculty members have a heavy teaching load, which leaves them with little time to devote to research. Also, often the required literature references are not readily available and the latest journal articles can be di$cult to obtain. The government needs to allot more and better facilities for researchers especially in the area of basic Biochemistry now that many Ph.D. graduates who have studied abroad are returning to Iran. We are conducting a detailed study into the status of Biochemical sciences in Iran, which will be published in the future.
Acknowledgements This work was support by the University of Shahid Sadoughi, Medical Science, Yazd. We are grateful for their funding of this work.
Reference [1] P.N. Campbell, Biochemical Education in Iran, Biochem. Educ. 3 (1975) 47.