University of Mississippi Medical Center
Jackson, Mississippi
Overview
The University of Mississippi Medical Center, situated on a 164-acre campus in the heart of Jackson, is the nucleus of a complex that has more than tripled in size since 1955. The campus includes the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, the School of Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences, the School of Dentistry, the School of Health Related Professions, and University Hospital, the teaching hospital for all of the programs. The main campus of the University of Mississippi is located at University, Mississippi, 165 miles from Jackson.
In 2003-04, there were 231 students in the Graduate Programs in Health Sciences, 394 in the School of Medicine, 122 in the School of Dentistry, 225 in the School of Nursing, and 280 in the School of Health Related Professions. Residents, interns, fellows, and students in certificate programs brought the total Medical Center enrollment to 1,773.
The Location and Community
The city of Jackson, the economic center of the area, is located along the Pearl River, which divides Hinds and Madison counties from Rankin County. Jackson is about 40 miles east of the Mississippi River and 100 miles west of the Alabama state line at the intersection of Interstates 55 and 20. Situated approximately halfway between Memphis, Tennessee, to the north and New Orleans, Louisiana, to the south, it is sometimes called the "Crossroads of the South." Jackson is the heart of a thriving three-county metropolitan area that had 395,396 inhabitants at the time of the 1990 census.
Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is offered by the University of Mississippi Medical Center in the biomedical sciences (programs in the Departments of Anatomy, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Pathology, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Physiology and Biophysics, and Preventive Medicine), the clinical health sciences, craniofacial and dental research, and nursing science. The purpose of the program is to prepare students for careers as scientists with high levels of competence in research and teaching. The general requirements for the doctorate include advanced course work that is sufficient to provide a basis for continuing study and demonstration of the ability to independently perform original and meritorious research.
Facilities & Resources
All the facilities of the Medical Center are available to graduate students. These include well-equipped classrooms, the Verner Holmes Learning Resources Center, and animal facilities with a full-time veterinary staff.
Expenses and Aid
In 2003-04, full-time students who were Mississippi residents paid tuition of $1026 for each quarter. Part-time students pay a fee that is prorated according to the number of quarter hours registered. In addition to resident tuition, nonresidents also pay a nonresident fee for each quarter ($1167 in 2003-04). Nonresident part-time students pay prorated tuition and nonresident fees. Nonresident students who receive assistantships are exempt from nonresident fees.
Financial Aid:
Students are encouraged to apply for predoctoral fellowships from various sources. In addition, a limited number of research assistantships are available. Federally insured loans for graduate students and Federal Perkins Loans are also available. Some departments also have NIH training grant funds for the support of graduate training.
Housing/Living Expenses:
Campus housing is limited, consisting of a women's dormitory and ninety-five unfurnished apartments (equipped with major kitchen appliances) ranging from efficiencies to three-bedroom apartments. In 2003-04, dorm rent started at $630 per quarter for double occupancy and $878 per quarter for single occupancy. Apartment rent ranged from $275 to $352 per month and included the cost of heat and water. There is usually a one- to two-year waiting list for campus apartments, and married students and single parents have preference in apartment assignments.
How to Apply
Applications are available from the Office of Student Services and Records at the address below. The application fee cannot be waived. For information regarding specific programs, interested students should contact that program's Director of Graduate Studies.
Who to Contact
Office of Student Services and Records
University of Mississippi Medical Center
2500 North State Street
Jackson, Mississippi 39216-4505
Faculty
• Department of Anatomy. (601-984-1640) Duane E. Haines, Ph.D., Chairperson; James C. Lynch, Ph.D., Director of Graduate Studies.
• The graduate program provides a broad background in biomedical science and expertise in a selected area of research. It helps the students to develop the skills and insights necessary to become effective teachers and independent investigators. Research opportunities include somatosensory, visual, and vestibular systems neurobiology; motor systems neurobiology; and cell, developmental, and cardiovascular biology. The department has excellent research facilities for light and electron microscopy and image analysis, tissue culture, intracellular and extracellular electrophysiology, behavioral testing, and biochemical analysis.
• Department of Biochemistry. (601-984-1500) Mark O. J. Olson, Ph.D., Chairperson; Drazen Raucher, Ph.D., Director of Graduate Studies.
