Application deadline

Registration deadline for PhD students and students at the Medical Student Research Program at Uit - The Arctic University of Norway: 15 June in autumn semester.

Application deadline for external applicants: 1 June for autumn semester. Application code in SøknadsWeb is 9301  

Type of course

This course is available as a singular course. It is arranged every second year, and next time is fall 2019.

PhD course that is highly relevant for the National Graduate School in Infection Biology and Antimicrobials (IBA). This course is available as a singular course.

The course is organized by the Department of Medical Biology (IMB) and Department of Pharmacy (IFA) and the National Graduate School IBA.

Admission requirements

PhD students, students at a Medical Student Research Program or holders of a Norwegian master´s degree of five years or 3+ 2 years (or equivalent) may be admitted. PhD students must upload a document from their university stating that there are registered PhD students. This group of applicants does not have to prove English proficiency and are exempt from semester fee.

Holders of a Master´s degree must upload a Master´s Diploma with Diploma Supplement / English translation of the diploma. Applicants from listed countries must document proficiency in English. To find out if this applies to you see the following list:http://www.nokut.no/Documents/NOKUT/Artikkelbibliotek/Utenlandsk_utdanning/GSUlista/2016/GSU_list_English_14112016.pdf

Proficiency in English must be documented - list of countries

For more information on accepted English proficiency tests and scores, as well as exemptions from the English proficiency tests, please see the following document:https://uit.no/Content/254419/PhD_EnglishProficiency_100913.pd

Proficiency in english - PhD level studies

Applicants who are affiliated with the National Graduate School IBA will be prioritized for admission if the number of applicants exceeds the course capacity of 25 students.

Course content

The course will provide detailed insight and knowledge of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria. The objectives will include understanding of principles regarding antibiotic resistance, methods for detection of resistance, clinical breakpoints, resistance epidemiology, mechanisms for resistance development/evolution and spread, drivers behind development of antimicrobial resistance, clinically important resistance mechanisms in bacteria, molecular methods for typing of resistance bacterial clones and concepts in drug discovery.

Students shall prepare individually by studying 15-20 selected peer reviewed scientific articles, which together account for about 100 000 words. These articles will be regular experimental studies and review articles covering the different aspects described above regarding antimicrobial resistance. 

All students meet in a joint four-day gathering at the Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, campus Tromsø, to attend lab demonstrations with related theoretical instructions. It will be performed demonstrations for phenotypic methods to detect susceptibility to antimicrobial agent in bacteria. The students will also present and critically review one given article in a 20-minute (skype) lecture.

Objectives of the course

After completing the course the students will have the:

Knowledge to:

• Discuss the mode of action of major antibiotic classes
• Understand the basic principles in pheno- and genotypic methods for antimicrobial susceptibility testing
• Consider the clinical consequences of antimicrobial resistance
• Discuss clinically important antimicrobial resistance mechanisms in bacteria
• Discuss the evolution of and drivers behind the development of antimicrobial resistance
• Discuss concepts in drug discovery

Skills to:

• Justify which methods to be used for pheno- and genotypic detection of bacterial susceptibility to antimicrobial agents
• Critically evaluate scientific papers to disseminate advanced knowledge of antimicrobial resistance
• Draw scientific conclusions and defend own research in scientific presentation 

Competence to:

• Explain differences between the main genetic mechanisms in the spread of antimicrobial resistance 
• Explain the use of molecular methods in typing of antimicrobial resistant bacterial clones

Language of instruction and examination

Teaching methods

Assessment

One oral presentation of a given scientific publication/subject appointed by the course committee. The oral presentation is evaluated as passed/not passed. 

Course work requirements:

Lectures, group discussions and lab demonstrations are obligatory.

Re-sit exam

There will not be arranged a re-sit exam for this course.