DZI Biology and Health Education case studies
DZI Biology and Health Education · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The DZI Biology and Health Education credential is designed for people who need to demonstrate that they can apply core biology to practical health and education settings. Candidates typically include health educators, community health workers, school and public-health staff, and graduates moving into health promotion roles where a working command of human biology is expected alongside communication and programme skills. The DZI Biology and Health Education case studies are 5 cases and about 2,931 words.
1The Failing Fermenter: Diagnosing a Glycolysis Defect in Yeast
A teaching lab grows a mutant strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a sealed fermenter with 2% glucose. After 6 hours, the wild-type control has consumed 90% of the glucose and produced abundant ethanol and CO2, while the mutant has consumed only 15% of the glucose and produced almost no ethanol, though it still grows slowly and accumulates pyruvate in the medium at 8-fold the wild-type level.
555 words, about 3 min2A Family Pedigree with an Ambiguous Variant
A couple seeks counseling. The woman is 34 and healthy; her brother has a severe early-onset neurodegenerative disorder diagnosed at age 8, and their father died at 52 with the same diagnosis.
613 words, about 3 min3Postoperative Fever on Day 3: Sorting Causes with Limited Data
A 58-year-old man is 3 days post elective open abdominal surgery. He has a temperature of 38.9°C, heart rate 112, blood pressure 105/68, respiratory rate 22, and oxygen saturation 94% on room air.
547 words, about 3 min4Iron and Vitamin C in a Plant-Based Teenager
A 16-year-old girl follows a strict vegan diet and presents with fatigue. Labs show hemoglobin 10.2 g/dL, ferritin 8 ng/mL, and mean corpuscular volume 74 fL, consistent with iron-deficiency anemia.
483 words, about 2 min5A Village Latrine Program That Did Not Reduce Diarrhea
A district health office implements a latrine-construction program in 12 villages, providing household latrines at subsidized cost. After 18 months, reported diarrhea incidence among children under 5 in program villages fell from 30% to 26%, while a neighboring comparison district fell from 29% to 25% over the same period.
733 words, about 4 min