Grad Profiles - The University of Alabama at Birmingham Pathology

Overview
The University of Alabama at Birmingham consists of the University College, the Graduate School, and the Medical Center. The University is located in the largest population center of the state and has a wide range of research, instructional, and service programs. Its dedication to excellence in biomedical research is exemplified by its ranking in the top twenty institutions receiving research funds from the National Institutes of Health.

The Community
Birmingham is located in the lovely, rolling foothills of the Appalachian mountain range in central Alabama. With a metropolitan area that includes more than 1 million people, Birmingham is only a few hours' drive from Atlanta, Nashville, New Orleans, and the Gulf Coast. The city has excellent art and historical museums, theaters, libraries, ballet, zoo, and botanical gardens. A host of recreational opportunities, including camping, swimming, fishing, hiking, golf, tennis, and boating, are available year round in numerous locations.

The Molecular and Cellular Pathology Graduate Program has 45 full-time graduate students. Total enrollment at the University of Alabama at Birmingham is more than 16,000.

Programs of study and degree requirements
Graduate training in molecular and cellular pathology is offered by the University of Alabama at Birmingham's (UAB) Department of Pathology and Department of Genomics and Pathobiology of the Schools of Medicine and Dentistry. The program provides training leading to the Ph.D. degree.

The objective of the program is to train individuals for academic and investigative careers in the fields of molecular and cellular basis of disease, with an emphasis on human and animal models of disease. A combination of didactic and laboratory experience is provided to achieve the following specific goals for each student: understanding of basic disease mechanisms, appreciation of modern techniques in molecular and cellular pathology, recognition of meaningful research problems, application of the scientific method to problems in disease mechanisms through discerning experimentation, and effective communication of information through teaching and writing skills.

Although the program is designed to acquaint the student with a broad range of mechanisms, techniques, and applications within the fields of molecular and cellular pathology, it is expected that each student will specialize in one of the many research areas offered by program faculty.

Facilities & Resources
The research facilities of the program are housed in modern buildings containing extensive sophisticated equipment for conducting advanced research in molecular and cellular pathology. Animal facilities are AAALAC-accredited and provide more than 100,000 square feet of animal housing and space. The Medical Center's Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences subscribes to more than 2,950 journals and is located adjacent to the Volker Hall research facilities. Modern computer facilities are networked throughout the University for aid in data collection, data analysis, and bibliographic searches.

Expenses and Aid
Costs: Tuition for the 2001–02 academic year was $149 per credit hour. As indicated above, tuition, health insurance, and fees are paid for all students.

Financial Aid: Doctoral students admitted to the program receive support through national or state granting agencies in the amount of $17,500 plus full payment of tuition, health insurance, and fees.

Housing/Living Expenses: The cost of living in Birmingham is less than the average for other cities in the United States. Housing is readily available in the Medical Center area.

How to Apply
Applications to the program are judged by the Admissions Committee in consultation with other appropriate faculty members. Admission decisions are based on scores achieved on the Graduate Record Examinations (a minimum combined score of 1100 on the verbal and quantitative portions of the General Test), undergraduate grade point average (consideration is given to the curriculum completed), letters of evaluation, and, whenever possible, a personal interview with members of the Admissions Committee.

To be accepted into the program, the student should have completed a B.S. degree that includes the following undergraduate course work by the time of entrance: calculus (integral and differential), general and organic chemistry, and at least one introductory course in zoology or biology. Courses in cell biology, molecular biology, physiology, genetics, and physical chemistry are also beneficial to the candidate. Any remedial course work must be completed with a grade of B or better before the end of the first full year of doctoral study. The program anticipates admitting 10 to 12 students each year.

Applications are strongly solicited from individuals with a B.S. degree in a biological field, chemistry, computer science, or math; an M.S. degree in these or related areas; or a professional degree, such as the M.D., D.M.D., D.V.M., or O.D.

Who to Contact
Joseph L. Messina, Ph.D.
Director, Pathology Graduate Program
Department of Pathology and Department of Genomics and Pathobiology
The University of Alabama at Birmingham
1530 Third Avenue South, VH G019
Birmingham, Alabama 35294-0019
E-mail: gradprogram@path.uab.edu

The Faculty And Their Research

Sarki Abdulkadir, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology. Investigating the molecular genetic mechanisms of prostate cancer initiation and progression, using genetically modified mice (transgenics and knockouts) as well as genome-wide expression profiling.

Michael T. Anderson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology. Engineering of T-cell targeted immunomodulatory molecules using flow-activated cell sorter (FACS).

Peter G. Anderson, D.V.M., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pathology and Genomics and Pathobiology. Mechanisms of ischemic injury and gene regulation in cardiac hypertrophy.

William H. Benjamin Jr., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology. Host-parasite relationships with Salmonella and other intracellular pathogens.

Paul Brookes, Ph.D., Research Instructor. To determine the molecular nature of the interactions between mitochondria and reactive nitrogen species in a variety of cardiovascular pathologies.

