The University of Michigan
Program in Biomedical Sciences
http://www.med.umich.edu/pibs/
Overview
The University of Michigan, chartered in 1817, is a state-supported institution with a national and international reputation for excellence in scholarship in many fields. The University of Michigan has one of the most vibrant research communities in the United States, ranking second nationally in overall research expenditures. The 2500 acre University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor includes the Medical School, Main Campus and North Campus. The diverse student body of the University of Michigan is composed of approximately 36,000 students with about 60 percent undergraduates and 40 percent in graduate or professional schools. The scientific, intellectual, cultural and environmental components of the University of Michigan work together to provide an outstanding environment in which to train for a career in scientific research.
The Community
Ann Arbor combines the congenial atmosphere and ease of living of a small city with the wide range of cultural opportunities typically found in a much larger community. Interweaving of the University of Michigan campus and the city of Ann Arbor provides easy access to these activities and to an abundance of affordable and conveniently located housing. The University serves as a focus for art, music and theatrical performance, and the city itself also has a lively arts scene. Ann Arbor also offers numerous excellent restaurants, microbreweries, coffee houses, jazz, blues and rock clubs, museums and other entertainment. Over 140 parks in the city and surrounding areas offer a diversity of outdoor activities, and Michigan's forests, inland waterways, sandy beaches and wild shorelines on the Great Lakes provide extensive additional recreational possibilities. The University sponsors comprehensive intramural sport facilities and activities on campus, and the local varsity and professional teams provide a wide selection of spectator sports. This combination of activities, events and amenities has rated Ann Arbor as one of the 10 most desirable places to live in the country.
Program of Study and Degree Requirements
The Program in Biomedical Sciences (PIBS) at the University of Michigan offers flexibility in the choice of any of the participating Ph.D. programs, while retaining the small, focused environment of each of the individual training programs. PIBS is made up of ten different Ph.D. degree-granting programs of the Horace H. Rackham Graduate School. These programs include Biological Chemistry, Biophysics, Cell, Developmental and Neural Biology, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Human Genetics, Microbiology and Immunology, Neurosciences, Pathology, Pharmacology, and Physiology. PIBS has been set up so that students have until the end of their first year to commit to a research laboratory and training program. Students engage in research rotations in three laboratories of their choice out of the possible 260 graduate research mentors available in the ten programs. Coursework and qualifying examinations are specific to each Ph.D. program. Many research areas are represented in these ten programs including cancer biology, biotechnology, cellular and molecular immunology, development, drug metabolism, enzyme mechanisms, gene expression, gene therapy, genetics of disease, glycobiology, metabolic regulation, microbial pathogenesis, molecular basis of aging, molecular membrane biology, organogenesis, receptor interactions, signal transduction, structural biology, and virology. Students are being prepared for roles as scholars in biomedical research in academic institutions and the private sector.
Facilities and Resources
The faculty from the PIBS Ph.D. programs are found in state-of-the-art research and teaching facilities throughout the Medical and Main Campuses. In addition to the overall strength of the research environment at the University of Michigan, the Medical School in particular has ranked in the top ten schools for two decades in funding by the National Institutes of Health. Biomedical research capabilities are strengthened by the Biomedical Research Core Facilities, which are conveniently located for PIBS faculty and students and provide exceptional technical support for research laboratories. These Core facilities include the Biochemical Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Core; Biopolymers Cores: DNA Synthesis, Protein and Carbohydrate Structure Facility, and Restriction Enzyme Store; Biosafety Level 3 Core for culture and analysis of pathogenic organisms; DNA Sequencing Core; Flow Cytometry Core; and Transgenic Animal Model Core, Cell Biology Laboratories, Hybridoma Core, National Gene Vector Core, Organogenesis Morphology Core, and Vector and Cell Culture Core.
Expenses and Aid
Financial Aid
The major emphasis of graduate training in the participating programs is on laboratory research. To expedite progress toward completing Ph.D. requirements, students are supported throughout their graduate studies. Tuition, stipend (living allowance) and health benefits are paid from a combination of individual fellowships, predoctoral training grant funds, institutional funds, or research grants. This ensures that students do not need to teach to support themselves, although all students are teaching assistants for one term for the purpose of gaining teaching experience.
Housing
A variety of housing options exist, including University housing for single students or University family apartments and extensive private apartment and house rentals in Ann Arbor. Housing costs are typically $300 to $600 per month.
