Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine offers
\nprograms leading to a PhD or an MA in Physiology or Biophysics. Each
\nprogram stresses laboratory training and original research performed
\nunder the direction of a faculty member, as well as satisfactory
\nperformance in graduate coursework.
\nIn the first and second years of both the PhD and MA programs, a core
\ncurriculum of Foundations in Biomedical Sciences courses is
\nsupplemented with biophysics and physiology. The program emphasizes
\nflexibility and individual choice. In the first year, students do research
\nrotations in the laboratories of 3\u20134 (PhD) or 2\u20133 (MA, optional) faculty
\nmembers to gain firsthand knowledge of a variety of research areas.
\nAt the end of the first year, students select a degree advisor and
\ncontinue research toward the MA or PhD degree. In the second year
\nstudents continue to take courses and PhD students must pass a
\nqualifying exam. Throughout their training, students also participate in a
\nweekly department seminar series and report their research progress
\nannually at a student seminar day.<\/p>\n
Demonstrate a commitment to professional development and continued learning in
\ntheir chosen field.<\/p>\n
All students graduating with the MA in Physiology or Biophysics from
\nthe Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine are expected to:<\/p>\n
The department, under the aegis of Dr. Venetia Zachariou as chair,
\nbrings together active faculty members to provide excellence in research
\nand graduate education. Research interests in the department span the
\nmodern areas of cellular physiology and molecular biophysics, with
\nstrong concentrations in structural biology, vision research, muscle
\nphysiology, neurophysiology, and the biology and physical chemistry of
\nproteins, lipids, and lipoproteins. Faculty members are nationally and
\ninternationally recognized as leaders in their areas of research. The
\ndepartment provides flexible graduate programs with pathways either
\nleading toward a degree in physiology or in biophysics. The department
\noffers these two programs in a strong, collegial environment to
\nencompass and promote the diverse overlapping research of all
\nmembers of the department.<\/p>\n
The goal of our programs in Physiology or Biophysics is to produce
\ngraduate students who understand the thermodynamic, chemical,
\nelectrical, and structural aspects of biological systems at the atomic level
\nand in the context of the cell and organism. The training across scientific
\nand medical disciplines provides graduates the advantage of learning
\nphysiology and biophysics in the context of the regulation of
\nhomeostasis and pathogenicity of the cell, and of the organism as a
\nwhole. Graduates will be able to communicate and collaborate effectively
\nwith a broad range of disciplines ranging from medical personnel to
\nchemists, engineers, and physicists.<\/p>\n
A set of required core courses will be taken by the students in the first
\nand\/or second year that will lead to a level of understanding of the two
\ndisciplines necessary for a degree in physiology or biophysics. After
\ncompleting the core course requirements, students have flexibility to
\nchoose the appropriate additional coursework for their interests, within
\nthe guidelines set out below. The courses for first-year students are
\nchosen with the guidance of members of the Student Admissions &
\nAffairs Committee (SAAC), and in the second year with input from their
\nPhD or MA advisor. Students who successfully complete the program
\nare awarded either a PhD or an MA in Physiology or in Biophysics.<\/p>\n
Similar Paths for PhD, MD\/PhD, and Post-MA PhD<\/strong> Requirements for PhD and MD\/PhD students are similar. Students in the Transfer and post-MA students are handled on a case-by-case basis, In all cases, post-MA students are able to choose a suitable set of MA programs in Physiology or Biophysics are offered. In some cases, a An MA requires 32 unit hours (paid for by the student) and requires On joining the department, students follow a path of requirements with Seminar Courses (GMS BY 871, 872 or GMS PH 841, In the second year (required) and additional years (optional), all students All graduate students in the department earn 2 graded units per term.<\/p>\n The faculty member who teaches this course is rotated after each term, In years 3\u20135, or starting with the spring term after the qualifying Students who have completed their qualifying exams present a poster Students, together with Student Affairs committee members, each create Incoming PhD and MA students are required to take either five or three The acceptable biophysics courses are:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Elective coursework is chosen jointly by the student and their advisor or Success in science requires that students be able to express their The qualifying examination is given at the end of the second term within Administration of the qualifying examination will be overseen by the Both the written and oral portion of the qualifying exam must be passed After the student has passed the qualifying exam, a predissertation The PhD dissertation defense consists of a public seminar followed by a All members of the faculty of the department participate in the graduate Recruitment directly into the Program in