This is an extraordinary class that you won’t find anywhere else. The lectures were amazing. Dr. Allard presented cutting-edge research (including his own - he’s humble about it:) as well as classic cases in gene and environment interaction. We learnt why different people process alcohol differently or get different effects from chemical exposure, why some people may get sick from eating red meat, while others don’t, about the genetic predisposition to melanoma, connection between the genome and microbiome and many more aspects of GxE. For each GxE issue we looked at biochemical pathways which were pretty complex, but Dr. Allard explained and clarified the nuances. We looked critically at many research papers, analyzed the results and discussed their validity. Some topics were challenging for me, because I’m not a science major, but Dr. Allard was helpful and understanding. He made the class engaging and fun. There was a lot of conceptual learning, memorization and hard work. Dr. Allard was always available to answer any questions and consult about our research. He really required everyone to be logical, sound and detailed in our papers and presentations. He gave me constructive feedback on how to improve and organize my work. Overall, the class expanded my horizons, and I learned a lot. A truly innovative and unique course.