Teaching is part of the UAMH’s work. Members of the Centre teach three graduate courses in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, elements of which draw on mycology and the collection. Beyond the graduate curriculum, short hands-on courses in applied mycology are offered on an ad-hoc basis.
Graduate courses
These courses are open only to graduate students enrolled at the University of Toronto, with preference given to students in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.
- CHL5919H – Public Health Mycology (Winter). A lecture- and laboratory-based course, taught by Dr. James Scott and Dr. Richard Summerbell, on fungi of public health importance — particularly those that cause disease in humans and other animals. Lectures cover basic mycology, environmental risk factors, and the clinical presentation, pathophysiology and treatment of fungal infections; laboratory sessions build skills in the isolation, culture and identification of microfungi, culminating in each student assembling a reference collection of purified cultures.
- CHL5918H – Biological Hazards in the Workplace and Community (Winter). Taught by Dr. James Scott, this course familiarizes students with the biological hazards encountered in community, commercial, industrial and health-care settings, and with the methods occupational hygienists use to recognize, evaluate and control them. Its mycological content spans bioaerosol science and sampling, the microbiology of the built environment, and the investigation and remediation of indoor mould contamination, alongside modules on biosafety and biosecurity.
- CHL5413H – Public Health Sanitation (Fall). Taught by Dr. James Scott, this course traces the history and modern practice of public health sanitation — clean water, wastewater, solid waste and the food supply. Its treatment of agricultural systems draws on mycology in the pre- and post-harvest management of crop pests and diseases.
Short courses
One- to two-day short courses in applied mycology are offered on an ad-hoc basis for groups of a minimum of four students. These hands-on programs can be tailored to a group’s needs, and may be of interest to those with responsibilities in quality control, fermentation, environmental assessment, diagnostic mycology or collection management, and to graduate students whose work involves the isolation, use or manipulation of fungi. Depending on the group’s background, a course may include some or all of the following:
- basic fungal taxonomy
- identifying common and less common environmental molds — genera covered include (but are not limited to) Stachybotrys, Penicillium, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Bipolaris, Paecilomyces, Phoma, Scopulariopsis, Trichoderma, dermatophytes and dermatophyte-like fungi, yeast-like fungi, zygomycetes, and others
- handling and manipulating fungus cultures
- techniques for isolating fungi from different substrates
- recognizing contaminated cultures and what to do about them
- the health risks of toxic, allergenic and pathogenic fungi
- procedures for preserving fungi for quality assurance
- biosafety aspects and procedures for handling environmental fungi
To enquire about a short course, please contact us.