IHBS 620 introduces students to integrated gastrointestinal health and nutrition with emphasis on the anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, clinical reasoning, and nutritional foundations of the digestive system. Students examine gastrointestinal structure, motility, secretions, digestion, absorption, gut barrier function, oral-esophageal function, gastric physiology, intestinal disorders, hepatobiliary anatomy, pancreatic function, gallbladder disease, liver dysfunction, metabolic reactions, macronutrient metabolism, energy balance, diet quality, malnutrition, and acute gastrointestinal presentations. The course connects foundational biomedical knowledge with applied interpretation through case studies, pathway maps, nutrition assessment worksheets, symptom-red-flag analysis, peer-reviewed literature review, and patient-centered education activities. Special attention is given to clinical warning signs, malabsorption, inflammatory and functional bowel disorders, reflux disease, peptic ulcer disease, pancreatobiliary disease, jaundice, portal hypertension, GI bleeding, nutrition support routes, and prevention-oriented dietary counseling. By the end of the course, students will be prepared to apply gastrointestinal and nutrition science in advanced clinical sciences, integrative health assessment, evidence-informed patient education, and interdisciplinary care contexts.

1. Explain the structural organization, tissue layers, accessory organs, vascular supply, innervation, and major functions of the gastrointestinal system.

2. Differentiate ingestion, motility, secretion, mechanical digestion, chemical digestion, absorption, metabolism, and defecation across digestive regions.

3. Analyze neural, hormonal, enzymatic, microbial, immune, and barrier mechanisms that regulate digestive and absorptive physiology.

4. Interpret common gastrointestinal presentations using anatomy, physiology, nutrition status, red flags, and evidence-based clinical reasoning.

5. Compare esophageal, gastric, intestinal, pancreatic, hepatobiliary, and colonic disorders using mechanism, presentation, investigation, and referral urgency.

6. Apply principles of carbohydrate, lipid, protein, energy, vitamin, mineral, and fluid balance to nutrition assessment and patient education scenarios.

7. Evaluate GI and nutrition cases for malabsorption, malnutrition, acute abdomen, GI bleeding, inflammatory disease, liver dysfunction, and cancer-screening concerns.

8. Communicate integrated gastrointestinal and nutrition reasoning clearly through quizzes, case write-ups, concept maps, discussion posts, and a final capstone case.