Baylor College of Medicine
Department of Molecular and Human Genetics
Houston, Texas 77030
Overview
Baylor College of Medicine is an independent, private institution dedicated to training in basic and medical sciences. It has promoted the development of interdisciplinary research programs and has consistently identified and encouraged outstanding investigators and medical practitioners. The climate of interaction benefits the graduate student body by expanding its learning opportunities.
Students in the Department of Molecular and Human Genetics may seek either the Ph.D. degree or the combined M.D./Ph.D. degree. In the past three years, about 15 students per year on average have joined the program. There are 482 students enrolled in the Graduate School; the Medical School has about 680 students. Admission policies at Baylor offer equal opportunity to all, without regard to race, sex, age, religion, country of origin, or handicap.
The Community
Baylor College of Medicine is located within the Texas Medical Center, a large and vigorous professional community that also includes the University of Texas Health Science Center, eight teaching hospitals, and the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Rice University is nearby. Houston is also the home of Houston Baptist University and the University of Houston. The fourth-largest city in the nation, Houston is an exciting cultural and metropolitan center. Ballet, opera, symphony, and theater are excellent and accessible to the general population. Many fine museums and parks enhance city life. Professional and amateur sports are very popular. The climate permits participation in a wide variety of outdoor activities, and Gulf Coast beaches are a short drive from the city.
Programs of study and degree requirements
The Department of Molecular and Human Genetics offers an NIGMS-supported training program leading to the Ph.D. degree. The department also cooperates in the Medical Scientist Training Program that leads to a combined M.D./Ph.D. degree.
Major research areas include cloning human disease genes, mutation analysis, genomic imprinting, somatic gene therapy, the study of mouse and Drosophila developmental biology, development of new technologies for mouse genetics, control of cell cycle, chromosome organization and maintenance, bacterial recombination, genomic sequencing, functional genomics, and genetics of neurological disorders.
The program in molecular and human genetics prepares graduate students for careers in basic science. Students are expected to devote full time to this course of study. In the first year they concentrate on course work and laboratory rotations designed to both provide a firm basis in fundamental genetic concepts and to cover recent developments in molecular biology. The program design permits students to move quickly into their thesis research project. The second year and subsequent years are devoted to independent thesis research and elective course work. Seminar programs, literature review meetings, and research presentations enable students to learn about faculty research programs and about the current status of various fields of study in the larger scientific community. An annual weekend-long departmental research retreat provides an excellent opportunity for students and faculty members to share information in an informal setting.
The Department of Molecular and Human Genetics interacts closely with other departments at Baylor and with other institutions in the Texas Medical Center. Course credit reciprocity between Baylor, the University of Texas Health Science Center, and Rice University expands the scholastic horizon of Baylor students.
Facilities & Resources
Faculty members in the department occupy modern research laboratories furnished with state-of-the-art equipment. The arrangement of laboratories consists of centralized core facilities in which instrumentation serves several investigators. Cooperative and collaborative interactions among department faculty members and between the Department of Molecular and Human Genetics and other departments and organizations enable students to take full advantage of the facilities at the Texas Medical Center.
Expenses and Aid
Tuition costs are covered in full by tuition scholarships or training grants.
Most students and faculty members live within a few miles of the Texas Medical Center. Numerous housing options are available. The cost of living in Houston is lower than most major cities. Job opportunities for spouses are available in the many institutions of the Texas Medical Center and throughout Houston.
A stipend and fringe benefits package is awarded to all graduate students enrolled at Baylor College of Medicine. The stipend is $26,000 per year. Medical coverage is provided. Tuition scholarships are awarded to students who are admitted to the program. Separate offices provide assistance to international students and to students with financial hardships.
How to Apply
Applicants must have earned a bachelor's degree and have a strong background in biology and biochemistry. Candidates for admission must complete the application form of the Graduate School. The application should contain Graduate Record Examinations scores, including an advanced Subject Test (less than three years old), three letters of recommendation, and official undergraduate transcripts. Applications receive two reviews, one by a faculty committee of the department and a second by the Admissions Committee of the Graduate School. The application deadline for admission is January 1.
Who to Contact
Admissions Office
Graduate School
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas 77030
713-798-4060
For information:
Director of Graduate Studies
Department of Molecular and Human Genetics
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas 77030
713-798-5056
E-mail: genetics-gradprgm@bcm.tmc.edu
THE FACULTY AND THEIR RESEARCH
• Arthur L. Beaudet, Professor and Chairman; M.D., Yale, 1967. Role of genomic imprinting in evolution and disease, including Prader-Willi and Angelman syndromes; hepatocyte gene therapy.
