Grad Profiles - Temple University Biochemistry

Overview
There are nearly 2,000 students at the Health Sciences Center, which encompasses the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy, the College of Allied Health Professions, and Temple University Hospital. The center is located on Broad Street, five blocks from the North Philadelphia station of Amtrak and about 1½ miles north of the main campus of Temple University.

The Academic Center, located at Broad Street and Montgomery Avenue, is the site of the Colleges of Liberal Arts, Science and Technology, Education, Engineering, Music and Dance, and Tourism and Hospitality Management; the Schools of Business and Management, Social Administration, Law, and Communications and Theater; and the Department of Health Studies.

Approximately 20 graduate students are enrolled in the Department of Biochemistry. A low student-faculty ratio fosters individual attention and facilitates a close working relationship between students and faculty members.

Recent graduates are pursuing postdoctoral training or holding faculty positions at highly reputable institutions, including the National Institutes of Health, Columbia, Emory, Harvard, Ohio State, Stanford, and Berkeley. Some graduates hold positions in the private sector. Such postgraduate appointments attest to the well-balanced graduate program, which prepares students for careers in academic or industrial biochemistry or related fields.

The Location and Community
The Temple University Health Sciences Center is only 20 minutes by subway from the center of one of America's most historic cities. Known as the "birthplace of freedom," Philadelphia houses many historic shrines, such as Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Excellent restaurants, numerous museums, major-league sports, and theater exemplify the wide variety of diversions that the city offers. In addition, the world-famous Philadelphia Orchestra, along with an outstanding annual series of jazz, rock, and country music performers, makes the Philadelphia area one of the liveliest music centers in the country. For outdoor recreation, there is beautiful Fairmount Park, whose nearly 4,000 acres provide a setting for boating, swimming, biking, and other summer sports.

Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
The Department of Biochemistry in the School of Medicine offers a program leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree in biochemistry. A limited number of students, nominated by a faculty sponsor, may be accepted as candidates for the M.S. degree. The graduate faculty has designed a well-balanced program that can be individually tailored to meet every student's interests and needs and fully prepare him or her for a career in academic or industrial biochemistry or related fields. The breadth of research interests within the department gives students an excellent opportunity for graduate training in many areas of biochemistry and molecular biology, including intermediary metabolism, enzymology, lipid biochemistry, blood chemistry, molecular biology, cancer research, polynucleotide biochemistry, hormone research, membrane biochemistry, and physical biochemistry. Members of the Fels Research Institute and the Specialized Center for Thrombosis Research who hold academic appointments in the Department of Biochemistry also participate in the graduate training program.

In addition to completing the required course work, which provides a solid foundation in biochemistry and molecular biology, the student has the opportunity to take related courses in other graduate departments and in the medical school.

Seminar programs involve students with scientists from other leading universities and research institutes and acquaint each student with the diversity of research in biochemistry and related fields and the techniques used to investigate them. Students also receive practice in evaluating and presenting scientific information.

The Ph.D. program is designed to take five years of study. Joint M.D./Ph.D. and M.D./M.S. programs are open to students accepted by both the School of Medicine and the Graduate School.

Facilities & Resources
The Temple University Medical Research Building houses the basic medical science departments. Excellent research facilities are available to all members of the Department of Biochemistry to conduct modern biochemical and molecular biological research. Equipment includes preparative and continuous-flow centrifuges, gradient density and continuous-flow gradient ultracentrifuges, high-pressure liquid and gas chromatographs, IR and EPR spectrometers, single- and double-beam recording spectrophotometers, a recording spectrofluorometer, liquid scintillation counters, phosphorimagers, confocal microscopy perfusion apparatus, and immunobiochemical identification equipment. Departmental facilities also include cold preparation and general instrumentation rooms, walk-in constant-temperature rooms, and teaching laboratories. The departmental library and the medical school library are located in the adjacent Kresge Science Building.

Expenses and Aid
Temple is a state-affiliated university. Tuition for the 2005-06 academic year for full-time graduate study was $490 per semester hour for Pennsylvania residents and $726 per semester hour for out-of-state residents.

Financial Aid:
Funds for stipends and tuition support are available through various sources.

Housing/Living Expenses:
Relatively inexpensive privately owned apartments and rooms are available at locations accessible to public transportation and about 10 to 15 minutes from the medical school.

How to Apply
Students may apply at any time but usually are admitted to begin their studies in September. Scores on the Graduate Record Examinations are required.

Who to Contact

Graduate Admissions Committee
Department of Biochemistry
Temple University Health Sciences Center
3420 North Broad Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140

Fax: 215-707-7536

E-mail: kathleen.pope@temple.edu

mdphd@temple.edu (for the M.D./Ph.D. program)

http://www.medschool.temple.edu

The Faculty

• Syed S. Ahmad, Research Professor; Ph.D., Karachi (Pakistan), 1979; M.D., Cd Juárez (Mexico), 1983. Molecular mechanisms underlying the contribution of platelets to the activation of blood coagulation. Structure-function studies and receptor mediated mechanisms of coagulation proteins. E-mail: syed.ahmad@temple.edu

• David E. Ash, Professor; Ph.D., Pennsylvania, 1982. Spectroscopic studies of protein structure and function; enzyme reaction mechanisms; role of inorganic cations in enzyme catalysis. E-mail: david.ash@temple.edu

• Andrei Z. Budzynski, Professor; Ph.D., Warsaw, 1962. Structure and function of blood proteins; mechanism of blood clot formation and dissolution; role of von Willebrand factor in hemostasis. E-mail: andrei.budzynski@temple.edu

