Medical Scientist Training Program Curriculum

Boulder Campus

Chemistry & Biochemistry (BIOC)   return to top

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is internationally recognized for its research and education. As part of a commitment to continuing this tradition of excellence the department provides a Graduate Program that integrates opportunities for cutting-edge creative research and study across of wide range of areas including analytical, atmospheric, biochemistry, biophysical, chemical physics, environmental, inorganic, and physical chemistry. Graduate students enjoy extensive scientific collaboration with chemistry and biochemistry faculty and with other departments, such as Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, and Physics, and with research institutes and agencies such as the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), Joint Institutes of Laboratory Astrophysics (JILA), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Program Website: http://www.colorado.edu/Chemistry/

Chemistry & Biological Engineering (BME)   return to top

The Chemical and Biological Engineering Department's innovative Graduate Program emphasizes the PhD, attracting outstanding national and international students who seek to take advantage of the high level of faculty-student collaboration and three interdisciplinary research centers. In 2001, the department received a $1.4 million Program of Excellence award from the Colorado Commission on Higher Education.

Bioengineering and biotechnology; ceramic materials; fluid dynamics and fluid-article technology; heterogeneous catalysis; interfacial and surface phenomena; low-gravity fluid mechanics and materials processing; membrane science; numerical methods; process control; polymer materials; nanotechnology; thin film science.

The department maintains sophisticated facilities and equipment to support research endeavors, such as: an electron paramagnetic spectrometer; nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer; energy and wavelength dispersive x-ray spectrometers; x-ray photoelectronspectrometer; high resolution energy loss spectrometer; temperature programmed desorption apparatus; several Auger spectrometers; tissue culture facility; bioanalytical facility; cell culture and fermentation facility; differential photocalorimeter; and numerous data acquisition systems.

Program Website: http://www.colorado.edu/che/

Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB)   return to top

The Graduate Program in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB) is designed to provide students with diverse opportunities for acquiring a strong foundation in molecular biology of RNA and DNA, molecular genetics, cell motility and cytoskeleton, cell membranes, and developmental genetics and applying it toward the generation of new knowledge through research. Topics of current research include: RNA structure and functions, astrobiology, control of gene expression, control of the cell cycle, assembly and function of the cytoskeleton and intracellular organelles, signal transduction, genetic control of development in Drosophila (flies), C. elegans (worms), and mice.

The recruitment of Dr. Leslie Leinwand as Chair of the MCDB Department has had significant and immediate impact on the MCDB Department, in that she has recruited several mammalian developmental biologists who use transgenic mouse approaches, and an investigator who uses an embryonic chick model to study limb development. Additionally, Dr. Leinwand has increased the interactions between the two campuses, collaborating on both a postdoctoral training grant and the development of a Cardiovascular Research Institute with the UCHSC Campus.

Program Website: http://mcdb.colorado.edu/

Denver Campus

Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics (BMG)   return to top

The Program in Biochemistry is built on a foundation of innovation and excellence in biomedical research. The success of the Program can be judged by the fact that 19 Ph.D.s in Biochemistry have been awarded in the last six years. The Program's traditional strengths in classical biochemistry and genetics are complemented by current expertise in molecular and cancer biology. Together these disciplines form the core of life science research at the Health Sciences Center.

The Program offers excellent opportunities for training, leading to an advanced degree in Biochemistry. The close proximity of the Program members to other basic science departments and clinical departments provides an excellent environment for the interchange of ideas, from the most basic to those having a direct impact on clinical practice. The current core faculty is augmented by numerous investigators, who are actively involved in research in these other departments of the School of Medicine and its clinical affiliates, and who can act as mentors for a student's thesis research project.

Program Website: http://www.uchsc.edu/sm/bbgn/program.html

Cancer Biology (CANB)   return to top

The Department of Pathology provides training in the cellular and molecular basis of disease for individuals with a baccalaureate, medical, or advanced degree. The Program is designed to bridge the gaps between the fields of cellular and molecular biology, immunology, and pathology. Graduates of the Program have an appreciation and understanding of disease processes at all levels, as well as the research ability to investigate basic biological processes with the most modern techniques. The Program involves study and opportunities for specialization in the areas of experimental oncology; molecular, cellular, and reproductive biology; endocrinology; ultrastructure; and the cellular and molecular basis of disease.

