Baylor College Of Medicine
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology
Houston, TX 77030
Overview
Baylor College of Medicine is an independent, private university committed to excellence in the training and education of biomedical scholars and physicians. The College is on the 640-acre campus of the Texas Medical Center, one of the largest medical research complexes in the United States, including The University of Texas Health Science Center, The School of Public Health, and The UT M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute. A low student-faculty ratio favors direct involvement of Baylor College of Medicine students in current basic and clinical science projects. Graduate programs feature a high level of interdisciplinary cooperation between basic science and clinical departments at Baylor College of Medicine and the departments at Rice University and other institutions at the Texas Medical Center.
The Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology has 70 graduate students, including 15 pursuing the M.D./Ph.D. The Graduate School has 340 students. Baylor places no restrictions in its admissions policies on the basis of race, sex, age, religion, country or origin, or handicap.
The College ranks consistently first among medical schools in Texas. With a total annual research and development expenditure of $182.2 million, the College's spending for research and development ranks first among medical schools in Texas and within the top 15 nationally among all medical schools. The reputation of the faculty members attracts graduate and medical students, post-doctoral fellows, and academicians from across the United States and throughout the world.
The Community
Long known for its energy industry, Houston has diversified into the rapidly growing areas of science, technology, and medicine, fields that complement the city's petrochemical, engineering, finance, retailing, and construction industries.
The College is located in one of the most attractive areas in Houston. The Texas Medical Center adjoins the trees and ponds of Hermann Park, with its zoo, golf course, fountains, hike-and-bike trails, and children's areas such as playgrounds, ponds, and miniature railroad.
Both the nearby University of Houston and Rice University add to the youthful, academic ambience of this section of the City. There are many cafes, bookstores, music and theater groups, film series, and art exhibits. Adjacent to the medical center is the museum district; Museum of Fine Arts, the Contemporary Arts Museum, the Menil Collection, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and the Museum of Health & Medical Science.
Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
The Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology offers a program leading to the Ph.D. with specialization in cellular and molecular biology in the areas of developmental, endocrine, neural, and cancer biology. The department has a large, multidisciplinary faculty whose research is oriented toward investigating the molecular basis of gene regulation during cell differentiation and growth.
Current thesis research projects include studies of the mechanisms of steroid and peptide hormone action, cyclic nucleotides and hormone-receptor interactions; gene and chromatin structure, mechanisms and regulation of mRNA transcription and processing; biochemistry and regulation of the cytoskeleton, mitotic apparatus, and cell motility and secretion; cellular communication; molecular and somatic cell genetics; regulation of replication and cell division; regulation of ovarian and testicular function, neuroendocrinology, implantation and embryogensis (urogenital differentiation, myogenesis); cancer biology (breast, prostate, and viral); and Drosophila and mouse genetics and gene therapy.
The graduate program is designed to prepare men and women for competitive careers in basic and biomedical research and teaching. Entering graduate students spend the first year of study in a sequence of required and elective courses. The required graduate curriculum covers organization of the cell (cell division, development, and cells in their social context), genes (regulation, organization, and maintenance), and macromolecules (their structure, interactions, and molecular manipulations). The electives in cell biology include cellular signaling, molecular concepts of learning and memory, developmental biology, molecular aspects of reproductive biology, cancer biology, integrated microscopy, and computational methods in molecular biology. A series of programs has been designed to introduce entering graduate students to the research options available and to facilitate the selection of a major thesis adviser; these include a series of faculty research talks, reading tutorials, and laboratory rotations. A vigorous program of seminars, workshops, and journal clubs provides students with current knowledge of specialized topics. The department considers teaching a valuable experience for pre-doctoral students; students serve once as teaching assistants for one complete course sequence within the basic science curriculum of the medical school. Second-year students are admitted to candidacy for the degree upon successful completion of the core curriculum and a qualifying examination. The dissertation is based on original research carried out in the major adviser's laboratory. The progress and quality of each student's research, as well as the general quality of the student's graduate education, are maintained by continuous interactions between the student, the major adviser, and the thesis advisory committee.
The department also participates in a medical school-graduate school training program leading to a combined M.D./Ph.D. degree. The academic year begins in early August and is arranged on a twelve-month basis.
Facilities and Resources
The Molecular and Cellular Biology Department occupies extensive, modern facilities that are generously equipped with a full range of instrumentation required for research in cellular, molecular, developmental, and endocrine biology. Special facilities include laboratories for recombinant DNA research, a number of tissue culture facilities, suites for digital fluorescence microscopy, laser scanning confocal microscopy, transmission and scanning electron microscopy, and computer facilities for structural/computational biology. The high level of cooperation among the various departments at Baylor College of Medicine and the institutions of the Houston scientific community provides access to additional facilities.
Financial Aid
Students enrolled in the program receive initial stipends of $19,000 per year plus health insurance. Tuition scholarships of $10,200 are provided by Baylor College of Medicine to all students accepted into the department.