Biomedical Sciences is the There is no strict formula for acceptance to the programs, and many For acceptance into the program, students should have outstanding The chair of the department is the director of the graduate programs and The Steering Committee and the SAAC Chair work jointly to supervise The SAAC oversees the day-to-day operations of the graduate The SAAC serves many roles in the department. The SAAC is charged PhD or MA in Physiology or Biophysics Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine offers programs leading to a PhD or an MA in Physiology or Biophysics. Each program stresses laboratory training and original research performed under the direction of a faculty member, as well as satisfactory performance in graduate coursework. In the first […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1811,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/no-sidebars.php","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/ppb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/24750"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/ppb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/ppb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/ppb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1811"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/ppb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24750"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/ppb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/24750\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24756,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/ppb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/24750\/revisions\/24756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/ppb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nstudents<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nPhD program take their qualifying examination in their second year.
\nMD\/PhD students enter after completing the second-year Medical
\nCurriculum and are therefore treated as post-MA students with a lower
\ncourse and unit requirement (32 versus 64 total units), and take their
\nqualifying exam at the end of their first year in the program.<\/p>\n
\nand may be able to take the qualifying examination at the end of their
\nfirst year.<\/p>\n
\ncourses tailored to their backgrounds and research interests, with input
\nfrom the SAAC during the first year and from their advisor in following
\nyears.<\/p>\nThe MA Programs<\/h4>\n
\nqualified MA student may subsequently apply to the Program in
\nBiomedical Sciences (PiBS) PhD program. This decision is dependent
\non the student\u2019s application and acceptance into the PiBS umbrella
\nprogram through the PiBS admissions process.<\/p>\n
\neither a literature-based dissertation or a short laboratory-based
\ndissertation with two readers from within the department.<\/p>\nThe Path of a Graduate Student<\/h3>\n
\nspecific coursework dependent on their concentration in either
\nPhysiology or Biophysics. Students with a concentration in Physiology
\nare required to take at least one course in Biophysics and students with
\na concentration in Biophysics take at least one course in Physiology.<\/p>\n
\n842; 2 units per term)<\/p>\n
\nin the department participate in the Special Topics Seminar course,
\naimed at developing the student\u2019s ability to read the scientific literature
\nand present the merits and\/or deficits of a current research paper to
\nother students and a proctoring faculty member. The students use a
\nwhiteboard and computer for their presentations. This component of the
\ncourse meets for one hour each week, as specified by the faculty
\nmember proctoring the class. Typically, all students present at least once
\neach term, and possibly more often, based on the number of enrolled
\nstudents. Additionally, students are taught to write grants, research
\npapers, and more general scientific articles such as \u201cNews and Views\u201d
\non papers from the current literature. An important complement to the
\nstudent presentations is required attendance at the Department Seminar
\nSeries where the students are exposed to cutting-edge research by
\noutstanding speakers.<\/p>\n
\nto allow a fresh viewpoint and area of expertise to be covered. The Chair
\nof the SAC, with input from the Program Steering Committee, selects 6\u2013
\n8 faculty who are interested in teaching this course on a rotating basis.<\/p>\nStudent Seminars<\/h4>\n
\nexamination has been completed, all PhD candidates will present a 20\u2013
\n30-minute seminar on their dissertation research. These seminars form a
\nlogical extension of the departmental Seminar Series and the Special
\nTopics course and take place on a specified Student Seminar Day (or
\ndays). Predissertation committee members for a presenting student take
\nnotes on the quality of the presentation and meet with the student within
\n2\u20133 days, on either a one-to-one basis or in small groups with other
\ncommittee members, to provide feedback with the goal of improving the
\nstudent\u2019s presentation skills.<\/p>\nStudent Poster Presentations<\/h4>\n
\nduring Russek Day in the spring of each year, to improve their
\norganization and presentation skills. In addition, students are
\nencouraged to enter their posters in the Scholars\u2019 Day poster
\ncompetition held at the Boston University Charles River Campus.