How to Apply
The easiest way to apply to PIBS is to access the web site listed below and either fill in the on-line application or request that a hard-copy application be sent to you. Requirements and procedures will be listed in detail there, but a brief summary follows. By the time of entry into the Program in Biomedical Sciences applicants must have earned a Bachelor's degree or equivalent and must be proficient in English. It is recommended that entering students have a strong background in physical and biological sciences. The General Test of the Graduate Record Examinations is required for all graduate students and it is strongly recommended that applicants also take one of the science Subject Tests. Before applications can be evaluated students will need to submit or have sent official transcripts from all undergraduate and prior graduate training and three letters of recommendation. The deadline for application is January 10.
Who to Contact
Program in Biomedical Sciences
The University of Michigan Medical School
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-0619
Tel: (734) 647-7005
Fax: (734) 647-7022
E-mail: PIBS@umich.edu
The Faculty and Research
Listings of the more than 260 faculty and their research in the individual programs can be accessed through the PIBS web site at http://www.med.umich.edu/pibs/
Ph.D. Training Programs in Biomedical Sciences
Biological Chemistry
The graduate program leading to the Ph.D. degree in Biological Chemistry is designed to provide outstanding training toward careers in research and scholarship in the areas of biochemistry, molecular, cellular and developmental biology and related areas. This program exposes students to a broad spectrum of current research through innovative course structures and seminars. Students have the opportunity of pursuing dissertation research in any of approximately 50 laboratories in a department that provides an intellectually stimulating and interactive environment.
Biophysics
The Biophysics Graduate Program prepares students to pursue independent research at the interface of biology, chemistry, and physics. Faculty and students engage in fundamental and applied studies of proteins, nucleic acids, membranes, and complex cellular systems using powerful theoretical and experimental tools of structural biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, spectroscopy, and microscopy.
Cell, Developmental Biology
The mission of the Graduate Program in Cell, Developmental and Neurobiology is to train Ph.D. students to conduct modern research that combines molecules and morphology in understanding the mechanisms underlying cellular and developmental processes.
Cellular and Molecular Biology
The Graduate Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology provides interdisciplinary Ph.D. training that is individually tailored for each student. Trainees choose research opportunities from among more than 80 faculty who represent more than 20 departments throughout the University, including Clinical and Basic Biomedical Sciences, Biology, Chemistry, Biophysics and others. Faculty members are leaders in their fields and provide the highest quality research training in fields such as Cancer Biology, Cellular Architecture, Developmental Biology, Gene Expression, Gene Therapy, Macromolecular Structure, Molecular Genetics, Molecular Basis of Disease, Signal Transduction, and Virology.
Human Genetics
The graduate program in Human Genetics offers theoretical and practical training to prepare Ph.D. scientists for careers in genetics including genomics, developmental genetics, molecular basis of human genetic disease, regulation of gene expression, gene therapy, cancer genetics, genetic epidemiology and population genetics. Our educational program includes laboratory and statistical research, state-of-the-art molecular genetics, and consideration of clinical applications and associated ethical issues. There are 21 faculty who train Ph.D. students in Human Genetics.
Microbiology and Immunology
The Department of Microbiology and Immunology offers a wide range of research and coursework opportunities leading to the Ph.D. degree. Research in the department emphasizes the molecular and cellular aspects of microbial biology and pathogenesis, immunology, and tumor virology. Students will have an opportunity to choose a mentor for their Ph.D. research project from among approximately 25 investigators in the Department whose approaches combine the most modern experimental and theoretical techniques.
Neurosciences
This interdisciplinary program leads to a Ph.D. degree in neuroscience. Students select a mentor from approximately 70 program faculty throughout the university. Research opportunities are diverse and studies of animal behavior, neural imaging, electrophysiology, neuropharmacology, molecular neurobiology, genetics, and human disease.
Pathology
The Department of Pathology Ph.D. program offers training in molecular and cellular mechanisms of disease, with emphasis on tissue injury and repair, inflammation, aging, tumor biology, apoptosis, and the biology and pathobiology of cytokines, adhesion molecules and extracellular matrix.
Pharmacology
The graduate program in Pharmacology provides students with a multifaceted approach to the study of drug action. The major programs of the department include: neuropharmacology, signal transduction, autonomic pharmacology, psychopharmacology, addiction research, cardiovascular pharmacology, cancer pharmacology, endocrine pharmacology, drug metabolism, pharmacokinetics, toxicology, medicinal chemistry, and pharmacogenetics.