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- Graduate Doctoral Programs
The power of science to improve the human condition has been clear since the days of Pasteur, Lister and Koch. Some of the greatest advances of science came from purely theoretical studies. The study of crystals, for example, led to the germ theory of disease. This would not have happened if Louis Pasteur and his graduate students had not decided that the distinction between basic and clinical science was artificial. Yet in some graduate programs students receive an excellent education in basic science, without also learning about great clinical problems. It is to span this gap that the Pathobiology and Molecular Medicine has been created as a Track in the Doctoral Program in Mechanisms of Health and Disease. We provide rigorous research training and broad experience in biomedical research.
Students in this track have access to cancer research in the Institute of Cancer Genetics, which does cancer research in many areas, including lymphoma, breast cancer and important potential therapies such as the control of angiogenesis. Another strong component of the Pathobiology and Molecular Medicine Track is the study of neurodegeneration. Many faculty members in this track are associated with the Taub Institute on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, the Parkinson’s Disease Center and the Motor Neuron Center. Faculty members in these areas are interested in a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms leading to these diseases and potential therapeutics. Other participating faculty have strong interest in the development of the nervous system, including neuronal stem cells and neuronal development. The track is also home to cell biologists interested in microtubule dynamics, cell motility, cell cycle regulation, organelle movement and intracellular protein sorting and the roles of these processes in disease. Another interest in this track is the study of viruses, including the West Nile virus, the SARS virus, the Hepatitis C virus and many others.
Prospective students are invited to search the site for more detailed descriptions of the research of our faculty. The websites also contain the names of the graduate students working in our various laboratories. Prospective students should feel free to contact them about their experiences at Columbia.
The Pathobiology and Molecular Medicine Track takes pride in the scientific education of its graduate students. It creates courses and seminars to keep students abreast of the latest issues. The program trains students in basic skills such as writing and speaking that are important to a scientific career. As a result, our graduates have gone on to important positions in academia and industry.