• Antonio Baldini, Professor; M.D., Rome, 1983. Mouse models of congenital heart disease; genetic dissection of DiGeorge syndrome; gene targeting.
• Michael A. Barry, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Dartmouth, 1991. Gene therapy and genetic immunization.
• Hugo J. Bellen, Professor; D.V.M./Ph.D., California, Davis, 1986. Genetic and molecular analysis of neurotransmitter release and neural development in Drosophila.
• John W. Belmont, Professor; M.D./Ph.D., Baylor, 1981. Hematopoietic development; primary immune deficiencies; gene therapy for AIDS; mammalian condensin; structural congenital heart defects.
• Colin Bishop, Professor; Ph.D., London Hospital Medical College, 1979. Genetic basis of germ cell development and sex determination in mammals.
• Cornelius F. Boerkoel, Assistant Professor; M.D./Ph.D., Case Western Reserve, 1991. Molecular bases of chromatin remodeling in human disease.
• Juan Botas, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Madrid, 1986. Molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis in neurodegenerative diseases; comparative molecular genetics of development in Drosophila and vertebrates.
• Malcolm K. Brenner, Professor; M.D./Ph.D., Cambridge, 1981. Use of gene therapy to improve responses to cancer.
• Chester W. Brown, Assistant Professor; M.D./Ph.D., Cincinnati, 1993. Roles of TGF-beta superfamily in body composition, growth, reproduction, and embryogenesis.
• Wei-Wen Cai, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., NYU, 1996. Genomic technologies; genetic basis of developmental disabilities; cancer genetics.
• Rui Chen, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Baylor, 1999. System biology; genetic network controlling retinal development in Drosophila.
• Si-Yi Chen, Associate Professor; M.D./Ph.D., Shanghai, 1983; Ph.D., Beijing, 1988. Development of new technologies for gene therapy and immunotherapy against cancer and infectious disease.
• A. Craig Chinault, Professor; Ph.D., MIT, 1976. Eukaryotic DNA replication; research and clinical applications of comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) analyses..
• William J. Craigen, Associate Professor; M.D./Ph.D., Baylor, 1988. Regulation of cellular energy metabolism; mouse models of metabolic diseases.
• Gretchen J. Darlington, Professor; Ph.D., Michigan, 1970. Molecular mechanisms determining tissue-specific gene expression; gene transcription; molecular basis of cellular and organismal aging.
• Ronald L. Davis, Professor; Ph.D., California, Davis, 1979. Molecular and cellular biology of learning and memory.
• Patricia Ducy, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Lyon, 1993. Molecular genetics of the skeleton.
• Richard A. Gibbs, Professor; Ph.D., Melbourne (Australia), 1985. Human genome analysis; molecular analysis of genetic and infectious disease.
• Scott Goode, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Chicago, 1991. Epithelial morphogenesis, cell migrations, and tumor cell invasion of Drosophila.
• Margaret A. Goodell, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Cambridge, 1991. Murine and human hematopoietic stem cells: regulation, development, and gene therapy.
• Philip Hastings, Professor; Ph.D., Cambridge, 1965. Molecular mechanisms of gene amplification, genome instability, and recombination in E coli.
• Xiangwei He, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Baylor, 1997. Molecular mechanisms of mitotic chromosome segregation.
• Christophe Herman, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Bruxelles, 1996. Proteins degradation, stress response, membrane quality control mechanism.
• Kendal D. Hirschi, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Arizona, 1993. Nutrient acquisition in plants.
• Milan Jamrich, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Heidelberg, 1978. Pattern formation in vertebrate embryos; ocular development; gene therapy.
• Monica J. Justice, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Kansas State, 1987. Using mouse mutagenesis to analyze gene function and establish models of human disease.
• Gerard Karsenty, Professor; M.D./Ph.D., Paris V (Descartes), 1984. Genetic and molecular analysis of skeleton development and function.
• Richard L. Kelley, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Stanford, 1984. Noncoding RNAs and chromatin structure.
• Adam Kuspa, Professor; Ph.D., Stanford, 1989. Genomic studies of cell signaling and development in Dictyostelium.
• Suzanne M. Leal, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Columbia, 1994. Statistical genetics and genetic epidemiology; the genetics of nonsyndromic hearing loss.
• Brendan Lee, Associate Professor; M.D./Ph.D., SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn, 1993. Molecular determinants of cartilage and skeletal development and associated human genetic condition; adenoviral hepatocyte gene therapy in human urea cycle disorders.
• Soo-Kyung Lee, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Chonnam, 2001. Transcriptional regulatory network in CNS development.
