State University of New York
Downstate Medical Center
Brooklyn, New York
Overview
In addition to the School of Graduate Studies, SUNY Downstate Medical Center comprises the Colleges of Medicine, Health Related Professions, Nursing, and the State University Hospital. King's County Hospital Center is located just across the main avenue from SUNY Downstate. Also, SUNY Downstate has affiliations with many research institutes and teaching hospitals in Brooklyn and Staten Island. In the Basic Science Building, where most research laboratories are located, there is a graduate student lounge with computers.
The Health Science Education Building includes modern classrooms and teaching laboratories. The Student Center, adjacent to the dormitories, has a swimming pool and squash courts as well as other athletic and meeting facilities. An extensive program of extracurricular courses and other organized activities is offered at the Student Center.
Total student enrollment at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center in fall 2007 was 1,430, with 80 students in the School of Graduate Studies, 795 students in the College of Medicine (including the M.P.H. program), 325 students in the College of Nursing, and 228 students in the College of Health Related Professions. In fall 2007, 44 percent of the students in the School of Graduate Studies were women.
The Location and Community
New York City is one of the world's leading educational and cultural centers. The School is located only minutes away from the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and Brooklyn Museum; a short distance by public transportation from the superb cultural facilities of lower Manhattan; and within an hour by public transportation of Manhattan's world-renowned concert halls, fine art museums, and Broadway theaters. Student discount tickets are available for many plays and musical performances. There are excellent recreational facilities in the New York metropolitan area and extensive opportunities for skiing, hiking, and camping within a 2-hour drive.
Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
The School of Graduate Studies of the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Medical Center grants two Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees, one in neural and behavioral science and the other in molecular and cellular biology. In addition, both programs offer training leading to a combined M.D./Ph.D.
The chief objective of the School is to educate students to become investigators and teachers in the biomedical sciences. Each student's academic program includes a thorough foundation in current biomedical sciences, as well as in-depth studies in a particular area of research interest. Most students complete their formal course requirements within the first two years of study, after which their efforts are focused primarily on their research, leading eventually to a formal thesis proposal and thesis defense. Students select a thesis adviser after completion of two research rotations in their chosen area. Both doctoral programs sponsor seminar series of invited, prestigious speakers. All graduate students are enrolled as student members in the New York Academy of Sciences, which sponsors events such as lectures and seminars. Through a recent affiliation, students may be eligible to do rotations at the MRC Centre for Synaptic Plasticity at the University of Bristol, England.
In the last five years, 94 percent of graduates have continued on to postdoctoral positions at excellent academic institutions. Also, the developing Advanced Biotechnology Park, located adjacent to the campus, provides students with opportunities to do rotations in an industrial setting. As part of a strategic alliance with Polytechnic University for fostering research and education in biomedicine and bioengineering, numerous research collaborations with investigators from the neighboring campus are flourishing. In addition, faculty members from the School of Graduate Studies provide the biomedical sciences portion of Polytechnic University's M.S. program in biomedical engineering. Areas of combined faculty expertise include molecular genetics, biomaterials, drug delivery systems, bioimaging, and neuroengineering. A joint Ph.D. program in biomedical engineering is pending approval.
Facilities & Resources
Extensive research facilities are available in the laboratories of individual faculty members at SUNY Downstate. There are also excellent institutional core facilities for DNA synthesis and purification, electron microscopy, peptide analysis, mass spectrometry, cell imaging and confocal microscopy, a transgenic mouse facility, a microarray laboratory, a central animal facility, a computer center, a scientific instrumentation center, and a central photographic and illustration service.
The Medical Research Library of Brooklyn occupies three floors of the modern Health Science Education Building. It has extensive computer-related resources for information retrieval and subscribes to 1,846 periodicals. Through the library's Web site, students have 24-hour access to the online catalog, electronic journals, and databases. The circulating collection holds 46,072 books and 260,613 bound journals, making it one of the largest medical libraries in the U.S.
Expenses and Aid
In 2007-08, tuition for full-time graduate students was $7300 per year for New York State residents and $11,500 per year for nonresidents. Student fees were $220 per year. All matriculating students are eligible for tuition waiver fellowships.
Financial Aid:
Most graduate students are supported through a comprehensive program of financial aid based on support from institutional sources and extramural grant funds. Students entering Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. programs in fall 2007 receive twelve-month stipends, including discretionary funds totaling $22,065.
Housing/Living Expenses:
Accommodations for single and married students are available in the campus residence halls. All student rooms and study lounges have been wired for fast Internet access. The minimum yearly cost for a single student in 2004-05 is $5487. Students may live in off-campus housing near the School or elsewhere in the metropolitan area. Off-campus rental costs vary widely.
How to Apply
Students are selected by a Schoolwide admissions committee and are admitted on a rolling basis, usually for the fall semester. Applicants are required to submit official undergraduate transcripts, Graduate Record Examinations scores, and two letters of recommendation. M.D./Ph.D. applicants must submit separate applications to both the College of Medicine and the School of Graduate Studies. Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply well in advance of the April 1 deadline preceding the fall in which they wish to enter. Review of Ph.D. applications begins in January.