Pathology is unique among the basic science departments and Programs at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. In addition to an active teaching program for graduate, medical, dental, and allied health program students, the department also has an internationally recognized medical residency program that provides specialized training in the practice of pathology for physicians. This unique combination of clinical and basic science training creates an environment where students can gain a better appreciation of the biology of human disease.

Program Website:http://www.uchsc.edu/expath/

Cell Biology, Stem Cells and Developmental (CSD)   return to top

The Cell and Structural Biology Department reorganized their degree plan as an interdepartmental Graduate Program in 1991, to provide students with interdisciplinary training in diverse aspects of cell and developmental biology. Students in the Program undertake a rigorous curriculum of classroom instruction and laboratory research that will prepare them to become independent scientists in biomedical research.

The Program has an outstanding faculty of basic and clinical scientists who are committed to research, discovery and teaching. The Graduate Program has particularly strong groups in the areas of cell biology, developmental biology, stem cell biology, neuroscience, molecular biology and molecular structure, and research related to human disease. The faculty and students within the Program are studying both basic principles within these fields using tractable experimental systems such as cell and tissue culture, model organisms such as mice, zebrafish, Drosophila, and C. elegans, as well as applying fundamental discoveries from these systems to the more complex problems of human disease. The faculty and students in the Program are highly interactive and collaborative, fostering numerous opportunities for interdisciplinary research and novel experimental approaches.

The Program is committed to training young scientists to become talented independent researchers, teachers and thinkers, and we feel that the Cell and Developmental Biology Program offers a unique opportunity for students interested in training in this area. There are now a multitude of opportunities for advancement and success in the Biomedical Sciences in a wide variety of settings, including academics, research institutes and industry. This is an especially exciting time to enter the Biomedical Sciences because of recent advances in Cell Biology, Genomics, Proteomics, Molecular Biology, Genetics and Biological Imaging, to name but a few areas. These types of approaches are at the forefront of modern Biomedical Science, and are also the centerpiece of ongoing research within the Cell and Developmental Biology Graduate Program.

Program Website: http://www.uchsc.edu/cdb/

Computational Bioscience (COMPBIO)   return to top

 

Program Website:http://compbio.uchsc.edu/

Human Genetics (HUMG)   return to top

The Human Medical Genetics Program at UCHSC is an interdisciplinary, interdepartmental Program designed to coordinate outstanding graduate training and research opportunities in all aspects of Human and Medical Genetics. Dr. Richard Spritz came to UCHSC in July, 1998 from the Department of Medical Genetics at the University of Wisconsin because of the exciting opportunity to develop a new Human Medical Genetics Program in Denver. He and the HMGP faculty are committed to a dynamic and outstanding Program that will provide vision, leadership, and focus for human and medical genetic activities at the University of Colorado into the 21st century.

The new millennium will see a revolution in almost all fields of medicine and biomedical research, as the DNA sequences of the human and other genomes become available, genes critical to development and disease and genetic variations that predispose to common debilitating diseases are discovered, tests to rapidly identify genetically susceptible individuals are developed, and new technologies to treat or even prevent these diseases are brought on line. These advances will result in improved health, longevity, and quality of life, and it is the mission of the Human Medical Genetics Program to be at the forefront of this revolution.

Program Website: http://www.uchsc.edu/genetics/

Immunology (IMMU)   return to top

The Immunology Program is centered in the Integrated Immunology Department of the University of Colorado Denver, however it also incorporates and utilizes the facilities of the entire Denver Immunology community. The sites for training are located at: (1) the University of Colorado Denver (UCD), including the Department of Immunology, three divisions (Allergy & Clinical Immunology, Infectious Diseases and Rheumatology) of the Department of Medicine; (2) the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes (BDC); and, (3) the National Jewish Medical and Research Center (NJMRC) . The BDC is located on the campus of the UCHSC and the NJMRC is 5 blocks north of the UCHSC campus. In October, 1999, Dr. John Cambier was appointed as the chair of the Departments of Immunology at the UCD and NJMRC to create an Integrated Department of Immunology. Under this arrangement, faculty within the Immunology Department have ready access to all resources and facilities at the UCD, BDC and NJMRC, irrespective of the institute in which their laboratory is located. In addition most members of this Program are also members of the Cancer Center at the UCD and have access to the core facilities and resources of the Cancer Center.

