The objectives of this training program are to provide pre- and postdoctoral trainees with high quality training in fundamental aspects of cell growth, differentiation, and development, and to offer an interactive environment that extends beyond the individual laboratory experience. The program is designed to expose trainees to a wide range of research subjects and experimental systems that will be essential for their future career advancement. These include: embryo development, regulation of gene expression, cellular growth, differentiation and survival, chromatin structure and remodeling, and biophysical and structural analysis of macromolecules associated with cell regulation. Program faculty members are drawn from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (seventeen) and the Department of Molecular Genetics (two) at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The Program benefits greatly from its location within the multi-institutional Texas Medical Center, a progressive and integrated graduate school, and a strong commitment from the M. D. Anderson leadership to educating future biomedical scientists. Predoctoral trainees begin the program in their second year and remain until the end of their fourth year. Students take formal coursework in biomedical ethics, experimental genetics, biochemistry and molecular biology, biomedical statistics, eukaryotic gene expression, developmental biology, and a series of seminar courses designed to develop skills in oral presentation. Postdoctoral trainees receive three year appointments and must document training in biomedical ethics and submit at least one postdoctoral fellowship application during their first year. Four pre- and one postdoctoral trainees participate in the program. A trainee orientation each fall, student rotation talks, Blaffer endowed lecture series, research and journal clubs, and an annual spring retreat are all designed to foster interactions and collaborations. A monthly trainee workshop focuses on the future of biomedical research. Trainees are selected from a large pool of well qualified applicants and many trainees advance to prestigious positions at major academic institutions following their training.
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