Grad Profiles - University of California, San Diego Pathology

Overview
In its forty years of existence, UCSD has progressed rapidly to become one of the premier research institutions in the United States. Built on the strong scientific base established by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD's ability to attract competitive research support ranks it fifth or sixth among American universities. The scientific environment is full of excitement, with the recent addition of a multimillion-dollar supercomputer and the realization of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute for Molecular Biology.

There are 2,370 graduate and 15,503 undergraduate students at UCSD. Trainees in pathology and related disciplines under the direction of molecular pathology faculty included 45 Ph.D. candidates, 25 postdoctoral fellows, and 18 residents.

The Community
San Diego is the center of a metropolitan area of more than 1.8 million people. The climate is considered one of the best in the United States. Recreational activities abound, since beaches, lakes, deserts, and mountains are readily accessible. The UCSD campus is located in La Jolla, which has beautiful beaches and coves. Cultural activities on campus, in La Jolla, and in the city center are varied and abundant.

Programs of study and degree requirements
The molecular pathology Ph.D. program at the University of California, San Diego, is interdepartmental in nature. It is centered in pathology, but faculty members are drawn from other departments, as well as from the Burnham Institute, formerly the La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation. The program provides a comprehensive knowledge of normal and abnormal biological processes, with particular emphasis on the molecular mechanisms of human disease. The program is open to students who wish to enter medical research without becoming physicians and to M.D. candidates and those holding an M.D., D.V.M., or D.D.S.

At the beginning of the program, students rotate through three laboratories of their choice to explore potential thesis projects and to get to know advisers. Candidates are required to take at least 12 credit hours of graduate elective courses in addition to a two-quarter comprehensive course in human pathology. The courses included in an individual's program are chosen in conjunction with the graduate committee and approved by the committee. Students should gain a good background in molecular biology, genetics, immunology, and microbiology. Each student must take two oral qualifying examinations. In the first, the student must propose a research project in an area other than the thesis research, and in the second, the student must defend the proposed thesis research. A final examination takes place in the form of a public seminar after completion of the research project.

Facilities & Resources
The program's research laboratories, Basic Science Building, Medical Teaching Facility, Clinical Teaching Facility, Veterans Administration Medical Center, and the Cellular and Molecular Medicine Buildings are located on the main campus in La Jolla and at the UCSD Medical Center. Specialized laboratories are available for studies in biochemistry, molecular biology, electron microscopy, immunology, immunopathology, and pathogenesis of infectious diseases, comparative pathology, neuropathology, coagulation mechanisms, inflammation, complement activation in disease, cardiopulmonary pathology, and toxicology.

An excellent biomedical library is adjacent to the medical school, and the computer center and central library are only a short distance away. Program faculty members are also located at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Scripps Research Institute, the Burnham Institute, and the Salk Institute near the campus. Collaborative research with scientists at these institutions is common.

Expenses and Aid
Costs: As explained above, all graduate students receive full financial support.

Financial Aid: All students in good standing in the program receive full financial support (tuition, fees, health insurance, and a living stipend) throughout their Ph.D. training. Sources of support are NIH training grants, University fellowships, and research grants.

Housing/Living Expenses: UCSD operates a limited number of apartment units for single and married graduate students. Costs range from $800 to $975 per month. (The waiting list is long, and the waiting period ranges from two to three years.) A wide range of off-campus housing is available in San Diego and neighboring communities that are within a 10- to 15-minute drive of the campus. The Off-Campus Housing Office maintains up-to-date information on rental listings.

How to Apply
Students are admitted for the fall quarter only, and applications must be received by January 15. Graduates of professional schools in other countries who have not passed equivalency exams must apply for special consideration. The ability to express oneself clearly in both oral and written English is essential. The admissions committee will consider grade point averages, course work, letters of recommendation, and scores on such examinations as the GRE and MCAT for selection of applicants to be interviewed.

Who to Contact
Molecular Pathology Graduate Program
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, California 92093-0612
Telephone: 858-534-4324
Fax: 858-534-5971

