Cell Biology and Molecular Physiology (PhD)

The graduate program in Cell Biology and Molecular Physiology has a rich tradition of scientific training and discovery. For example, members of this program were first to identify the hormonal mechanisms that regulate the female menstrual cycle. Graduates of the PhD program are now chairs of departments at six major U.S. medical schools. Today, the program combines basic and clinical research faculty who are dedicated to their research programs and to the training of students. Among the medical school programs, this faculty is uniquely focused on integrative biology: using the tools of cellular imaging, genetics, biochemistry and molecular biology to understand the integrated functions of cells, tissues and organisms post-genomic era. The program is home to the Center for Biologic Imaging, a world-class, state-of-the-art imaging center. Through this unique facility, advances in laser confocal microscopy, live cell multicolor fluorescence microscopy, electron microscopy, and computer-assisted image processing have facilitated University-wide research efforts and collaborations. Areas of research interests in the program include the trafficking of proteins and lipids in cells. genetic disorders of ion channels, regulation of gene expression during development, signal transduction in diabetes, cell biology and physiology of renal diseases, and the regulation of male and female reproduction systems.