This Pharmacological Sciences Training Program (PSTP) is dedicated to training outstanding scientists in the pharmacological sciences. A highly productive and well-funded faculty provide a broad diversity of research areas for trainees that builds on our traditional strengths in receptors and signal transduction, cancer and protein kinases, and neuropharmacology with emerging areas in chemical biology, nanotechnology, genomics and proteomics, stem cells, RNA biology, bioinformatics and systems biology. Students apply to the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program (BBSP), an admissions portal/first year program for 14 degree-granting departments/curricula in the School of Medicine, Biology and the biological division of Chemistry in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, and the Divisions of Chemical Biology & Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmaceutics in the School of Pharmacy. This umbrella program oversees recruitment and training of first- year graduate students in the biomedical sciences. Last year, the BBSP brought in 88 students, 16 of which were underrepresented minorities (18%). Students carry out three research rotations, take basic first year courses, and, at the end of their first year, choose a mentor and a PhD program for their thesis research. Students joining the PSTP choose from 45-core faculty for their dissertation research. A very strong Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) also brings in ~8-9 students per year, 1-3 of which join the PSTP per year. The PSTP consists of formal courses, seminar courses focusing on scientific communication skills, and original doctoral research. Basic courses in cell biology or neurobiology, introductory and advanced courses in pharmacology and physiology, and elective specialized courses are required and are taken in the first and second years. A rigorous and intensive grant-writing course develops skills for identifying an important and innovative research question and hypotheses and formulating a strong set of Specific Aims that test these hypotheses. Presentation courses and a student seminar series provide students with many opportunities to hone their research presentation skills and gain confidence in public speaking. Quantitative skills are developed through strong emphasis on biostatistics, biocomputation, and ligand-receptor binding theory and analysis. Individual Development Plans are drafted for all students, and also are used to identify quantitative skills classes germane to the students' research projects. A robust advisory system oversees the thesis research years of students.
Students who complete this predoctoral training program will have acquired basic knowledge of pharmacology and related fields, in-depth knowledge of an important area of biomedical research, skill in planning and executing a valuable research project in the pharmacological sciences, and exceptional ability to analyze, interpret and communicate results. These skills provide a sound basis for scientific careers in academia, government, or industry.
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