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FACULTY AND RESEARCH
Stephen Baird, M.D., Professor of Clinical Pathology. Murine leukemia virus receptors.
Roland Blantz, M.D., Professor of Medicine. Analysis of glomerular and tubular function in the kidney and the mechanisms of neurohumoral regulation of these functions.
Colin M. Bloor, M.D., Professor of Pathology and Director of the Molecular Pathology Ph.D. Program. Molecular biology of cardiovascular disease.
Elizabeth Broome, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology. Gene regulation and function in T lymphocytes.
Laurence Brunton, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pharmacology. Interactions of drugs and hormones with cell membranes; cyclic nucleotide metabolism; signal integration, especially in the cardiovascular system.
Nigel Calcutt, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology. Peripheral nerve biochemistry, function and structure in diabetes.
Kenneth Chien, M.D., Professor of Medicine. Molecular biology of cardiac hypertrophy.
Lynette Corbeil, D.V.M., Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Pathology. Immunity to natural and recombinant microbial antigens.
Daniel James Donoghue, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Chemistry. Molecular biology of sis and mos oncogenes.
Kathryn R. Ely, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Pathology, the Burnham Institute. Protein crystallographic studies of macromolecular interactions.
Eva Engvall, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Pathology, the Burnham Institute. Basement membranes: Structure and function in development, regeneration, and cancer.
Marilyn Farquhar, Ph.D., Professor of Pathology. Molecular biology of the cell.
Gen-Sheng Feng, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Pathology, the Burnham Institute. Control of signaling specificity by tyrosine phosphatases and adapter/scaffold proteins; conditional mouse knockouts.
James Feramisco, Ph.D., Professor of Medicine. Signal transduction in proliferation and differentiation.
Joshua Fierer, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Pathology in Residence. Pathogenesis of Salmonella.
Hudson Freeze, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Pathology, the Burnham Institute. Pathophysiology of human glycosylation disorders and glycan-mediated inflammation.
Stephen Frisch, Ph.D., Associate Adjunct Professor of Pathology. Tumor suppression, cell differentiation, and apoptosis.
Minoru Fukuda, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Pathology, the Burnham Institute. Molecular and cellular biology of glycoproteins.
Frances D. Gillin, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Pathology. Molecular and cell biology of host-parasite interactions.
John Guatelli, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine. Molecular biology of the HIV-1 Nef protein.
Martin Haas, Ph.D., Professor of Biology. Molecular mechanisms of leukemogenesis.
Steffan Ho, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology.
Paul Insel, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology. G-protein–coupled receptors and G-protein–mediated signaling in health and disease.
Martin F. Kagnoff, M.D., Professor of Medicine. Cellular and molecular immunology.
Mike Kalichman, Ph.D., Associate Adjunct Professor of Pathology. Regulation of nerve blood flow and permeability of the blood-nerve barrier.
Mark Kamps, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pathology. Biochemistry of oncogenes.
Michael J. Kelner, M.D., Professor of Pathology. Molecular and environmental toxicology.
Thomas Kipps, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine. Molecular pathology of chronic lymphocytic leukemias.
Theo N. Kirkland, M.D., Associate Professor of Pathology in Residence. Genetics of resistance to fungus.
Stuart Lipton, M.D., Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Pathology, the Burnham Institute. Study of ion channel–mediated and transcription factor–mediated neuronal survival and apoptosis in neurodegenerative diseases.
Richard A. Maki, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Pathology, the Burnham Institute. Regulation of gene expression in the immune system.
Eliezer Masliah, M.D., Associate Professor of Pathology. Determining the mechanisms of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease and in AIDS dementia complex.
Katsumi Miyai, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Pathology and Medicine. Pathology of hepatobiliary system.
Andrew Mizisin, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology. Pathophysiology of the peripheral nerve microenvironment in toxic, metabolic, and immune-mediated neuropathies.
Victor Nizet, M.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics. Molecular pathogenesis of streptococcal infections and innate immunity.
Robert G. Oshima, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Pathology, the Burnham Institute. Regulation and functions of keratins in mammalian development.
Michael N. Oxman, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Pathology. Herpes simplex virus latency.
Elena B. Pasquale, Ph.D., Associate Adjunct Professor of Pathology, the Burnham Institute. Receptor tyrosine kinases of the Eph family in development and disease.
Manuel Perucho, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Pathology, the Burnham Institute. Genomic instability underlying the microsatellite mutator phenotype pathway for cancer.
Henry C. Powell, M.D., Professor of Pathology. Pathology of peripheral nervous system.
C. Ann Rearden, M.D., Professor of Pathology. Immunogenetics of red cell membrane.
John C. Reed, M.D., Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Pathology, the Burnham Institute. Molecular mechanisms of apoptosis.
Douglas Richman, M.D., Professor of Pathology and Medicine. Viral detection and diagnosis; AIDS virus.
David W. Rose, Ph.D., Associate Adjunct Professor of Medicine. Cytokine-activated signaling pathways and gene expression.
Michael G. Rosenfeld, M.D., Professor of Medicine. Eukaryotic regulatory biology; regulation of neuroendocrine gene expression.
Erkki Ruoslahti, M.D., Adjunct Professor of Pathology, the Burnham Institute. Extracellular matrix components and receptors.
Guy S. Salvesen, Ph.D., Associate Adjunct Professor of Pathology, the Burnham Institute. Regulation of cellular proteolytic activity.
Jeff Smith, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Pathology. Integrin adhesion receptors in cancer, vascular disease, and osteoporosis.
Deborah H. Spector, Ph.D., Professor of Biology. Cytomegalovirus persistence, latency, and transformation.
David Tarin, M.D., Professor of Pathology.
Ajit Varki, M.D., Professor of Medicine. Biochemistry and molecular biology of oligosaccharide units on glycoproteins, aimed at understanding the biological roles of sugars.
Gernot Walter, Ph.D., Professor of Pathology. Oncogenic proteins.
Ian Wilson, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Pathology.