Cost of Study
Tuition of $10,200 per year is covered by the tuition scholarship as described above. Students pay a one-time matriculation fee of $25, a one-time graduation fee of $130, and an annual student fee of $150 for the first year and $20 for each of the following years. Health insurance is paid by the Graduate School for first-year students and by the mentor thereafter.
How to Apply
Applicants should have a bachelor's degree with sound preparation in biology, chemistry, and biochemistry. They must submit GRE scores (the General Test and the Subject Test in biology; in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology; or in chemistry) that are not more than two years old at the time of application. Applications should be accompanied by transcripts from all schools attended, three letters of recommendation, and a statement of research interests and career goals and must be complete in all respects by February 1. Applications are evaluated and ranked by a faculty-student committee; notification of action regarding admission and financial support is generally made by April 15.
Who to Contact
Graduate Coordinator
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas 77030
Tel: (713) 798-4598
Fax: (713) 790-0545
E-mail: cbinquiries.bcm.tmc.edu
The Faculty and Their Research
Bert W. O'Malley, Professor and Chairman; M.D., Pittsburgh. Steroid hormone action; gene regulation; transcription factors (coactivators and corepressors); genetics of neurobehavior; gene therapy.
William (Bill) R. Brinkley, Distinguished Service Professor; Dean, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; and Vice President for Graduate Sciences; Ph.D., Iowa State. Mitosis in normal and neoplastic cells; genomic instability; cell cycle regulation; nuclear organization and nucleoskeleton; microtubules.
Cassius Bordelon, Associate Professor, Director of Post-Graduate Medical Education Opportunities, and Head, Anatomical Teaching Program; Ph.D., Baylor. Anatomical teaching.
Joseph Bryan, Professor; Ph.D., Pennsylvania. Molecular biology of ATP-sensitive potassium channels; biochemistry of actin-associated proteins; insulin secretion; diabetes.
Yassemi Capetanaki, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Heidelberg. Intermediate filament cytoskeleton in muscle formation and function.
Lawrence Chan, Professor; M.B.B.S., D.Sc., Hong Kong. Molecular genetics and cell biology of atherosclerosis; RNA editing; somatic gene therapy.
Kwang-W Choi, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Princeton. Molecular neurogenetics; pattern formation and eye development in Drosophila.
Orla M. Conneely, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Ireland. Genetic regulation of vertebrate development.
Austin J. Cooney, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Ireland. Nuclear receptors and gene expression and their roles in gametogenesis and embryogenesis.
Ronald L. Davis, Professor; Ph.D., California, Davis. Molecular and cellular biology of learning and memory.
Francesco J. DeMayo, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Michigan State. Molecular and developmental biology of the lung; transgenic models for lung cancer; reproductive biology.
Bonnie S. Dunbar, Professor; Ph.D., Tennessee, Knoxville. Mammalian reproduction; fertilization; ovarian function.
Norman M. Greenberg, Associate Professor; Ph.D., British Columbia. Prostate cancer research; transgenic mouse models; peptide growth factors; androgen receptors; gene therapy.
Peter Hornsby, Associate Professor; Ph.D., London, Institute of Cancer Research. Cellular aging and differentiated gene expression.
Milan Jamrich, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Heidelberg. Molecular basis of embryonic pattern formation.
Mitzi I. Kuroda, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Stanford. Regulation of dosage compensation in Drosophila.
John P. Lydon, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., National (Ireland). Progesterone receptor function in vivo.
Kathleen A. Mahon, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Yale. Role of homeobox genes in forebrain and pituitary development in the mouse.
Michael A. Mancini, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Transcription; nuclear organization; mitotic apparatus; cell cycle.
Barry M. Markaverich, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Southern Mississippi. Hormonal regulation of normal and abnormal cell proliferation; environmental estrogens and breast cancer; hormone antagonists and prostate cancer.
Gregory May, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Yale. Molecular genetics of the cytoskeleton; cell motility, cell cycle, and mitosis.
Daniel Medina, Professor; Ph.D., Berkeley. Mammary tumor biology; preneoplasia; cell-cycle regulation; selenium.(r)MD-INø.
Estela E. Medrano, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Buenos Aires (Argentina). Molecular mechanisms of melanocyte senescence and transformation.
David D. Moore, Professor; Ph.D., Wisconsin-Madison. Functions of the members of the thyroid/retinoid/steroid/orphan superfamily of nuclear hormone receptors.
Mary Shannon Moore, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. Nucleocytoplasmic transport.
Paul A. Overbeek, Professor; Ph.D., Michigan. Transgenic mice; growth factors; ocular morphogenesis and gene regulation.
JoAnne S. Richards, Professor; Ph.D., Brown. Hormonal control of gene expression in the mammalian ovary.
Dennis R. Roop, Professor; Ph.D., Tennessee, Knoxville. Regulation of gene expression in the epidermis; transgenic mouse models of skin diseases.
Jeffrey M. Rosen, Professor; Ph.D., SUNY at Buffalo. Developmental and hormonal regulation of gene expression in the mammary gland; transgenic mouse models of breast cancer.
David R. Rowley, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Iowa. Stromal-epithelial interactions in prostate gland development and cancer.