• The graduate program provides a strong foundation in biochemical, molecular, and cell biological methods by focusing on problems of individual interest. Areas of research emphasis include regulation of gene expression, function of nucleolar proteins, nuclear organization and disease, mechanism of drug resistance, design and application of macromolecular drug carrier systems, three-dimensional structural analysis of multiprotein complexes, mechanism of electron and proton transfer through proteins, biophysical analysis of drug-DNA and drug-microtubule interactions, assembly of membrane protein complexes, free radical enzymology, and microtubule polymerization.
• Department of Clinical Health Sciences. (601-984-6333) David G. Fowler, Ph.D, CLS (NCA), Director of Graduate Studies.
• The graduate program in clinical health sciences makes available to qualified students an organized educational framework that offers preparation for outcomes research in clinically significant areas requiring a strong background knowledge in principles of clinical health sciences. The program of study and research at the M.S. and Ph.D. levels leads students to a better understanding of health information technology, health-care systems, and new technologies in clinical laboratory science as they relate to clinical practice.
• Department of Microbiology. (601-984-1700) L. William Clem, Ph.D., Chairperson and Director of Graduate Studies.
• Programs of study and research employ cellular, molecular, and biochemical approaches to solving the fundamental problems of immunology and microbiology. The range of scientific disciplines includes bacteriology, animal virology, microbial physiology and genetics, parasitology, immunochemistry, and immunobiology.
• Department of Nursing Science. (601-984-6221) Peggy O. Hewlett, Ph.D., Director.
• The doctoral program provides a strong foundation in theoretical and methodological content that is essential for the scholarly investigation of health-related problems that are encountered in the practice of nursing. The School of Nursing houses one of the few basic science laboratories in the southeastern United States. Scientists in this lab focus on research related to the effect of drug combinations on cancer cells, cell differentiation and migration, and proliferation with a variety of cell types. This includes facs, facs analysis, and protein biochemistry. Other nurse researchers are involved in the Jackson Heart Study, one of the few research projects with an emphasis on both qualitative and quantitative methods for understanding the multifaceted aspects of hypertension in African-American populations.
• Department of Pathology. (601-984-1565) Julius M. Cruse, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Graduate Studies.
• Major emphasis on immunopathology, with active research programs in AIDS, especially regarding gene identification related to AIDS susceptibility and disease progression; transplantation immunology in which mechanisms of rejection are actively evaluated based on antibody identification and cellular reactivity; and neuroendocrine immune system interactions in spinal-cord injury patients. There is also active research on diseases of the kidney, including pathological changes underlying hypertension, and the progression of renal disease in high-risk population groups; prostate cancer; and on the relationship of human papilloma viral types to cervical cancer. The department has always had a strong research interest in autoimmune diseases. In addition, there is also research on hypertension, obesity, and renal disease.
• Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. (601-984-1600) Ing K. Ho, Ph.D., Chairperson; Jerry M. Farley, Ph.D., Director of Graduate Studies.
• Areas of research in the program include biochemical pharmacology, immunopharmacology, endocrinology, electrophysiology, cardiovascular pharmacology, molecular pharmacology and toxicology, neurotoxicology, neuropharmacology, and drugs of abuse.
• Department of Physiology and Biophysics. (601-984-1801) John E. Hall, Ph.D., Chairperson; Jane F. Reckelhoff, Ph.D., Director of Graduate Studies.
• Research in the department focuses on mechanisms for the control of the cardiovascular, renal, and neuroendocrine systems by integrating results from studies of genetic, molecular, and cellular physiology with data from studies at the tissue, organ, and whole-animal levels. Faculty members have expertise in each of these broad areas, and specific areas of interest include mechanisms underlying hypertension and cardiovascular disease caused by obesity, intracellular messenger systems in vascular smooth muscle, genetic control of the renin-angiotensin system, mechanisms controlling blood vessel growth, and vascular endothelial function and its role in the pathophysiology of diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and postmenopausal hypertension. Integration of this information from virtually all levels of circulatory control is facilitated by faculty members with expertise in control system analyses with mathematical modeling. The result is a comprehensive approach to the study of the physiology and pathophysiology of the circulatory system.
• Department of Preventive Medicine. (601-984-1935) Edward F. Meydrech, Ph.D., Chairperson and Director of Graduate Studies.
• Graduate divisions within the department emphasize biostatistics and epidemiology. The M.S. and Ph.D. programs provide broad experience in all aspects of these two disciplines.