Applicants are selected based on their qualifications, without regard to race, color, sex, or national origin. Qualities such as demonstrated interest in research, intellectual curiosity, perceptivity, and ability to reason, as well as enthusiastic letters of recommendation and a record of high academic achievement, all play an important role in the selection process.
Who to Contact
Denise Sheares, Director of Admissions
School of Graduate Studies
SUNY Downstate Medical Center
450 Clarkson Avenue, Box 41P
Brooklyn, New York 11203-2098
718-270-2738
E-mail: denise.sheares@downstate.edu
Faculty
• Vahé E. Amassian, M.B. Magnetic or electrical transcranial stimulation of humans and animal models in analyzing various functions.
• Randall L. Barbour, Ph.D. Optical tomographic imaging methods for the evaluation of tissue function.
• Olcay A. Batuman, M.D. Molecular level studies of vascular endothelial functions in pathogenesis of human diseases.
• Henri Begleiter, Ph.D. Mathematical models and genetics of brain function; human neurophysiology; genetic studies of alcoholism.
• Larry S. Benardo, M.D., Ph.D. Cortical inhibitory circuits and their modulation; mechanisms of epileptogenesis.
• Peter J. Bergold, Ph.D. Analysis of the pathophysiology of neuronal disorders.
• Paulette Bernd, Ph.D. Nerve growth factors and their receptors; developmental neurobiology; cardiac development.
• Stacy W. Blain, Ph.D. Cell cycle progression, focusing on the cyclin-cdks and their inhibitors, the Cip/Kips and Ink4s.
• Martin Bluth, M.D., Ph.D. ICAM, selectin in leukocytes; PBMC in inflammatory diseases; IgE in autoimmunity, transplantation, and viral infections.
• Mohamed Boutjdir, Ph.D. Autonomic regulation of native and heterologously expressed ion channels; intracellular signaling; arrhythmias.
• John K. Chapin, Ph.D. Technologies for recording from large populations of neurons in sensory and motor areas of brain; neurorobotics.
• Brahim Chaqour, Ph.D. Mechano-transduction mechanisms and regulation and function of mechano-sensitive genes (e.g., Cyr61, CTGF, Nov).
• William J. Chirico, Ph.D. Growth factors: biogenesis, angiogenesis, and cancer; chaperone-dependent protein folding and translocation.
• Eva B. Cramer, Ph.D. Early inflammatory response in intestinal and urinary tract infections; mucosal immunity.
• Howard A. Crystal, M.D. Clinicopathologic and epidemiologic studies of memory and cognition in normal aging and dementia.
• Diana L. Dow-Edwards, Ph.D. Developmental toxicity of AZT, cocaine; drug abuse, brain imaging, and behavior.
• Helen G. Durkin, Ph.D. Immune responses in HIV-1 disease; regulation of allergic/IgE responses.
• Nabil El-Sherif, M.D. Molecular biology/pathophysiology of postinfarction cardiac remodeling.
• André A. Fenton, Ph.D. Studies of spatial cognition, memory and hippocampal function, using integrated methods of research.
• Miriam H. Feuerman, Ph.D. Identification of genes regulating gene expression during liver regeneration; susceptibility to tumorigenesis.
• Steven E. Fox, Ph.D. Hippocampal EEG rhythms and location-specific firing of cells.
• Robert F. Furchgott, Ph.D. Mechanisms of relaxation of vascular smooth muscle by endogenous and exogenous nitric oxide and by light.
• Gregory G. Gick, Ph.D. Molecular mechanisms underlying regulation of mammalian Na, K-ATPase subunit gene expression.
• Alan R. Gintzler, Ph.D. Biochemistry of addiction/narcotic tolerance; G protein cascades; gender-dependent regulation of pain.
• Mimi N. Halpern, Ph.D. Nasal chemical senses: transduction, coding, development, degeneration/regeneration, and functional analysis.
• Christopher U. Hellen, D.Phil. Roles of eukaryotic initiation factors (eIFs) in translation of viral and cellular mRNAs.
• Ellen Hsu, Ph.D. Molecular mechanisms in generation of antibody diversity; DNA rearrangement and somatic hypermutation.
• M. Mahmood Hussain, Ph.D., Lic. Med. Protein-protein interactions and molecular mechanisms of intestinal lipoprotein assembly.
• Xian-Cheng Jiang, Ph.D. Creation and development of mouse models for study of relation between lipid metabolism and heart disease.
• Ira S. Kass, Ph.D. Mechanisms of anoxic damage to brain.
• Elizabeth Kornecki, Ph.D. Molecular mechanisms of platelet/endothelial cell adhesion underlying inflammatory thrombosis.
• John L. Kubie, Ph.D. Rat hippocampus: navigation, learning, and memory.
• Brehon C. Laurent, Ph.D. Roles of two related chromatin-remodeling complexes in cell-cycle progression and transcriptional regulation.
