Curriculum
Candidates for a PhD in Molecular and Translational Medicine have varied scientific and medical backgrounds. To meet the stated goals of the Graduate Program in MTM and provide intensive scientific training and research experience culminating in a PhD, as well as equip its graduates to carry out independent research, the course of study will be individualized for each candidate depending upon his/her background. This course will be developed by each candidate and his/her Program Advisor in MTM. The program of study must be approved by the Student Performance Committee.
The Graduate Program in Molecular and Translational Medicine participates in the Program in Biomedical Sciences (PiBS) which offers training towards the PhD degree by integrating the foundations of interdisciplinary biomedical research with focused investigation and preparation for career advancement.
Program Timeline
In the first year, PhD students participate in the Program in Biomedical Sciences (PiBS) core curriculum, as well elective courses focused on area-specific interests. Additionally, trainees will engage in laboratory rotations, in journal clubs and research seminars. Trainees will work closely with a faculty advisor in the development of an individual plan that will be tailored to serve specific research and professional goals. After selection of a laboratory, students will join the program/department with which the mentor is affiliated and continue advanced studies towards candidacy
The Molecular and Translational Medicine PhD program is divided into three parts: Part I, Basic Science Curriculum (PiBS); Part II, 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 Tier 2 Qualifying Examination.
Curriculum Structure
The first year curriculum consists of a series of basic science courses offered through the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences designated to provide the foundations of biological concepts. The first year will also afford first year PhD students with the time to conduct laboratory rotations in a wide spectrum of laboratories within the Department of Medicine leading to identification of the laboratory where they will complete their dissertation research. The second year is comprised of elective courses and an innovative Molecular and Translational Medicine Core Curriculum. This Core Curriculum includes courses in Genetics and Epidemiology of Disease; Cancer Biology; Immunity and Infection; Molecular Basis of Organ System Diseases; Molecules to Molecular Therapeutics and Biological Core Technologies. Students will take a Tier 1 exam during their second year. This written exam entails critical analysis of a chosen research paper. At the completion of all coursework students write and orally defend their Tier 2 Qualifying exam, which consists of a mock research grant proposal based on their topic of research.
All PhD students are also expected to actively participate in journal/data clubs, seminars and other Department of Medicine affiliated activities such as ARCs, The Annual Evans Medical Research Days and the Henry I. Russek Student Achievement Day.
The Graduate Program in Molecular and Translational Medicine avails itself of the Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research. The purpose of this center is to promote growth and discovery in emerging interdisciplinary biomedical research and educational areas by providing faculty affiliated with the Department of Medicine and with various schools, departments and centers at Boston University a dynamic, interdisciplinary organizational structure, which allows investigators with different areas of expertise to collectively address mechanisms of disease, and to facilitate new training opportunities.
Students can matriculate into the Graduate Program in Molecular and Translational Medicine after completing a bachelor’s degree or Master’s program or through the combined M.D./Ph.D. program at Boston University School of Medicine. In addition, M.D.s who desire to pursue rigorous scientific training in preparation for a career in academic medicine and research are encouraged to apply. Students admitted to the program are offered full tuition support and an annual stipend.
Part I: Basic Science Courses
The first year basic science curriculum for almost all PhD programs and Departments is set up as one major course that runs the full academic year called Foundations in Biomedical Sciences (FBS). This innovative and interdisciplinary core course will encompass material that has been traditionally taught in courses of Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Genetics and Genomics, and Molecular Biology. These four major topics will be taught as sequential modules. A fifth module will be available as well with a choice of topics, from development and stem cells, physiology, and metabolism. This should be a particularly exciting student experience across the graduate school at BUSM. The goals of this new curriculum are to encourage students to think in a rigorous and interdisciplinary fashion; coordinate content across courses and programs; reduce redundancy in course content; decrease lecture hours; and promote collegiality among participating doctoral students.
MODULES:
Foundations in Biomedical Sciences I: Protein Structure, catalysis and interaction (roughly “Biochemistry”)
Foundations in Biomedical Sciences II: Structure and Function of the Genome (“Genetics and Genomics”)
Foundations in Biomedical Sciences III: Architecture & Dynamics of the Cell (“Cell Biology”)
Foundations in Biomedical Sciences IV: Mechanisms of Cell Communication (“Signaling”)
Foundations in Biomedical Sciences V: Electives (i.e. Development, Physiology, Bioinformatics, Metabolism, etc. )
Part II: Molecular and Translational Medicine Core Curriculum:
The Core Curriculum consists of a range of topics and methodologies for interrogating key biomedical problems and the underlying molecular basis of disease. These courses are taught as advanced graduate seminars and electives that are available to all MTM students in the second year and are open to other students in the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences.
Six courses are offered that address major fields in the molecular basis of human disease: MM701, MM703, MM707, MM710, MM725, MM730 (descriptions below). MTM students are required to take electives in a dissertation-specific topic, integrative physiology, current biomedical research technologies, biostatistics, and our MTM colloquium. Specific electives that meet these requirements are listed below.
DISSERTATION-SPECIFIC, ADVANCED ELECTIVES (2-4 CREDITS) Required
Advanced electives are defined by the program director and include the following examples: GMS MM 725 Biology of Lung and Pulmonary Disease, GMS MM 703 Cancer Biology and Genetics, GMS MM 701 Genetics and Epidemiology of Human Disease, GMS MI 713 Comprehensive Immunology, GMS BI 778 Molecular Mechanisms of Cardiovascular Disease, SPH BS 831 Genomics Data Mining and Statistics, and ENG BF 768: Biological Database Analysis. These courses fulfill the programmatic objective for advanced learning in molecular medicine, and enable students to specialize in topics relevant to their dissertation research.
INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY (2-4 CREDITS) Required
Acceptable electives include the following examples: The medical school curriculum (taken by MD/PhD students), SPH EH 710 Physiological Mechanisms of Health and Disease, GMS MM 707 Organ System Diseases, and GMS MM 725 Biology of Lung and Pulmonary Disease. These electives satisfy the requirement to train students in broad-based integrative physiology.
CURRENT BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH TECHNOLOGIES (2-3 CREDITS) Required
To satisfy the requirement for learning about current technologies and methodological applications, students will have an option to enroll in either MM 730 Biological Core Technologies or BI 777 Techniques in Biomedical Research.
BIOSTATISTICS (2-4 CREDITS) Required
Fall Semester and Spring Semesters. This requirement will be fulfilled with a statistics course under advisement by the program director and include the following examples: GMS CI 670 Biostatistics with Computing, SPH BS 831 Genomics Data Mining and Statistics, GMS FC 721 Research Design and Statistical Methods for Biomedical Sciences, GMS MS 700 Elementary Biostatistics, SPH BS 704 Introduction to Biostatistics.
COLLOQUIUM (2 CREDITS) Required
This course is a highly participatory journal club and work in progress series where students will be asked to give presentations on cutting edge research with a focus on communication skills in addition to delivering scientific content. All first-year students in MTM will prepare presentations for a 1 hour-journal club on a rotating basis. These presentations are coached by a faculty who chooses the paper to present. More advanced students (from Year 2 and beyond) will deliver 30-minute work in progress seminars. A few sessions during the year are also reserved for alumni MTM students to present their current professional activities as well as for newly recruited faculty to introduce their work to the MTM students. In addition to these sessions in class, students will spend additional hours attending practice sessions of their classmates or their own practice sessions with faculty or students. Fall Semester and Spring Semester. Participation is expected year round, but students only need to register for GMS GE 704 in their first spring after joining MTM. Students will receive critical feedback after each presentation from the program director, MTM faculty and their classmates who attend each week.