The Department consists of 19 primary and 23 secondary faculty whose research interests include development, activation and signaling in B and T cells; development of the T cell repertoire, thymic maturation, macrophage heterogeneity and function autoimmunity, apoptosis, antigen presentation, superantigens, complement, genetics, and hematopoeisis. In addition, students have the opportunity to take course work in other areas of the biological sciences including Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Virology, and Cell Biology.

Program Website: http://www.uchsc.edu/immuno/gradprog.html

Microbiology (MICB)   return to top

The Microbiology Graduate Program at the University of Colorado Denver is a Ph.D. Program that prepares students for careers in research and teaching in Molecular Microbiology and Virology and the molecular pathogenesis of infectious diseases. Based primarily within the Department of Microbiology, the Program faculty also includes members of the departments of Medicine, Neurology, and Pediatrics. Faculty research interests include the molecular mechanisms of bacterial and viral pathogenesis, the molecular biology of bacterial, viral and cellular gene expression and host-parasite interactions in infectious disease. The research programs of the Program faculty are well funded by extramural sources such as the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The Microbiology Graduate Program is located at the Anschutz Medical Campus. The Microbiology Department has newly renovated laboratory and office space and is making exciting changes and expanding its research and teaching programs.

The Microbiology Graduate Program has 16 faculty members, and there are currently 15 Ph.D. students enrolled in the Program. Close individual attention is given by the faculty to the needs and training of each graduate student. Approximately 200 students are enrolled in a variety of Ph.D. Programs at the Anschutz Medical Campus. Students in these Programs share many educational and scientific activities, as well as social and intramural sporting activities. First year students in most of the basic science Ph.D. Programs take a common core course during the fall and winter quarters, and part of the winter quarter and the spring quarter are used for elective courses. All graduate students are encouraged to participate in the Annual Graduate Student Research Symposium, where students share their research accomplishments with other students and faculty.

Program Website: http://www.uchsc.edu/sm/microbio/

Molecular Biology (MOLB)   return to top

The Molecular Biology Program at the University of Colorado Denver is dedicated to providing rigorous training to its students in a supportive environment. The faculty are applying the techniques of molecular biology to answer questions in diverse areas at the forefront of modern biology. The Program offers a unique opportunity to study a wide variety of research areas in a student-centered environment, all in the inviting setting of Denver, Colorado, just a short distance from the Rocky Mountains.

Molecular biology, the science of how living things work at the molecular level, has spear-headed the recent revolution in our understanding of human disease and led to the birth of a major new industry based on biotechnology. The goal of the Molecular Biology Program at UCD is simple: to equip students for careers at the cutting edge of biology. The faculty are committed to providing students with the training they need to carry out the highest quality research using state-of-the-art techniques. The teaching philosophy here is to instill the theoretical knowledge and practical experience that enables our students to identify important questions in science, to design experiments that address those questions and to critically evaluate results. Special emphasis is placed on learning to communicate research results to others effectively. Previous graduates of the Program are now working in academic and biotechnology industry positions.

Molecular Biology is an interdepartmental Program consisting of more than 40 faculty from the basic sciences in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Cellular and Structural Biology, Microbiology, Immunology and Pharmacology, as well as clinical departments of Medicine, Pediatrics, Pathology, Obstetrics/Gynecology, and Oral Biology. The diverse interests of our faculty provide students with a wide range of areas in which to pursue their thesis research. In addition to expertise in fundamental molecular mechanisms, the Molecular Biology faculty include internationally recognized experts in human diseases included virology, immunology, cancer biology, and endocrinology.

Program Website: http://www.uchsc.edu/sm/molbiol/program.html

Molecular Structure (MOLS)   return to top

The Program in Biomolecular Structure is an interdepartmental graduate training program offered within the School of Medicine at the University of Colorado Denver. Student training places a major emphasis on research experiences, both in lab rotations and thesis projects, and includes a range of coursework in biochemistry; drug design; pharmacology; cellular, molecular and structural biology.

The Program encourages students to engage in collaborative projects and provides shared mentoring that can include faculty from outside the Program. Such interactions are geared towards fostering interdisciplinary training.

Faculty research activities cover a range of structural and computational techniques including NMR Spectroscopy, X-Ray Crystallography, Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Biophysics, and Peptide/Protein Chemistry that are focused on a diversity of biological targets such as signaling molecules, transmembrane proteins, RNA, genome bioinformatics, lipids, and oligosaccharides.