\nStudents are encouraged to attend local and national meetings to
\npresent their research.<\/p>\nStudent Individual Development Plans and Professional
\nDevelopment<\/h4>\n
\nan individual development plan that is updated at least annually. The
\nProfessional Development and Postdoctoral Affairs office provides
\nmonthly workshops, lectures, and panel discussions, which students are
\nencouraged to attend as they progress through the program.<\/p>\nCourse Requirements<\/h3>\n
\nmodules, respectively, from the Foundations in Biomedical Sciences
\ncurriculum, including Protein Structure, Cell Dynamics, Genetics and
\nGenomics, Mechanisms of Cell Communication, and Cellular Physiology
\n(GMS FC 701, 702, 703, 704, and 707 for PhD; FC 701, 703, and 704
\nfor MA). PhD and MA students must take a statistics course (e.g. GMS
\nMS700 or MS75); MA students may meet this requirement through an
\nundergraduate statistics course.To allow flexibility for the breadth of the
\nfields of physiology and biophysics, yet ensure a working knowledge of
\nboth, students are required to take a minimum of one physiology course
\nand one biophysics course.<\/p>\n\n
\nand Membrane Protein Assemblies (2 units)]<\/li>\n
\nSpectroscopy, and NMR (2 units)<\/li>\n
\ndissertation committee. To achieve a balanced curriculum for all
\nstudents, Graduate Medical Sciences PhD degree requirements include
\na minimum of 24 units in formal coursework, or 12 units for the post-MA.
\nIt is expected, although not required, that the formal coursework units
\nare acquired prior to the qualifying examination at the end of the second
\nyear. Beyond 24 coursework units, students are encouraged to
\ninformally audit courses following consultation with their dissertation
\ncommittee. Post-MA students who have already taken an appropriate
\ngraduate-level course in the core curriculum are permitted to substitute
\nan elective or electives in the first term.<\/p>\nThe Qualifying Examination<\/h3>\n
\nthoughts both verbally and in written form. The necessary verbal skills
\nare developed through participation in the Special Topics Seminar
\ncourse and by giving presentations in yearly research seminars at the
\nStudent Seminar Day(s), laboratory group meetings, predissertation
\nmeetings, and the dissertation defense seminar. Written skills are
\ndeveloped in required coursework and in the writing of papers and the
\ndissertation. This process begins with the writing of a research proposal
\nusing the NIH National Research Service Award (NRSA) or American
\nHeart Association Research Training Grants and Fellowships format, to
\nfulfill the written qualifying exam requirement.<\/p>\n
\nthe second year for PhD students. MD\/PhD, post-MA, and some transfer
\nstudents in the PhD program have the option of taking the qualifying
\nexamination at the end of the second term of the first year.<\/p>\n
\nSAAC. Program faculty members serve on the qualifying examination
\ncommittees on a rotating basis. The two-part exam consists of:<\/p>\n\n
\ncorrelates with, but may or may not include, their planned dissertation research.
\nThis document is judged by three members of the SAAC committee for the
\nstudent\u2019s understanding of the relevant scientific literature and ability to propose
\ntestable scientific hypotheses.<\/li>\n
\nto test the student\u2019s ability to think critically about their chosen research field,
\nincluding the scientific methods, theory, and background of the proposed research.
