Organic matters: Doctors-to-be (and their patients) benefit from study of chemistry discipline

For students hoping to attend professional programs such as medical school, organic chemistry is viewed as a dreaded roadblock to their aspirations.

But courses that aren’t directly related to specific job skills are vital to any future career.

Concepts in organic chemistry are the foundation for many courses such as biochemistry, molecular biology, pharmacology and others that students take along the way to becoming doctors. Amino acids, carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, DNA and RNA are all organic molecules that behave according to the principles covered in organic chemistry.

Read Prof. Vince Maloney’s guest column in The Journal Gazette (subscription required)