College: School of Medicine and Public Health
Designation: Department
Major: Cellular and Molecular Pathology
Degrees Offered: M.S., Ph.D.
Other: Ph.D. Minor
Faculty: Professors Allen-Hoffmann, Bresnick, Burlingham, Downs, Fabry, Fleming, Friedl, Greenspan, Griep, Hardin, Jarjour, Kenney, Klein, Malter, Messing, Mosher, Oberley, Peters, Rapraeger, Sandor, Sondel, Splitter, Sun, Watkins; Associate Professors Alexander, Atwood, Boekhoff-Falk, Djamali, Fritsch, Huttenlocher, Lee, Lyons, Sheehan, Sheibani, Suresh, Woods; Assistant Professors Coon, Denlinger, Hematti, Jaume, O'Connor, Olson, Seroogy, Slukvin, Talaat, Zhong
The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine offers a Doctor of Philosophy in Cellular and Molecular Pathology (CMP). Students are admitted only for the Ph.D. program; a Master of Science degree is awarded only under special circumstances. The department also offers a Capstone Certificate in Laboratory Quality Management for students not currently enrolled in a UW-Madison graduate degree program. Capstone Certificate applicants are admitted as Special Students through the Division of Continuing Studies; see www.dcs.wisc.edu/capstone.
Cellular and Molecular Pathology Ph.D. candidates will study a biological process with a central focus on understanding the pathogenesis of human disease. Successful applicants will come to the program with a solid background in the biological sciences and should be interested in developing a link between basic scientific discovery and its application to the treatment of human diseases. The Ph.D. program in pathology does not include the study of forensic or anatomic/surgical pathology.
The Cellular and Molecular Pathology program features four main biologic process foci: cancer biology, immunology, extracellular matrices, and neuroscience. These diverse research areas are tied together by the common goal of explaining the mechanisms of human disease they share. The core classroom training in the program is focused on disease pathogenesis. CMP students are able to fulfill their remaining coursework requirements in a focused minor from courses in numerous other campus departments in consultation with their advisor depending on their research focus. The breadth of coursework options and research interests of CMP trainers allow for students to receive cutting-edge training in all aspects of modern cellular and molecular biology. Prospective students are encouraged to explore the CMP program’s website to find more information on the program and the research being performed by CMP trainers. New graduate students are encouraged to rotate through three laboratories before deciding on their area of interest. Research, under the direction of a major professor, begins during the first year of graduate study and culminates in the thesis, typically in the fifth year of training.
The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine serves as a center for our program integrating faculty and trainers from multiple departments on campus into a unified training program in Cellular and Molecular Pathology. Our faculty include more than 40 National Institutes of Health/National Science Foundation funded investigators focusing on research programs in Cancer Pathology (Cell Signaling, Growth Factors and Cytokines), Immunopathology (Infectious Diseases, Host-Parasite Interactions, SIV, HIV, Mycobacterium, Transplantation Rejection and Mechanisms of Inflammation), Extracellular Matrices and Signal Transduction Cascades, Neuropathology (Neuroimmunology, Multiple Sclerosis, Astrocyte and Glial Function, and Alzheimer's Disease) and Molecular Medicine (Gene Therapy, Gene Expression).
At graduation, our program alumni are recruited for post-doctoral fellowships at prestigious research universities throughout the country and the world. Our program provides all of its graduate students with competitive financial support throughout their training program, from individual grants, departmental assistantships or training grants.
For more information: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, 6152 Medical Sciences Center, 1300 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706; 608/262-2665; fax 608/265-8787; gradinfo@pathology.wisc.edu; www.pathology.wisc.edu/gradprogram.