\nIn addition to assessing the student\u2019s understanding of their proposed research, the
\noral qualifying exam committee can ask general concept questions to help them
\nassess the student\u2019s knowledge of their area of concentration, as well as their
\nfoundational knowledge in appropriate areas of the biomedical sciences, including
\ncell physiology, biophysics, biochemistry, etc. Dissertation advisors will not
\nparticipate in the oral defense of students who are pursuing a PhD in their
\nlaboratory. The oral examination is given 2-4 weeks after the due date of the written
\nexamination.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
\nin order for a student to continue in the PhD program. Students who fail
\neither the oral or the written portion of the exam (or both) can retake that
\nportion of the exam once in order to achieve a passing score. MA
\nstudents do not take the qualifying examination.<\/p>\nDissertation<\/h3>\n
Predissertation Meetings<\/h4>\n
\ncommittee of at least five members must be established in the fall of that
\nyear and submitted to the SAAC. Students submit their dissertation
\nproposal in grant form to the members of the committee two weeks
\nbefore the first predissertation committee meeting. At least one member
\nfrom outside the department, and preferably from a different institution,
\nshould be included in the final dissertation committee. An external
\ncommittee member is not required for predissertation meetings, which
\nwill be held about every 10\u201312 months or at least three times prior to
\ngraduation.<\/p>\nDissertation Defense<\/h4>\n
\nclosed-door dissertation defense with a minimum of five committee
\nmembers, including one member from outside the department.<\/p>\nProgram Resources<\/h3>\n
\nprograms in Physiology or Biophysics. The faculty have well-funded
\nresearch programs and extensively equipped individual laboratories for
\ncarrying out research in cellular physiology and biophysics. In addition,
\nthe department maintains core facilities in molecular biology,
\nspectroscopy, NMR, and structural electron microscopy that will be used
\nby students carrying out their research.<\/p>\nAdmission<\/h3>\n
\nroute of entry for PhD students, and MA candidates apply directly to our
\nprograms in Physiology or in Biophysics.<\/p>\n
\nfactors go into the Admissions Committee\u2019s decisions. The programs
\nseek students from a wide range of backgrounds including physics,
\nchemistry, biochemistry, biology, and medical sciences.<\/p>\n
\ngrades in a rigorous curriculum, and applicants should have completed
\norganic chemistry, physics, and physical chemistry courses. The GRE
\ngeneral test and subject tests are not required. Foreign students are
\nrequired to take the TOEFL. We are especially interested in candidates
\nwith research experience. Finally, the letters from the applicant\u2019s
\nreferences are extremely important, as is the applicant\u2019s personal
\nstatement. Underrepresented minorities are encouraged to apply.<\/p>\nAdministration<\/h3>\n
\nhas the ultimate responsibility for administering the graduate programs in
\nPhysiology or Biophysics. A Program Steering Committee oversees the
\ngraduate programs and advises the Chair of the Student Admissions &
\nAffairs Committee (SAAC) on specific needs of the programs. Steering
\nCommittee members select faculty members to serve on the SAAC and
\noversee the appointment of committees that deal with developing new
\ncourses along with the review and updating of existing courses.<\/p>\n
\nthe appointment of faculty to run the departmental seminar series and
\nplan the departmental retreat. Student Seminar Days are organized by
\nfaculty members who are running the department seminar series in a
\ngiven year.<\/p>\nThe Student Admissions & Affairs
\nCommittee (SAAC)<\/h3>\n
\nprograms, including: student recruitment, admissions, orientation,
\nrotations, assignment of dissertation advisors, and qualifying
\nexaminations. The SAAC is comprised of 5\u20137 faculty members who
\nadequately represent the diverse research interests within the
\ndepartment.<\/p>\n
\nwith overseeing student affairs and academic standing, curriculum
\ndevelopment, and administering the qualifying examination. The SAAC
\nis also available to help with student problems and to mediate issues
\nbetween students and advisors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"