JoinAll Case Studies
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Suggested Keywords, to help with your search (besides selecting subjects): clicker cases, directed cases, interrupted cases, discussion cases, intimate debate cases. As a reminder, all cases may be adjusted to meet the needs of your student level. See our case use guidelines.
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By Mary Whitwell
This case study is an account of the injuries sustained by a triathlete who crashed his bike at 44 mph during the 2017 Lake Placid Ironman triathlon. The case is designed for use as a final project in an undergraduate anatomy and physiology course, w...
By Emily Cornelius Ruhs, Cynthia J. Downs
This interrupted case study introduces students to resource-based trade-offs and immune-based trade-offs, and the implications of these trade-offs on the spread of disease. Students are first asked to interpret data on the energetically demandi...
By Courtney L. McGinnis, Jacob M. Laperche
This interrupted case study was inspired by a real-life scenario, and tells the story of “Luis,” a local banana plantation seasonal worker whose health is impacted by the usage of pesticides on bananas. With the help of a healthcare team, Luis...
By Juanita K. Jellyman, Hannah Ticheli
This case study tells the story of “Claire,” an undergraduate student experiencing symptoms commonly attributed to stress as she juggles a demanding academic schedule, a part-time job, and the challenges that come from living away from home for t...
By Brenda F. Canine, Michael L. Dini, Breanna N. Harris
In this modular case study, students discover how the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) membrane channel protein affects multiple physiological systems. The case is divided into an introductory narrative followed by five sect...
Bones, Stones, Groans and Moans
By Juanita K. Jellyman, Hannah Ticheli
In this case study, “Amelia” is confused by a call from her doctor’s office about her blood calcium levels. When it comes to calcium, she is familiar with the adage that calcium is needed for strong bones and teeth, and so the idea that her blo...
By Hollie L. Leavitt
This case study introduces the reader to “Jason,” a recent graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (BSN) who is just beginning his career in nursing, and Jason’s grandmother who worked as a nurse in labor and delivery in the 1960s...
By Juanita K. Jellyman, Hannah Ticheli
This case study presents a brief account of the life of John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States (1961-63). Kennedy suffered from Addison's disease, an endocrine disorder characterized by inadequate production of adrenal steroid hormones,...
By Giuliana M. DiMarco, Nitish Mittal, Hannah E. Olvera, Breanna N. Harris
This case study follows a group of fictitious medical students during their obstetrics rotation as they meet “Brittany,” a woman who is 35-weeks pregnant and experiencing tachycardia and shortness of breath. The medical students review the basics...
By Philomena M. Behmer, Stacy A. Ropp, Angela Z. Shertzer
This interrupted case study explores the central nervous system (CNS) by comparing normal CNS anatomy and physiology to the true story of a woman with type I Chiari malformation (CM). Type I CM is a condition involving anatomical anomalies of the hin...
By Deena E. Afana, Autreen Golzar, Andrew Q. Dong, Johnny D. Nguyen, Vanessa G. Delgado, Laura B. Morel, Jaclene A. Torres, David A. Beshai, Andrea C. Nicholas
This case study is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding (i.e., symptoms, mechanism, methods of diagnosis, transmission, and prevention) of the neurodegenerative disorder known as Kuru disease. Although Kuru is clinically ra...
By C. Nicole Sunnen
In this problem-based learning (PBL) case study, a college student experiencing severe abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding is shocked to learn that she is suffering a miscarriage. Student teams embark on the iterative process of identifying learning ...
By Laura Y. Lorentzen, Kristie Reilly, Connor Baucom, Elizabeth A. Manheim
This case study, designed for the “flipped” classroom, is divided into four parts that explore the etiology of Huntington disease. Students complete the first two sections before coming to class by watching videos and an interactive module from H...
By Hayden E. Sando, Amrik S. Gill, Wasim Anwar, Grace A. Farber
In this directed case study, students investigate a clinical scenario involving a patient’s bout with a rare autoimmune disease, Susac syndrome. The patient, “Suzy,” goes through a series of tests that lead to a misdiagnosis before her conditio...
By Marleigh E. Sistrunk, Clover M. Cherrington, Breanna N. Harris
This interrupted case study tells the story of “Penny,” a woman who is 28 weeks pregnant with her first child. Unfortunately, things do not go smoothly in her third trimester, and she and her partner must navigate a series of appointments and tes...
By Leah A. Roesch
This interrupted case study is based on a PBS NOVA episode covering events in the summer of 1982 when seven California heroin users mysteriously and suddenly developed Parkinson’s disease. The video, which is shown in class and paused at several de...
The Unluckiest Man in the World?
By Michaela Gazdik Stofer
This directed case study examines the immune system by introducing students to the story of Mr. Timothy Ray Brown, also known as the “Berlin patient.” Mr. Brown was the first human cured of HIV through a bone marrow transplant, which he endured a...
By Anna K.S. Jozwick, Megan M. Lee
This interrupted case study follows two college freshmen as they learn about the origin and functioning of mitochondria within our cells. The case is divided into two modules that can be taught separately or together. The first considers the origin o...
If You Could See Through My Eyes
By Andrew M. Petzold
This directed case study explores the topic of color vision and its variations as experienced in humans. The case begins with a review of visual transduction from photons to recognition within the nervous system. The focus then shifts to an examinati...
Is There a Relationship Between Blood Type and Risk of Contracting COVID-19?
