A revolutionary biochemistry textbook designed for the needs of students in allied health professions has been produced following collaboration between The University of Queensland (UQ) and The University of Sydney (USyd).
"Biochemistry for Health Professionals", published in August 2011 is now being held in the libraries of 13 universities including at UQ.
Developed by Drs Justin Ridge and Simon Worrall from UQ’s School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences with collaborator Dr Laura Batmanian from USyd, the book is targeted at students studying nursing, physiotherapy, dentistry, veterinary science, medicine and other allied health degrees.
These students need to understand the core concepts of chemistry and biochemistry as they relate to the body but do not need the depth provided by the traditional biochemistry textbooks.
“The idea for the textbook was initially proposed by Simon Worrall and his colleague, Associate Professor Leigh Ward, some years ago,” Dr Ridge said.
“They had observed that many students enrolled in allied health degrees, to whom they were teaching biochemistry, were struggling to find a textbook to support the breadth and depth of Biochemistry they needed to know in their specific professions.
“Whilst a number of biochemistry textbooks were on the market, many of these were far more detailed than needed for a student whose career choice would mean that they were not going to have a strong focus on biochemistry."
The colleagues identified the need for a smaller, more focused textbook highlighting the relevance of biochemical processes to the body.
Putting together the book was hard work, but Dr Ridge is satisfied with the outcome.
“We feel that we have fulfilled the original goals of this project in creating a concise, approachable text which covers key aspects of chemistry, cell biology, metabolism and genetics highly suited to the needs of students of the allied health professions,” he said.
For details about the book, visit the Elsevier Health Bookshop.
Media: Julie Baglot, 07 3346 9498 or j.baglot@uq.edu.au
