Biomedical Sciences
OFFICE: 5008 Basic Science Building, School of Medicine
http://biomedsci.ucsd.edu
Professors
Courses
The Graduate Program
The graduate program offered by the Group in Biomedical Sciences is
designed to lead to the Ph.D. degree through a combination of didactic
study, laboratory rotations, and thesis research in basic biomedical
sciences. Research experiences are wide and varied, permitting students
the options of selecting molecular, cellular, or organ and integrated
systems approaches in their research programs. Students are encouraged
to design and execute investigation in a self-critical and independent
manner. Undergraduate preparation must include courses in mathematics
(through calculus), chemistry (including organic, physical, and biochemistry),
and if possible, participation in undergraduate research. Students whose
undergraduate backgrounds are significantly different will be considered
provided there is sufficient evidence of interest in cell and molecular
biology, physiology, pharmacology, or eukaryotic regulatory biology,
and a desire to enter a field of active research and academic excellence.
Doctoral Degree Program
During the first year, the students take basic courses in cell biology,
molecular biology, pharmacology, and physiology. In a required laboratory
rotation program, students develop laboratory skills and the ability
to formulate scientific hypotheses and become familiar with the research
activities of the faculty. Required advanced courses and electives in
subsequent years are chosen to develop the students interest and
specialized knowledge in the thesis research area. The thesis laboratory
is usually selected by the end of the first year of graduate study.
The graduate program is interdepartmental and interdisciplinary; it
involves faculty of the Departments of Medicine, Pharmacology, Neurosciences,
Reproductive Medicine, Chemistry, Pathology, Bioengineering, Cellular
and Molecular Medicine, Psychiatry, Orthopedics, Anesthesiology, and
the Cancer Center. Physiological studies include molecular to whole
animal approaches to cardiovascular, microcirculatory, respiratory,
renal, gastrointestinal and fetal physiology and their neural and hormonal
control. Pharmacologic studies of drug action at the molecular and biochemical
levels include studies of receptor structure and function, genetic and
recombinant DNA methods to analyze ligand-receptor interactions, regulation
of gene expression and signal transduction, and biophysical approaches
to defining neurotransmitter and hormone action. Molecular and cell
biological approaches are being applied to the study of major issues
in cell biology, including the regulation of protein targeting and intracellular
membrane traffic, hormone and growth factor receptors, endothelial cell
biology, molecular motors, RNA splicing, and mitosis, among others.
Eukaryotic regulatory biologists are using the most advanced molecular
biological techniques to study developmental and homeostatic regulation
of gene expression in primarily mammalian systems. As evidence of the
research strength of the group, faculty within the program are the directors
of four specialized centers of research at the university focusing on
cancer, myocardial ischemia, hypertension, and atherosclerosis. Other
faculty are directors of training grants for programs in pulmonary physiology,
oncogenes, cardiovascular physiology, cellular and molecular pharmacology,
hypertension, metabolic diseases, cell and molecular biology, genetics,
digestive diseases, and cancer cell biology.
The graduate program in biomedical sciences is also designed to educate
physician-scientists through the School of Medicines Medical Scientist
Training Program. Students already admitted to the School of Medicine
are eligible for admission to our program for Ph.D. training. Such students
generally apply in the first or second year of their medical studies
and enter graduate studies following completion of their second year
of medical school. Normative time for M.D./Ph.D. students is seven years.
Examinations
Students obtain letter grades in the programs basic courses.
Candidacy for the Ph.D. Degree is determined by a two-part examination.
The first part, the minor proposition examination, tests the students
competence and ability to design the approach to a pertinent research
problem in an area unrelated to his or her major interest. The second
part, the major proposition examination, deals with the dissertation
problem and should be completed during the third year of residence in
the program. After the preparation of the dissertation, an oral defense
of the thesis completes the requirement for the Ph.D. Degree
Biomedical Sciences
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