Gut Health and the Microbiome
Online micro course

Your gut is home to trillions of organisms that hold the key to overall wellness. Find out what makes them tick and learn to nurture them.

Duration

2 weeks,
entirely online

Effort

4–6 hours per week,
self-paced learning

Learning Format

Bite-sized modules,
weekly live sessions

On completion of this course, you'll walk away with:

1

An overview of the gut microbiome and how it’s integrated into human physiology.

2

Everyday strategies to improve gut health and treat disease beyond the gut.

3

Insight into the microbiome’s impact on precision health therapeutics.

4

Knowledge of why the microbiome is targeted to treat a variety of disease states.

Course curriculum

Over the duration of this online micro course, you’ll work through the following modules:

Module 1 Gut microbiome configurations and functions
Explore the development and composition of the microbiome, and how this microbial community contributes to overall health.

Module 4 Modulating the microbiome for health
Discover how your day-to-day choices can optimize the microbiome for improved gut and overall health.

Please note that module titles and their contents are subject to change during course development.

Academic Directors

Justin L. Sonnenburg

Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University

After graduating with a BS in Biochemistry from U.C. Davis, Dr. Justin Sonnenburg earned his PhD in Biomedical Sciences at UC San Diego. Dr. Sonnenburg’s research explores the relationship between the human body and the microbiota that inhabit the gut. He and his wife, Dr. Erica Sonnenburg, are also co-authors of The Good Gut: Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long-Term Health. Among his accolades, he’s received the NIH Director's New Innovator Award, the Burroughs Welcome Fund Investigators in Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease Award, and the NIH Director's Pioneer Award.

Erica Sonnenburg

Senior Research Scientist, Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University

Dr. Erica Sonnenburg has a BS in Biochemistry from Indiana University and a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from U.C. San Diego. Her current research focuses on the role of diet on the human intestinal microbiota. She and her husband, Dr. Justin L. Sonnenburg, are co-authors of the book The Good Gut: Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long-Term Health. Dr. Sonnenburg has published several peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals based on her studies. Her work aims to shed light on the critical role that the microbiota plays in immune, metabolic, and overall health.

"There’s a possibility that the microbiota underlies a lot of Western disease, and we can actually change what we’re doing now to take more care. If we consider that a large amount of our microbiota is involved in our health, 80 or 90% of that can be taken care of without any personalized mechanistic understanding."
– Erica Sonnenburg and Justin L. Sonnenburg, Academic Directors

52 Insights (Sep, 2015).

An online education that sets you apart

The Stanford Center for Health Education is collaborating with online education provider, GetSmarter, to create a new class of learning experience — one that is high-touch, intimate, and personalized for the working professional. Join a growing community of global professionals and benefit from the opportunity to:

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Gain verifiable and relevant competencies and earn invaluable recognition from an international selection of universities and institutions, entirely online and in your own time.

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Enjoy a personalized, people-mediated online learning experience created to make you feel supported at every step.

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Experience a flexible but structured approach to online education as you plan your learning around your life to meet weekly milestones.

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