By Ashley E. Rhodes, Timothy G. Rozell
This directed case study introduces the basics of blood typing and discusses possible correlations for contracting COVID-19 by blood type. After students complete a set of activities designed to help them understand how blood type is determined at th...
By Adam J. Kleinschmit
This directed case study places students in the role of committee members tasked with developing a strategic long-term plan for building up herd immunity to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the infectious agent responsibl...
Coronavirus Quandaries for Patients with Cardiovascular Disease
By Janine Bartholomew
This directed case study tells the story of “Arie,” an anatomy and physiology student who has recently switched to distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now home, her mother asks her opinion about the recent news articles about high blo...
By Elaine B. Bohórquez
This case study explores the progression of COVID-19 from initial flu-like symptoms to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It details the story of a 32-year-old emergency department nurse who begins ...
By James R. Cronmiller, Daegan A. Keyes, MaryJo A. Vest
This directed case study centers on the story of a 65-year-old man with a weakened ventricle, resulting in reduced cardiac output. Students are provided with a description of the patient’s acute heart failure event and a hospital chart that include...
By John M. Baratta, Tracie M. Addy, Maura O. Stevenson
This clinical case study follows the progress of a diabetic patient, “Joe,” who develops an infection and ultimately undergoes a lower extremity amputation. While recovering and undergoing rehabilitation in the months following the surgery, Joe e...
By Marilyn H. Moss
This case study tells the story of a 30-year-old man with intractable peptic ulcer disease. The persistence of the ailment, despite medical treatment, prompts his healthcare provider to evaluate him for Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, a rare disease char...
By Samuel C. Cohler, Dania V. Corrales, Nicholas E. Kreusser, Darin Ngo, Rishi S. Gadepally, Lesly I. Benitez, Sarah Ahmad, Janerys D.M. Munoz, Andrea C. Nicholas
This case study uses a PowerPoint presentation to guide students through two activities designed to teach them about the basics of coronavirus diagnosis and transmission. The first activity involves a set of five “clicker questions” that students...
By Hollie L. Leavitt
This interrupted case study tells the story of a middle-aged female, “Josie,” who receives a diagnosis of congestive heart failure. In a conversation with her cardiologist, Josie asks questions about heart anatomy, blood circulation, and the valv...
By P. Logan Mounce, Breanna N. Harris
In this interrupted case study, students follow “Joseph Summers” as he attempts to do a late-night relocation of a snake exhibit as a response to an imminent hurricane. After a series of unfortunate events, Joseph is bitten by an unknown venomous...
By Sheri L. Boyce
Twenty-year-old “Drew” observes his grandmother “Mimi” decline as she stubbornly refuses treatment for her chronic kidney disease. Students examine some basic markers of declining renal function and predict which acid-base disorder Mimi has, ...
From Tackle to Tension Pneumothorax
By William B. Kist, Kyle Smith, Andrea Fentem, Chaya Gopalan
Tension pneumothorax is a condition that is associated with air in the pleural space. In this case study, tension pneumothorax is caused by a rupture in the pleura of the lung due to blunt force trauma. Students are presented with a patient scenario ...
By Sheri L. Boyce
This case study relates the story of “Hannah,” a 19-year-old runner struck by a deer during a cross country race. As a result of the collision, Hannah develops a pneumothorax that impairs her ability to breathe. Students follow her story as she i...
By Ashley E. Rhodes, Timothy G. Rozell
This interrupted case study looks at heat stress through the eyes of “Nelly,” a chatty, country Holstein. Although focusing on dairy cattle, the case can be used to teach the physiology of body temperature regulation in any number of homeothermic...
By Jody L. Vogelzang, Elizabeth L. MacQuillan, Janna E. Pacey, Geraldine J. Terry, Jeffery A. Trytko, Marie E. VanderKooi
This case study introduces “Rose” and “Michael,” a couple with infertility issues that may be related to Rose’s weight. The story details a visit to a pre-conception clinic and the struggle that Rose and Michael face in addressing underlyin...
By M. May Zhang, Maria E. Latta
This case study follows the process of diagnosing a patient, 67-year-old “Chester Fitzgerald,” who has suffered an ischemic stroke. An ECG is performed, but is not conclusive. During a physical exam, his doctor discovers a splenomegaly and orders...
By Ann L. Parkinson, Nicole B. Reinke
This interrupted case study in renal physiology and water balance follows the story of "Lacy," a star athlete, who makes poor fluid intake choices for the duration of a track and field day. Lacy notices changes in the volume and appearance of her uri...
By Arne K. Christensen, Joan-Beth Gow
This directed case study focuses on exercise-induced rhabdomyolysis (exRML). Students are guided though skeletal muscle cell membrane transport and calcium homeostasis. They are then asked to predict how depletion of ATP at the skeletal m...
By Sheri L. Boyce
This directed case study tells the story of an 84-year-old man who has been brought to the ER for treatment of a badly broken wrist. Routine bloodwork reveals his calcium levels are abnormal, which prompts more tests. The results, together with his b...
By Julia M. Dais
This interrupted case study is based on the true experiences of the author's mother, who is referred to in the story as "Mrs. Horton" for reasons of privacy. Mrs. Horton, like many seniors, had her life altered due to age-related vision changes. As s...
By Hollie L. Leavitt
This directed case study tells the story of a geriatric patient who has recently been diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. It begins with him informing his granddaughter, “Jillian,” of the diagnosis. Jillian is a nursing student who is a...