R. Pat Bucy, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pathology and Microbiology. Regulation of immune responses by T cells and the differentiation of other bone marrow–derived cellular lineages.

Daniel C. Bullard, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Genomics and Pathobiology. Molecular mechanisms of diseases of inflammation, such as arthritis.

Xu Cao, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology. Bone morphogenic protein.

Steven L. Carroll, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology. CNS neurons; microenvironment supportive of axonal regeneration.

Trudy L. Cornwell, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology. Role of cyclic nucleotides in uterine and vascular smooth muscle.

Victor M. Darley-Usmar, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pathology. Role of free radicals in vascular dysfunction.

Joanne Douglas, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology. Development of adenoviral vectors for gene therapy.

Kevin Dybvig, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Genomics and Pathobiology and Microbiology. Basic biology of mycoplasmas and the pathogenesis of mycoplasmal diseases.

Ada Elgavish, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Genomics and Pathobiology and Pharmacology. Mechanisms of action and molecular structure of membrane transport proteins in the urinary bladder and pancreas.

Xu Feng, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology. Molecular and cellular mechanisms of osteoclast differentiation/function and the pathological role of osteoclasts in a variety of diseases, such as osteoporosis and breast cancer bone metastasis.

Andra Frost, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology. Investigating gene expression differences in breast cancers and in situ proliferative lesions in premenopausal vs. postmenopausal women, as well as the effects of the epithelial microenvironment on breast carcinogenesis.

Ken-Ichiro Fukuchi, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Genomics and Pathobiology. Molecular mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease.

Candace L. Gladson, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology. Adhesion receptors (integrins) in glial tumor cell adhesion and invasion.

William E. Grizzle, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Pathology and Director, UAB Autopsy Service. Expression of oncogenes and of growth factor receptors in tumors and normal tissues.

Craig G. Hall, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Pathology. Deciphering the molecular mechanisms by which signaling proteins operate.

Robert W. Hardy, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology. Fatty acid metabolism in glucose transport and calcium homeostasis.

Nirag Jhala, M.D., Research Instructor of Pathology. Translational research in neoplasia in the area of gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary tract pathology, using both endoscopic ultrasound–guided fine needle aspiration and surgically removed tissues.

Dennis F. Kucik, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology. Interactions of adhesion molecules with the cytoskeleton by studying the behavior of genetically modified integrins in cell lines.

Thomas M. Lincoln, Ph.D., Professor of Pathology and Pharmacology and Director, Integrative Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program. Molecular mechanisms of signal transduction in vascular biology.

J. Russell Lindsey, D.V.M., Professor of Genomics and Pathobiology and Pathology. Pathogenesis of infectious respiratory diseases.

Jay M. McDonald, M.D., Professor and Chairman of the Department of Pathology. Molecular mechanisms of signal transduction that couple plasma membrane receptors to intracellular metabolic processes.

Joseph L. Messina, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pathology. Molecular mechanisms of insulin and growth hormone function; insulin resistance in obesity and diabetes; hormone-regulated gene expression.

Stephen A. Moser, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pathology. Understanding the pathogenesis of pulmonary mycotic infections.

Joanne E. Murphy-Ullrich, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pathology. Understanding how cellular function is regulated by extracellular matrix components.

Moon Nahm, M.D., Research Instructor. Study of immunobiology of vaccines against bacteria.

Rakesh Patel, Ph.D., Research Instructor. To determine the molecular mechanisms by which free radicals modulate inflammatory diseases of the vasculature.

Selvarangan Ponnazhagan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology. Adeno-associated virus-mediated gene therapy.

Trenton Schoeb, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Genomics and Pathobiology. Veterinary pathologist specializing in laboratory animals; participates in research projects involving use of spontaneous and induced mutations in mice to study renal, vascular, and cutaneous manifestations of immune-mediated disease; pathogenesis of infectious arthritis; defects in lipid metabolism.

Xing Ming Shi, Ph.D., Research Instructor of Pathology. Musculoskeletal and joint disorders and the effects of glucocorticoids on bone metabolism, namely, the mechanisms of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.

Gene P. Siegal, M.D., Professor of Pathology and Director, Anatomic Pathology. Immunohistochemistry of solid tumors; experimental tumor invasion and metastasis; cancer cell biology.

John A. Smith, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Pathology and Director of Laboratory Medicine. Protein processing for major histocompatibility complexes.

Casey T. Weaver, M.D., Associate Professor of Pathology. T-cell differentiation.

Gail Wehrl, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology. Graduate medical education, especially regarding resident and program evaluation techniques; clinical medicine interests in blood banking and transfusion medicine.

John P. Williams, Ph.D., Research Associate. Bioenergetics of bone metabolism, with specific emphasis on glucose-dependent regulation of osteoclastic bone resorption.

Thomas S. Winokur, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology. Action of growth factors and cytokines on the heart.

Philip A. Wood, D.V.M., Ph.D., Professor and Interim Chairman of Genomics and Pathobiology. Discover or produce, characterize, and use animal models of inherited diseases to study the mechanisms of disease and develop therapy.