Robert J. Schwartz, Professor; Ph.D., Pennsylvania. Molecular gene regulation of skeletal and cardiac muscle development.
Carolyn L. Smith, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Western Ontario. Estrogen receptor regulation of gene expression.
Robert H. Thalmann, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Michigan. Synaptic transmission; postsynaptic mechanisms.
Ming-Jer Tsai, Professor; Ph.D., California, Davis. Regulation of insulin gene expression and pancreas development; role of orphan steroid receptors in development and differentiation; mechanism of steroid hormone action.
Sophia Y. Tsai, Professor; Ph.D., California, Davis. The role of COUP-TFII in development and differentiation; interaction of steroid hormones and oncogenes in breast cancer.
Nancy L. Weigel, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Johns Hopkins. Steroid receptor phosphorylation; androgen and vitamin D receptors in prostate cancer. .
Joint Faculty Members and Their Research:
Arthur Beaudet, Professor (Molecular and Human Genetics); M.D., Yale. Molecular human genetics; gene targeting in mouse; gene therapy and genetic imprinting.
Hugo Bellen, Professor (Molecular and Human Genetics); D.V.M., Ph.D., California, Davis. Genetic and molecular analysis of neurotransmitter release and neural development in Drosophila.
Juan Botas, Assistant Professor (Molecular and Human Genetics); Ph.D., Madrid. Genetic control of morphogenesis.
Wah Chiu, Professor (Biochemistry); Ph.D., Berkeley. Electron cryomicroscopy of macromolecular assemblies.
Thomas A. Cooper, Associate Professor (Pathology); M.D., Temple. Regulation of pre-mRNA splicing; pathogenesis of myotonic dystrophy.
Gretchen Darlington, Professor (Pathology); Ph.D., Michigan. Tissue-specific gene transcription; C/EBP proteins; adipose tissue differentiation; cellular and animal models of aging.
Lawrence A. Donehower, Associate Professor; Ph.D., George Washington. Tumor suppressors and mouse cancer models.
Henry F. Epstein, Professor (Neurology); M.D., Stanford. Genetic and molecular approaches to myofibril assembly and muscle development in Caenorhabditis elegans; molecular and cell biology of the human myotonic dystrophy protein kinase.
Margaret A. Goldstein, Professor (Medicine); Ph.D., Rice. Ultrastructural analysis of filamentous proteins in striated muscle.
Susan J. Henning, Professor (Pediatrics); Ph.D., Melbourne. Molecular biology of intestinal development; gene transfer into the intestinal epithelium.
Richard Hurwitz, Associate Professor (Pediatrics); M.D., Albany Medical College. Gene therapy of ocular disorders; molecular biology of phototransduction.
Dirk G. Kieback, Associate Professor; M.D., Ph.D., Kiel (Germany). The role of steroid receptors and adenovirus mediated thymidine kinase gene therapy of ovarian cancer.
Brian J. Knoll, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Arizona. Cell biology of G-protein-coupled receptors.
Frank Kretzer, Associate Professor (Ophthalmology); Ph.D., UCLA. Retinal neovascularization.
Dolores J. Lamb, Associate Professor (Urology); Ph.D., Texas at Houston. Reproductive biology; molecular endocrinology; androgen receptor and male reproductive tumor growth; male infertility.
Mark W. Majesky, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Washington (Seattle). Molecular basis of vascular smooth muscle development.
Martin M. Matzuk, Professor; M.D., Ph.D., Washington (St. Louis). Transgenic mouse models to study reproduction, oncogenesis, and development.
Ronald A. Morton Jr., Assistant Professor; M.D., Johns Hopkins. Director of laboratories.
Olivia M. Pereira-Smith, Professor (Molecular Virology); Ph.D., Worcester Polytechnic. Cellular aging and immortalization; molecular genetic studies.
Laurence M. Rapp, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Florida State. Involvement of oxidative stress and apoptosis in retinal degeneration.
Shelley Sazer, Assistant Professor (Biochemistry); Ph.D., Stanford. Cell-cycle control in fission yeast.
Michael D. Schneider, Professor (Medicine); M.D., Pennsylvania. Molecular biology of cardiac development; TGF(beta) signal transduction; the cardiac cell cycle.
H. David Shine, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Texas Medical Branch. Molecular neurobiology of nervous system disease and trauma.
Richard N. Sifers, Assistant Professor (Pathology); Ph.D., Oklahoma. Intracellular protein trafficking; protein folding and degradation in the endoplasmic reticulum; glycoproteins; plasma alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency.
James R. Smith, Professor (Molecular Virology); Ph.D., Yale. Cellular aging: control of cell proliferation and differentiation.
Timothy C. Thompson, Professor (Urology, Cell Biology, Radiotherapy); Ph.D., Colorado. Molecular models and mechanisms of prostate cancer progression; gene therapy.
Li-yuan Yu-Lee, Associate Professor (Medicine); Ph.D., Columbia. Prolactin regulation of T-cell activation; cytokine receptor signal transduction.