• Olivier Lichtarge, Associate Professor; M.D./Ph.D., Stanford, 1990. Evolutionary studies of sequence, structure, and function in biological macromolecules; protein-ligand interactions; bioinformatics.
• José A. Lopez, Professor; M.D., New Mexico, 1981. Thrombosis; glycoprotein Ib-IX-V complex; bleeding disorders; Bernard-Soulier syndrome; platelets; inflammation; vascular biology; adhesion receptor polymorphisms.
• James R. Lupski, Professor; M.D./Ph.D., NYU, 1985. DNA fingerprinting of bacteria; molecular genetics of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and inherited neuropathies; inherited eye diseases; molecular mechanisms for human DNA rearrangements; genomic disorders.
• Graeme Mardon, Professor; Ph.D., MIT, 1990. Neural cell fate determination, development, and degeneration in Drosophila and vertebrates.
• Martin M. Matzuk, Professor; M.D./Ph.D., Washington (St. Louis), 1989. Mammalian reproduction and development.
• John D. McPherson, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Queen's at Kingston, 1989. Large-scale mapping; sequencing and analysis; full-length cDNA; resequencing technologies; application of genomics/proteonomics to human disease loci.
• Michael L. Metzker, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Baylor, 1996. Mouse genomic sequencing; comparative genome analyses; fluorescent technology development for existing and novel DNA sequencing strategies; phylogenetic analysis of HIV-1 transmission between individuals.
• Aleksandar Milosavljevic, Associate Professor; Ph.D., California, Santa Cruz, 1990. Bioinformatics and comparative genomics.
• David L. Nelson, Professor; Ph.D., MIT, 1984. Human genome mapping and disease gene isolation; fragile-X syndrome, incontinentia pigmenti, and cancer genetics.
• Jeffrey Noebels, Professor; M.D./Ph.D., Stanford, 1977; M.D., Yale, 1981. Gene control of neuronal excitability within the developing mammalian CNS.
• William E. O'Brien, Professor; Ph.D., Georgia, 1971. Inborn errors of metabolism; gene regulation; gene therapy; using genetic models to understand the role(s) of nitric oxide.
• Paul A. Overbeek, Professor; Ph.D., Michigan, 1980. Gene regulation in transgenic mice; ocular development; growth factors; insertional mutagenesis.
• Richard Paylor, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Colorado, 1991. Genetic basis of complex behavioral traits in mice.
• Leif E. Peterson, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Texas, 1993. Genome-scale modeling of microarray-based gene networks; numerical methods.
• Scott D. Pletcher, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Minnesota, 1998. The genetics and molecular analysis of aging in Drosophila.
• Sharon Plon, Associate Professor; M.D./Ph.D., Harvard, 1987. Human cell-cycle checkpoint genes; control of genomic stability; cancer genetics.
• Susan M. Rosenberg, Professor; Ph.D., Oregon, 1986. Molecular mechanisms of adaptive mutation, DNA repair, recombination, and genetic instability in E. coli; antibiotic resistance.
• Christian Rosenmund, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Oregon Health Sciences, 1993. Molecular mechanisms of synaptic transmission and plasticity at central mammalian synapses.
• Armin Schumacher, Assistant Professor; M.D., Aachen (Germany), 1991. Developmental genetics of the mouse.
• Gad Shaulsky, Professor; Ph.D., Weizmann (Israel), 1991. Developmental genetics in Dictyostelium; intercellular communication during development; functional genomics; microarray analysis of gene expression.
• David Stockton, Assistant Professor; M.D., Michigan, 1992. Human and mouse genomic mapping and disease gene identification; the molecular basis of the retinal dystrophy Leber Congenital Amaurosis, non-penetrant primary congenital glaucoma, polycythemias, and others.
• Jeffrey A. Towbin, Professor; M.D., Cincinnati, 1982. Study of familial dilated cardiomyopathy (FDCM), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), long QT syndrome (LQTS), Brugada syndrome, viral myocarditis, and inherited congenital heart disease.
• Ignatia Van den Veyver, Associate Professor; M.D., Antwerp, 1986. Role of epigenetics and genomic imprinting in development and disease; X-linked developmental disorders.
• George Weinstock, Professor; Ph.D., MIT, 1977. Genomics of microbial pathogens and mammalian hosts.
• John H. Wilson, Professor; Ph.D., Caltech, 1971. Targeted recombination, genomic instability, and triplex-directed site-specific genome modification in mammalian cells.
• Hui Zheng, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Baylor, 1990. Molecular genetics of Alzheimer's disease.
• Huda Zoghbi, Professor; M.D., Meharry Medical College, 1979. Molecular basis of degenerative and developmental neurologic disorders; nervous system development.