Research Overview
Research is integrated into every year of the MD/PhD program, but the PhD thesis is the keystone. Thesis research can be conducted in any of the funded labs in the School of Medicine and Dentistry and the College.
In the School of Medicine and Dentistry (SMD), graduate education is organized into clusters of labs with common research interests. Faculty in each cluster come from many different departments of both the School of Medicine and Dentistry and the College.
Current Clusters in the SMD
- Biochemistry, Molecular & Cell Biology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Biophysics & Structural Biology
- Cardiovascular Sciences
- Cellular & Molecular Basis of Medicine
- Genetics, Genomics, & Development
- Immunology, Microbiology, & Vaccine Biology
- Neurosciences
- Pathways of Human Disease
- Molecular Toxicology & Environmental Medicine
A set of core courses in the biomedical sciences provides a broad, interdisciplinary foundation that spans several clusters. This also fosters interactions of students between clusters.
James Hart
As a graduate student in a very basic science field (Chemistry), I was surprised at the ability to integrate it with medicine. For example, my longitudinal clerkship in genetics gave me significant insight about the similarities of patient care and research.
In addition, PhD training is available in three other disciplines comprising Health and Population Sciences at the School of Medicine and Dentistry. Based in the Department of Community & Preventative Medicine, the degree programs in Health Services Research and Epidemiology provide students with outstanding, rigorous training and the opportunity to work with highly recognized leaders in these respective fields. Training in the Department of Biostatistics & Computational Biology provides foundations for the exciting new areas of bioinformatics and large data set analysis.
The close geographic and thematic relationships between the SMD and the College afford trainees a unique opportunity to pursue fundamental studies and apply them to problems relevant to human health and disease. In the College, graduate education is organized by departments
College Departments Participating in the MD/PhD Program
Students interested in pursuing MD/PhD training in other departments of the college should contact the MD/PhD program office.
Graduate Curricula
Specific guidelines for MD/PhD training have been developed and can be found in the MD/PhD handbook*. Components common to all guidelines include granting MSTP students 30 hours of credit toward coursework accomplished in the Double Helix Curriculum, core and advanced graduate courses specific to each program, and required participation in graduate student seminar series, journal clubs, departmental/program seminar series, and training in the Responsible Conduct of Science. Teaching requirements within most graduate programs are waived for MD/PhD students, though students may elect to participate, and outstanding opportunities for teaching exist in most programs. Participation in all graduate student activities and required steps for obtaining the PhD degree, including qualifying examinations, ensures that our students have a full PhD experience with regular opportunities for presentation of their work and evaluation of their progress.
* Guidelines for Brain & Cognitive Sciences and the newly formed Cardiovascular Sciences are currently under development.