• John A. Lewis, Ph.D. Inhibition of interferon-induced signal transduction by viruses; regulation of gene expression by interferons.
• Douglas S. F. Ling, Ph.D. Cortical inhibitory circuits and regulation of excitatory transmission; epilepsy and synaptic plasticity.
• William W. Lytton, M.D. Computer modeling of neurons and neural networks; applications to epilepsy, stroke, learning, and memory.
• Mary Makowske, Ph.D. Protein kinase C isozymes in cell growth and differentiation.
• Maureen V. McLeod, Ph.D. Signal transduction mechanisms that regulate growth and development; nuclear import and export.
• Lisa R. Merlin, M.D. Role of metabotropic glutamate receptors in epilepsy; network properties of hippocampus; synaptic plasticity.
• Hillary B. Michelson, Ph.D. Functional connectivity, morphology, and maturation of hippocampal inhibitory circuitry; epilepsy.
• Josef Michl, M.D. Host defense against infection and cancer; molecular carcinogenesis in novel disease models.
• Donald R. Mills, Ph.D. Translational regulation of gene expression in prokaryotes.
• Suzanne S. Mirra, M.D. Neuropathology of Alzheimer's disease, other neurodegenerative disorders, and vascular dementia.
• Foroozan Mokhtarian, M.P.H., Ph.D. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis used to test potential therapeutic agents for MS.
• Robert U. Muller, Ph.D. Molecular, synaptic, and network foundations of spatial memory and learning in rodents; hippocampus.
• Allen J. Norin, Ph.D. Role of the Haymaker gene product in cancer and normal cell physiology.
• Maja Nowakowski, Ph.D. Macrophage immune functions and NO production in infections; lung immunity in infection and inflammation.
• George K. Ojakian, Ph.D. Integrin signaling pathways and regulation of epithelial tubule formation.
• Camilo A. Parada, Ph.D. Mechanism(s) by which the HIV-1-encoded Tat protein enhances HIV-1 transcription.
• Nicholas J. Penington, Ph.D. Neuropharmacology of 5-HT neurons: patch clamp studies, signal transduction, and ion channel modulation.
• Katherine L. Perkins, Ph.D. Synaptic transmission in the hippocampus, primarily GABAergic transmission; depolarizing GABA response.
• Tatyana Pestova, D.Sc. Mechanism of initiation of eukaryotic protein synthesis.
• Matthew R. Pincus, M.D., Ph.D. Oncogenesis; oncoprotein structure; mitogenic signal transduction; design of anticancer agents.
• Christopher A. J. Roman, Ph.D. Regulation of B-cell development; B-cell immunodeficiencies; cancer.
• Leonard A. Rosenblum, Ph.D. Primate behavioral and brain development; psychopathology; psychopharmacology; psychoimmunology.
• Julie I. Rushbrook, Ph.D. Expression and modification of developmental myosins; allosterism of NAD+-isocitrate dehydrogenase.
• Todd C. Sacktor, M.D. Protein kinase C isozymes; PKMζ; long-term potentiation; long-term depression; learning and memory.
• Frank R. Scalia, Ph.D. Target recognition during development and regeneration of the visual pathway.
• M. A. Q. Siddiqui, Ph.D. Gene regulation in muscle development and disease; signal transduction pathways; transcriptional adaptation.
• Sheryl S. Smith, Ph.D. Neurosteroid effects on GABA-A receptor plasticity; hippocampal physiology; anxiety and epilepsy.
• Armin Stelzer, M.D., Ph.D. Hippocampus; synaptic plasticity; role of synaptic inhibition; regulation of GABA receptor.
• Mark G. Stewart, M.D., Ph.D. Physiology and pathophysiology of limbic neurons and limbic neuron circuits.
• Alfred Stracher, Ph.D. Molecular basis of neuromuscular and neurodegenerative disorders, role of calpain; design of protease inhibitors.
• Gladys N. Teitelman, Ph.D. Pancreatic islet cell differentiation; isolation of insulin precursor cells, signals that control their maturation.
• Henri Tiedge, Ph.D. Neuronal gene expression; RNA transport; dendritic protein synthesis; synaptic plasticity; Alzheimer's disease.
• Roger D. Traub, M.D. Studies of how large populations of neurons generate collective behaviors; electrophysiology; computer modeling.
• Mario Vassalle, M.D. Electrophysiology of the heart: automaticity, ionic mechanisms and control in relation to impulse formation.
• Michael A. Wagner, Ph.D. Molecular mechanisms underlying vertebrate neurogenesis; tumor suppressor genes; cardiogenesis.
• Dalton Wang, Ph.D. Chemosignal transduction in vomeronasal system; protein chemistry; chemoattractive compounds.
• Keith Williams, Ph.D. Structure, function, pharmacology, and regulation of glutamate receptors.
• Robert K. S. Wong, Ph.D. Calcium and intercellular signaling and circuit organization of the hippocampus.
• Michael E. Zenilman, M.D. Gastrointestinal and pancreatic surgery and molecular physiology; laparoscopic surgery; aging.