CMP Graduate Student Guidelines - MSTP Program
M.D./Ph.D. Students
The overall University and Cellular and Molecular Pathology (CMP) program requirements for obtaining a Ph.D., as described in this manual, are the same for M.D. /Ph.D. students. However, M.D. /Ph.D. students obtain advance credit for medical school coursework and rotations completed prior to enrollment.
- M.D./Ph.D. Students -- Coursework
M.D. /Ph.D. students entering the Cellular and Molecular Pathology Graduate Training Program receive 16 credit hours for their M.D. coursework towards the 32 credit hours of coursework required by the University. Two or three laboratory rotations are typically taken during the first two years of the M.D. /Ph.D. training program and students receive 1 credit hour for each rotation. Therefore M.D. /Ph.D. students typically have accumulated 18-19 credit hours of coursework prior to entering the CMP graduate training program. All CMP graduate students are required to enroll in the Pathology Research Seminar (MSCMP 2750) for five terms, though they may excused from this seminar series during the term in which they will defend their thesis. Additional coursework (for 9 hours credit) is typically completed during the 1.5 years after M.D./Ph.D. students enter the CMP graduate program, thereby maximizing the time students can focus on their Ph.D. dissertation research. Students entering the CMP program are required to take MSCMP 2730 (Molecular Mechanisms of Tissue Growth & Differentiation), as well as at least one additional elective of their choice, MSCMP 2770 (Angiogenesis), MSCMP 3740 (Stem Cells), MSCMP 3770 (Cell Therapy), or MSCMP 3780 (Systems Approach to Inflammation):
- " M.D./Ph.D. Students -- Comprehensive Examination
All M.D. /Ph.D. students in the CMP graduate training program are required to complete their comprehensive examination by the fall of their second year in CMP. The exam committee consists of the student's faculty mentored at least four (4) additional mentors of graduate faculty and must be pre-approved by the director of CMP. After completing the Comprehensive Examination, students may submit the Application for Admission to Candidacy form. This ensures that students can obtain Ph.D. Dissertation Credit Hours beginning no later than the spring term of the second year. The University requires that Ph.D. students accumulate at least 40 Credit hours of Ph.D. Dissertation Research, which requires a minimum of 1.5 years to complete. Therefore, M.D. /Ph.D. students rapidly progress through this important program milestone. A full description of the Comprehensive examination is described elsewhere in this handbook.
Additional courses required for all students during the first year of the CATER program include a course on stem cell biology to introduce the concepts, use and ethical considerations of stem cells in future therapeutic or regenerative interventions; and a course on cell therapy which is designed to teach fundamentals of cell based therapy. During the second year of the CATER program, students are required to take one of two courses that focus on angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is clearly an important component of tissue engineering and regeneration, and therefore CATER students must master this topic. A final required course entitled "Functional Tissue Engineering" represents our penultimate tissue engineering course that builds upon our prior engineering and biological based courses to teach students the latest methodologies and technical challenges in tissue engineering. We believe that our combined bioengineering and biological based courses provides an excellent and unique training experience and generates highly skilled research scientists in tissue engineering and regeneration.
- " M.D./Ph.D. Students -- Ph.D. Dissertation Committee
Typically, the faculty participants in the Ph.D. Dissertation Committee are the same as in the Comprehensive exam committee. This permits the Dissertation Committee to quickly contribute to the experimental design of the thesis project. Any changes must be approved by the director of CMP. All CMP students are required to meet with their Ph.D. Dissertation Committee at least twice per year. An evaluation form is available from the Graduate Coordinator or from the Departmental CMP Graduate Program website, and must be returned to the Graduate Coordinator after each committee meeting. Additional information regarding the Ph.D. Dissertation Committee can be obtained elsewhere within this handbook.
- M.D./Ph.D. Students -- Ph.D. Dissertation Committee
Typically, the faculty participants in the Ph.D. Dissertation Committee are the same as in the Comprehensive exam committee. This permits the Dissertation Committee to quickly contribute to the experimental design of the thesis project. All CMP students are required to meet with their Ph.D. Dissertation Committee at least twice per year. An evaluation form is available from the Graduate Coordinator or from the Departmental CMP Graduate Program website, and must be returned to the Graduate Coordinator after each committee meeting. Additional information regarding the Ph.D. Dissertation Committee can be obtained elsewhere within this handbook.
- " M.D./Ph.D. Students -- Subsequent Years and Completion
Students focus on dissertation research and are required to meet with their thesis committee every six months to discuss progress and future plans. All students are also required to meet with the program director at least two times each year. A student is awarded a degree upon successfully writing and defending his/her thesis.
M.D./Ph.D. Program Faculty:
- Michael Becich, M.D., Ph.D.
- Carol Bostwick, Ph.D.
- Robert Bowser, Ph.D.
- Shi-Yuan Cheng, Ph.D.
- Charleen Chu, M.D., Ph.D.
- Jennifer R. Grandis, M.D.
- Patricia A. Hebda, Ph.D.
- Jean J. Latimer, Ph.D.
- Wendy M. Mars, Ph.D.
- George Michalopoulos, M.D., Ph.D.
- Satdarshan Monga, M.D.
- Tim Oury, M.D., Ph.D.
- Clayton Wiley, M.D., Ph.D.
- Xiao-Ming Yin, M.D., Ph.D.
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