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- First Year Core Curriculum
The first year core curriculum is administered through the School of
Graduate Studies.
These courses provide a "core" of information deemed essential by the
faculty for students in the basic sciences, no matter which specific
research discipline they enter. This sequence is designed to teach
students to think critically about biological systems at all levels of
organization, ranging from the molecular, to the cellular, to the organ
system, to the whole-organism scale. Students also participate in
laboratory rotations which may be taken in Molecular Medicine Program
labs.
- Elective Courses
Students choose from a minimum of six semester hours of courses
taught in the School of Graduate Studies at the 700 level
or higher. These will ordinarily be taken in the second and third year of
study. Specific electives will be chosen to best suit each student's
research field in consultation with the research advisor and Director of
the Program. Electives currently offered in the Molecular Medicine
Graduate Program include:
Biological Signaling
This course covers strategies
of communication at various levels of biological organization.
It
emphasizes intracellular communication, communication between cells
in multicellular organisms, and interactions
between organisms in a group or ecosystem.
The course focuses on emergent properties of complex systems.
Fundamentals
of Oncology 1: The Basic
Science of Oncology
The first semester of a two-semester course sequence, this
course covers fundamental aspects of cancer biology with emphasis on the
etiology of cancer, natural history of neoplasia,
epidemiology of human malignancies, host-tumor relationships,
immunobiology, and principles of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Fundamentals of Oncology 2: The
Clinical Science of Oncology
The second semester of a two-semester course sequence, this
course offers a survey of the entire spectrum of human neoplasias,
emphasizing their classification, their natural history, their cellular and molecular biology, and
the diverse ways in which they are treated.
Advanced Topics in Molecular and Cellular Immunology
This course covers current topics in immunology
including tolerance, thymocyte development, lymphocyte activation,
immunological memory, cell adhesion, and cell-cycle control.
The course will emphasize an understanding of the molecular
mechanisms of immune responses and will focus on gaining a critical
understanding of the current scientific literature in immunology.
Advanced Topics in Neurobiology
This course covers current topics in neurobiology
including developmental neurobiology, intracellular and intercellular
communication, neurodegeneration, and diseases of the nervous system.
The course will emphasize an understanding of neurochemical and
molecular mechanisms under normal conditions and leading to dysfunction.
The course focuses on developing a critical understanding of the
current scientific literature in neurobiology and preparing the students
for careers in neurobiological research.
Molecular Medicine
This course covers a variety of current topics centered on
specific human diseases with a molecular aspect to diagnosis or treatment.
The course emphasizes acquisition of skills in interpreting cutting-edge
primary scientific literature and synthesizing this knowledge with
real-world patient care. This is an aspect of the curriculum
that is particularly directed toward building bridges between basic
science and clinical medicine. This course is open to both regular PhD.
students and to others, including MD/PhD candidates, postdoctoral
fellows, and clinical fellows, which helps assure lively and informed
discussion.
- Advanced Seminar in Molecular Medicine
Students will participate in a minimum of two advanced seminar courses
taught by faculty affiliated with the Molecular Medicine program. These
may be taken any time from the second through the final year of study.
They will meet one hour per week and will focus on a particular, current
issue in molecular medicine. They will be wholly literature-based and will
require extensive student participation. These courses are primarily
designed to develop critical reading of the scientific literature. Sample
topics include: transgenic animals as models for human disease, molecular
approaches to cancer, cardiovascular disease, inborn errors of metabolism,
genetics of human psychiatric disorders, autoimmune disease, and immune
deficiency disease.
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