Program
of Study in Molecular Medicine
Candidates
for the PhD in molecular medicine have a variety of scientific and medical
backgrounds. The course of study is individualized for each candidate.
A student's course of study is developed with the assistance of a program
advisor in the Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine, who will be assigned
to the candidate upon matriculation into the program. The Student Performance
Committee must approve the program of study. The program is divided
into three parts: Part I, the Basic Science Curriculum; Part II, the
Molecular Medicine Curriculum; and Part III, Dissertation Research.
After successful completion of Parts I and II, and prior to initiating
dissertation research, each candidate will be expected to complete the
qualifying examination. The grade requirements of the Division of Graduate
Medical Sciences apply and are outlined in the "Academic Policies
and Procedures" section of this bulletin.
Curriculum
Part
I: Basic Science Courses
A typical
curriculum for first-year students in the Division of Graduate Medical
Sciences consists of 20 credits (10 per semester), made up of 10 credits
per semester of formal course work, laboratory rotations, and attendance
at Department of Medicine seminars and journal clubs. The first-year
basic science curriculum will consist of courses in biochemistry, molecular
biology, and cell biology, plus electives appropriate for the student's
research interest.
Part
II: Molecular Medicine Core Curriculum
The core
curriculum is comprised of two semesters covering topics on the scientific
basis and research methodology of molecular medicine (see Molecular
Medicine Core Courses, below). These courses are required of all molecular
medicine students, and are open to other students in the Division of
Graduate Medical Sciences. In addition, students round out their basic
science courses with electives appropriate to their research area, as
approved by their program advisor. MD/PhD students are expected to take
additional basic science courses appropriate for their research plans
and the Year 2 molecular medicine courses.
Qualifying
Examination
Upon successful
completion of the course of study outlined above, students sit for a
qualifying examination (generally in the spring of the second year,
or the first year for students with advanced degrees). Currently the
Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine requires a written examination
consisting of a mock dissertation proposal, and an oral examination
on the mock dissertation proposal and general fund of knowledge in molecular
medicine. The mock dissertation proposal will be outside the student's
planned area of dissertation research and will follow the format of
an NIH grant application. Each proposal will be critically reviewed
by a mock dissertation proposal committee made up of faculty in the
Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine or recruited from the Division
of Graduate Medical Sciences faculty, as appropriate.
The written
examination will be followed by an oral examination that will test the
student's understanding of the biological principles, methodologies,
and interpretations of the proposal. The examining committee will also
employ the proposal as a take-off point to assess the student's breadth
of knowledge in the general areas of the cellular and molecular mechanisms
of disease and the student's written and oral communication skills.
Laboratory
Rotations and Dissertation
Students
carry out research rotations of 6-12 weeks in length during their first
12-18 months in the program. These rotations may be carried out in any
of the many research laboratories of the Molecular Medicine PhD Program.
Upon identifying a suitable laboratory for dissertation research, students
will assemble a dissertation advisory committee. The dissertation advisory
committee will be chaired by a member of the Graduate Program in Molecular
Medicine and should include the dissertation advisor and four other
faculty members, one of whom should be from outside the Department of
Medicine. Committee members should be qualified to assist the student
with his/her dissertation and examine him/her at its completion. Faculty
from other institutions who are particularly qualified to review the
dissertation research may serve on a dissertation committee, but must
apply to the Division of Graduate Medical Studies for a Special Service
Faculty appointment. The student should convene a dissertation committee
meeting no more than 6 months after beginning research in the dissertation
laboratory and should meet with the committee annually, or more frequently
at the committee's discretion. As the dissertation project progresses,
the student, with the assistance of the dissertation advisor, will form
an outline of what constitutes an adequate body of original research
that is suitable for a written dissertation. Upon approval by the dissertation
committee, the student will begin to prepare the written dissertation.
Once the dissertation has been written and reviewed, the student will
present a formal departmental seminar, followed by an oral defense.