• James P. Burke, Associate Professor; Ph.D., CUNY, Mount Sinai, 1974. Effect of trace metals on membrane structure and function. E-mail: jburke@pcpm.edu

• Parkson Lee-Gau Chong, Professor; Ph.D., Illinois, 1982. Structure and function of archaebacterial membranes; biochemical application of fluorescence spectroscopy, regulation of membrane surface acting enzymes; cholesterol superlattice. E-mail: parkson.chong@temple.edu

• Jimmy H. Collins, Professor and Acting Chairperson; Ph.D., Texas at Austin, 1977. Structure, function, and regulation of membrane-associated molecular motors. E-mail: jimmy.collins@temple.edu

• Jon Kimball de Riel, Research Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Harvard, 1977. Molecular biology of DNA repair in bacteria and eukaryotic cells. E-mail: jon.deriel@temple.edu

• Danny N. Dhanasekaran, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Indian Institute of Science, 1985. Molecular biology of signal transduction; role of G-protein signaling in cell growth, differentiation, and oncogenesis; structure and function analysis of G-proteins. E-mail: danny.dhanasekaran@temple.edu

• Marilyn R. Fenton, Professor; Ph.D., Ohio State, 1969. Role of zinc in cell structure and function; effect of altered zinc levels on macrophage activity. E-mail: mfenton@pcpm.edu

• Kathleen Giangiacomo, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Pennsylvania, 1989. Structure and function of potassium channel proteins. E-mail: kathleen.giangiacomo@temple.edu

• Xavier Graña, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Barcelona (Spain), 1991. Regulation of cell-cycle progression, cell-cycle exit to quiescence and cell-cycle exit to undergo cell differentiation in mammalian cells; role of cyclins, cyclin-dependent kinase (CDKs), growth suppressor genes, and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (CKIs). E-mail: xavier.grana-amat@temple.edu

• Charles Grubmeyer, Professor and Chairperson, Admissions Committee; Ph.D., Alberta, 1979. Enzymatic reaction mechanisms; enzymes of histidine and nucleotide biosynthesis. E-mail: charles.grubmeyer@temple.edu

• Barbara Hoffman, Professor; Ph.D., Michigan, 1973. Role of oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, and transcription factors in normal blood cell development, programmed cell death, and leukemia. E-mail: barbara.hoffman@temple.edu

• Keith E. Latham, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Virginia, 1988. Molecular and genetic analyses of embryonic mouse development. E-mail: keith.latham@temple.edu

• Dan A. Liebermann, Professor; Ph.D., Weizmann (Israel), 1980. Proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in normal cell development, programmed cell death, and oncogenesis. E-mail: dan.liebermann@temple.edu

• Fredda London, Research Associate Professor; Ph.D., Thomas Jefferson, 1987. Blood coagulation; enzyme complex assembly; role of surface in enzymatic reactions; cellular membrane potentiation of coagulation kinetics; signal transduction. E-mail: fredda.london@temple.edu

• Prabhakar D. Lotlikar, Professor; Ph.D., Oregon State, 1960. Mechanisms of chemical carcinogenesis; cancer prevention by antioxidants. E-mail: prabhakar.lotlikar@temple.edu

• Warren E. Masker, Professor; Ph.D., Rochester, 1969. Molecular mechanisms of mutagenesis; mechanisms of DNA replication, recombination, and repair. E-mail: warren.masker@thunder.ocis.temple.edu

• Elizabeth Moran, Professor; Ph.D., New York Medical College, 1983. Regulation of growth and differentiation in normal and cancer cells; interactions of cell growth regulatory proteins and chromatin-modifying complexes with the transforming proteins of DNA tumor viruses. E-mail: elizabeth.moran@temple.edu

• Ronald A. Pieringer, Professor; Ph.D., Wisconsin, 1961. Development of new drugs to fight AIDS-related fungal infections; use of lipids as antimicrobial agents. E-mail: ronald.pieringer@temple.edu

• E. Premkumar Reddy, Professor and Director of the Fels Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Biology; Ph.D., Osmania (India), 1971. Role of oncogenes in cell growth, differentiation, and neoplasia; retrovirology and gene therapy. E-mail: premkumar.reddy@temple.edu

• Scott K. Shore, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Drexel, 1984. Mechanisms of oncogene activation and their role in cancer; gene therapy for human leukemia. E-mail: scott.shore@temple.edu

• Dianne R. Soprano, Professor and Director, Biochemistry Graduate Program; Ph.D., Rutgers, 1980. Molecular mechanism of action of vitamin A; effects of retinol and retinoic acid in the differentiation of cells; molecular biology of the retinoid binding proteins. E-mail: dianne.soprano@temple.edu

• Barbara L. Stitt, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Caltech, 1978. Structure and mechanism of E. coli transcription termination factor rho and its role in gene expression. E-mail: barbara.stitt@temple.edu

• Robert J. Suhadolnik, Professor; Ph.D., Penn State, 1956. Biosynthesis of nucleosides; RNA and DNA synthesis in bacteria, viruses, and mammalian tissue; role of interferon in development of the 2-5A synthetase/RNase L/PKR antiviral-anticancer state in mammalian cells; analogues of 2',5'-oligo(A); mechanism of action of biological response modifiers (including dsRNAs) as anti-HIV and anticancer agents. E-mail: robert.suhadolnik@temple.edu

• Peter N. Walsh, Professor; M.D., Washington (St. Louis), 1961; D.Phil., Oxford, 1972. Blood coagulation protein biochemistry; characterization of structural domains of coagulation proteins; enzymology and kinetics of blood coagulation; receptor-mediated interactions of coagulation proteins with platelets; characterization of intrinsic platelet coagulation proteins and inhibitors. E-mail: peter.walsh@temple.edu