1. Mark Edwards New Cross Hospital Wolverhampton
MSc Translational Cardiovascular Medicine A post-graduate course for the qualified perfusionist?
Mark Edwards
New Cross Hospital
Wolverhampton

2. Course Format 7 Taught modules Project
Distance learning, online lectures
Investigate molecular, physiological and pathological processes underlying cardiovascular homeostasis in health and disease
Workshops
Exams
Project
Literature review
Grant proposal
Laboratory based project

3. Taught Modules Year 1 Year 2 1. General laboratory techniques
2. Clinical trials and statistics
3. Coronary artery disease I
4. Coronary artery disease II
Year 2
5. Heart and valve disease
6. Paediatrics
7. Vascular (PVD, aneurysm & stroke)

4. Workshops (Year 1) Detecting nucleotide variation in humans
Practical immunostaining and microscopy
Identification of mouse atherosclerotic plaques
Statistics (compulsory)
Western blotting
Mouse genotyping
Basic tissue culture
Introduction to flow cytometry
Plaque localisation
Macrophage foam cell formation
Perfusion simulation
Surgery and Cath Lab

5. Workshops (Year 2) Southmead hospital Isolated Langendorff
Vascular surgery
Isolated Langendorff
Heart cell isolation
Presentations
Journal club

6. Student Experiences

7. Study, Work, Home Life Part time, distance learning E-learning
Requires approx hours per week
E-learning
Online lectures available 24/7
Allows flexibility for each module and revision
Time management essential

8. Staff Support Feedback from assignments Student queries
Very good critical analysis/ comments for each assignment
Occasionally a little delayed
Student queries
response usually very quick

9. Student Interaction Meet at workshops Facebook, WhatsApp groups
Extremely useful
Coursework queries, revision

10. What Do You Gain?
Comprehensive knowledge of pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease
Latest research into the disease (published and on-going)
Current and future treatments & prevention
Protective mechanisms during surgery
Ability to critically analyse scientific papers
Insight into/ improve research techniques

11. Why Bristol?
The University of Bristol is rated fifth in the UK for research and has a world-renowned reputation for expertise in cardiovascular research and education.
This course is provided by world experts at the University of Bristol and Bristol Heart Institute.
The University of Bristol is one of the top 40 universities in the world (QS World University rankings 2015)
12 Nobel prizes awarded to Bristol Graduates and members of staff
83% of research rated as "world leading" and "internationally excellent”

12. Would I Recommend This Course?
Summary
Large amounts of material to read and coursework
Good balance of tasks (MCQs, Short answers, essay)
Requires excellent time management skills with lots of planning!
Would I Recommend This Course?
Yes
Exceeded my expectations
Greater understanding of disease process
Relevant to our profession

13. Student Comments
“If cardiovascular medicine is your field of interest, then this is the masters programme to go for.”
“An excellent course, extremely well run and well worth the effort. The workshops are really useful and good fun!”
"Taught essential laboratory techniques, alongside cutting edge treatments for the greatest cause of death in modern society - cardiovascular diseases. Proved to be a thoroughly engaging course, which was definitely worth the hard work.”
“As a graduate of science with an interest in translational research, clinical practice and cardiovascular medicine, this course was everything that I was looking for. It really feels that the teaching staff want to give you the best grounding in cardiovascular medicine possible.”