You are a medical doctor. One day a mother with her four-month old infant shows up at your office. She reports that her child sometimes vomits after being fed. This alone is not a reason to worry a lot, but in addition, the baby shows rash on different parts of its body. In order to find out why these symptoms occur you ask more questions about the way she handles her baby. One potential source of skin irritation is increased exposure to the sun. Another potential source could be the baby´s diet.
This PBL case allows students to get a practical understanding of the many factors to be considered in making a diagnosis, and research issues related to (auto)immunity and inflammation.
Simon J. Büchner studied Cognitive Science and Philosophy in Freiburg and Cognitive Psychology in Amherst, Massachusetts, supported by scholarships from the Baden-Württemberg Foundation and the Fulbright Commission. He then worked in interdisciplinary research projects on human spatial navigation and received a PhD in Psychology from the University of Freiburg. As a graduate student, he was a visiting researcher at Concordia University, Montréal. Dr. Büchner is responsible for the Major Life Sciences at the University College Freiburg. This includes the development of the curriculum, the course offerings per semester, recruiting and supporting Teaching Fellows, as well as thesis supervision.
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