Cannabis Science
Institute of Emerging Health Professions
The legal cannabis industry is projected to be one of the fastest growing sectors of the US economy over the next decade. There are, however, few educational programs that prepare scientists, researchers, and clinicians to join this burgeoning field.
Application Deadline
April 1, 2021
Program start date
May 10, 2021
Overview
Across the globe, cannabis medicalization and legalization is having a profound effect on the world. The cannabis industry is rapidly growing into a multi-billion dollar enterprise offering many jobs in farming, processing, research, sales and medical treatment. This Cannabis Science Certificate will assess how and why cannabinoids produce their positive and negative effects, and how our bodies absorb, distribute, metabolize and excrete cannabinoids. You will be prepared for the cannabis business in growing or processing cannabis plants, developing new cannabis strains, or researching the potential of many different cannabinoids, terpenes or flavonoids or of new combinations of these chemicals by taking this certificate. Lastly, you will learn how to improve the quality and safety of cannabis products, the potential for new pharmacotherapies working through unique mechanisms of action offers hope for many unmet clinical needs.
This certificate is offered in partnership with the Center for Forensic Science Research & Education. For over twenty years the Center has been at the forefront of the forensic community, providing novel developments in research, training and education in the forensic sciences. Their internationally recognized staff have partnered with the Institute of Emerging Health Professions at Thomas Jefferson University to provide an unparalleled learning experience in this emerging field.
Learning Outcomes
Through participation in this course, students will:
- Discover many different ways of working in the cannabis industry
- Learn about the chemistry of the cannabis plant and how plant genetics change over time
- How cannabis was used in ancient societies over the ages
- How to utilize advanced analytical technologies to identify potential toxins in cannabis and to monitor the concentrations of cannabis constituents to improve the quality of cannabis-based products
- Be able to describe the mechanisms of action and functional roles of endogenous cannabinoids in humans
- Understand how plant cannabinoids interact with the endogenous cannabinoid neurotransmitter system to produce both positive and negative effects
Program Details
2020-2021 Academic Year
Summer 2021 Start Date: May 10, 2021
To view the academic calendar, please visit our Academic Calendar page.
Tuition and fees vary by program and term. For more information, please review our Tuition Information page and select 'Graduate and Institute of Emerging Health Professions' tuition and fees link.
Curriculum
Upon completion of the Cannabis Science Graduate Certificate, the learner will be provided with an in depth view of the botany and chemistry of the cannabis plant, cannabinoids pharmacology and resultant effects, and how to identify and quantify the different chemical components and potential toxicants in cannabis.
| COURSE NAME | CREDIT HOURS | FORMAT |
|---|---|---|
| *Botany and Chemistry of Cannabis | 3 | Online |
| *Forensic Analysis of Cannabinoids & Cannabis Derived Products | 3 | Online |
| *Cannabinoid Pharmacology | 3 | Online |
*If you would like to take one course as non-matriculated student view more information here.
Program Director
Brooke Worster, MD
Associate Professor
Dr. Brooke Worster completed her internal medicine and chief residency at Temple University and her pain and palliative care fellowships at Massachusetts General Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer center.
Faculty
Marilyn Huestis, PhD
Dr. Marilyn Huestis was the former Chief of Chemistry and Drug Metabolism at NIDA’s Intramural Research Program (IRP) where she conducted controlled drug administration studies.
Jack Henion, PhD
Professor Jack Henion is Emeritus Professor of Toxicology at Cornell University where he was a member of the College of Veterinary Medicine commencing in 1976.
Dr. Henion was co-founder of Advion BioSciences in 1993 and is now CSO of Advion, Inc. Professor Henion has received threeDoctor Honoris Causa (Honorary Doctorate) degrees in recognition of his international reputation in modern analytical techniques from the University of Ghent. Uppsala University and Albany University. During his tenure at Cornell Professor Henion conducted research and explored applications in many areas of liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) employing atmospheric pressure ionization (API) sources. Professor Henion has published over 235 peer reviewed papers in the scientific literature, trained nearly 100 students, post-doctoral scientists, and trainees while receiving 12 patents for inventions developed from his work. He has also received a number of awards which recognize his contributions to analytical chemistry and entrepreneurship. More recently in April 2017 Dr. Henion received the Outstanding Contribution to Anti-Doping Science Award from the Partnership for Clean Competition (PCC) for his development of a novel Book-Type Dried Plasma Spot Card and in the Fall of 2017 Dr. Henion was the winner of the 2018 Bioanalysis Outstanding Contribution Award (BOSCA).
Mahmoud ElSohly, PhD, BCFE, BCFM
Mahmoud A. ElSohly is a Research Professor at The National Center for Natural Products Research, and Professor of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi (UM).
ElSohly is the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Marijuana Project at UM. He is also the President and Laboratory Director of ElSohly Laboratories Incorporated, an analytical forensic drug testing and product development laboratory. He received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt and his Ph.D. in 1975 from the University of Pittsburgh, School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, PA. He has been with the University of Mississippi since 1975 and has been the Director of the NIDA Marijuana Project since 1981. He has over 40 years’ experience working with the isolation of natural products (notably cannabis secondary metabolites), synthetic, analytical and forensic chemistry. He has more than 50 patents and over 350 publications in these areas of science. Dr. ElSohly is also a member of many professional organizations, such as American Society of Pharmacognosy, American Chemical Society, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Society of Forensic Toxicology, International Cannabinoids Research Society (ICRS), International Association of Cannabinoid Medicines, to name a few, and has received numerous awards, notably the Life Time Achievement Award from the ICRS and the Legacy Laureate Award from the University of Pittsburgh."
Contact Us
Program Contact
Institute of Emerging Health Professions
IEHP-info@jefferson.edu
215-503-1111
Admission Contact
Marc Stearns
Senior Associate Director of Admissions
Office of Admissions
(215) 503-0155
Marc.Stearns@jefferson.edu
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