Program Website: http://biomol.uchsc.edu/index.html

Neuroscience (NSCI)   return to top

The Neuroscience Training Program at the University of Colorado Denver provides multidisciplinary training covering the breadth of neurobiology, from neuronal gene regulation to the development, structure, and function of the nervous system. Students receive training in cellular and molecular neurobiology, neural development, neuropharmacology, and biochemistry, as well as hands-on training in a variety of state-of-the-art laboratory techniques.

The Program is closely allied with other departments at the Anschutz Medical Campus, giving students the opportunity to interact and learn from researchers and teachers of many backgrounds. The strength of the neuroscience research community has led to its designation as a "Center of Excellence" at the University of Colorado Denver.

The Program's goal is to provide a broad and solid foundation of understanding in neuroscience, and to train critical thinkers who identify important problems, generate experimentally testable hypotheses, and who draw significant conclusions from the results of their ongoing research in a specific area of neuroscience. Students completing the requirements for the Neuroscience Ph.D. will be independent investigators prepared to make important contributions to research and to the education of future generations of neuroscientists.

Program Website: http://www.uchsc.edu/neuroscience/

Pharmacology (PHCL)   return to top

The UCD Department of Pharmacology has been ranked number one in NIH funding; it has been rated within the top five Pharmacology Departments in terms of scientific impact by the Institute for Scientific Information, and it has one of the top-rated Pharmacology Graduate Training Programs in the nation.

The Graduate Program offers a multidisciplinary approach to training in cellular and molecular pharmacology, signal transduction, neuropharmacology, biochemistry, and molecular structure, as well as opportunities in the blossoming field of bioinformatics. The Graduate Program also provides the opportunity for hands-on training in a variety of state-of-the-art laboratory techniques, including transgenics, gene chip arrays, NMR, mass spectrometry, computational pharmacology, and x-ray crystallography. The mission of the UCD Department of Pharmacology is to provide individuals a broad and solid foundation of the principles of pharmacology, and to train them to become critical thinkers who can generate experimentally testable hypotheses, and who draw significant conclusions from the results of their ongoing research.

Program Website: http://www2.uchsc.edu/pharm/default.asp

Physiology and Biophysics (PHSL)   return to top

The Department of Physiology and Biophysics provides a multidisciplinary Program of graduate education in physiology and biophysics, with an emphasis on cellular, molecular, and developmental neuroscience, leading to the Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. degree. Students take a limited number of core courses, thus having ample time to pursue individualized programs. Core courses include physiology, cell biology, and biochemistry. Elective courses cover a wide variety of topics, including neuroscience, molecular biology, immunology, developmental biology, and pharmacology. In addition, students can select from a variety of specialized laboratory, lecture, and seminar courses offered by other Departments and Programs within the Graduate and Medical Schools.

The Department is Chaired by Dr. William Betz, who studies exocytosis and endocytosis at nerve terminals. Research opportunities include: membrane biophysics; ion channels; developmental neurobiology; sensory physiology; mammary gland biology; placental physiology; and nutrition physiology.

Program Website: http://www.uchsc.edu/physiology/gradpgm.htm

Reproductive Sciences (REPRO)   return to top

The Program in Reproductive Sciences, founded in 2005, is designed to train scientists to undertake research into the fundamental basis of the pathogenesis and treatment of reproductive problems such as infertility, dysmenorrhea, uterine fibroids, adverse pregnancy outcomes including preterm birth and intrauterine growth retardation, as well as cancers of reproductive organs and gender based diseases of the immune and other systems. The Program is unique among Graduate Programs associated with schools of medicine in its focus on the mechanisms that govern human reproductive development and disease from molecules to the organism. The Program's goal is to provide the knowledge and technologies necessary for research into the complex processes that lead to the development of reproductive organs, their maintenance, function and pathology in the adult and, in the female, the development and birth of the infant. To do this they integrate knowledge from several disciplines including molecular and cellular biology, developmental biology, physiology epidemiology, pathology, endocrinology, immunology, and cancer biology. The Program's faculty is drawn from all these disciplines and is comprised of both basic and clinical scientists, offering students a real opportunity to learn how fundamental research can be translated to the clinic and how to identify clinical problems that will benefit by targeted fundamental research.

Program Website: http://www.uchsc.edu/reproductive-sciences/

 

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Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Colorado Denver