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Leder Human Biology and Translational Medicine (LHB)(formerly HBTM)LHB Program Application 2008 (pdf.)
Information Session 2008Dear HILS G1 Students, There will be an information session to introduce you to the Leder Human Biology and Translational Medicine (LHB) Program (formerly the Leder Medical Sciences Program) on October 20, 5-6 PM, at the Medical School (NRB 354). As most of you know, this Program is an enrichment program to help interested PhD students learn about human biology and disease. A full description can be found below. Current LHB students and faculty will be present to answer questions. Light refreshments will be served. This session is designed to help you learn enough about the Program to determine whether you wish to apply. The application is due November 7. The application form and instructions can be downloaded by clicking on the link above. For more information, contact Connie Cepko, LHB CoDirector (Cepko@genetics.med.harvard.edu ) or Thomas Michel, LHB CoDirector (tmichel@rics.bwh.harvard.edu) or Kim Burman, LHB Program Administrator, (kburman@genetics.med.harvard.edu), or call 617-432-7618. IntroductionThe future success of translational research relies upon training a cadre of dedicated and talented individuals who are well versed in human biology. There is a critical need for graduate programs that provide for the integrated training of PhD students in the translation of advances in basic investigation to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. Harvard University recently created two programs- the Leder Medical Sciences Program and the Program in Human Biology and Translational Medicine- to achieve this goal. Points of common interest and the potential for synergy between these two programs were rapidly recognized, and the Leder Medical Sciences Program and Human Biology and Translational Medicine Programs have now joined in partnership to form the new Leder Human Biology and Translational Medicine (LHB) PhD Program. An outline of the Program is given below.
Goals of LHB ProgramThe LHB Program has two goals. First, it will provide PhD students with a working knowledge of the fundamentals of human biology and disease, primarily through a series of courses, to enrich their basic science training and broaden their research interests. Second, it will demystify the culture and practice of medicine, facilitating future collaborations with clinicians and physician-scientists, through activities designed to bring students into a hospital environment into direct contact with physicians, patients, medical students, and physician-scientists. The full program runs for one and one half years, beginning in the Spring of the G1 Year, and it will be interdigitated with a student’s other graduate program requirements. Students who successfully complete the LHB Program will receive a certificate of distinction with their PhDs. Students who do not enter the LHB program but wish to learn about human biology will have access to LHB courses on an ad hoc basis. After the formal LHB Program is completed, students will be encouraged to continue to develop careers in human biology through ongoing mentoring and extracurricular activities throughout their time at Harvard.
Admissions*Applicants to the PhD Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) may indicate their interest in LHB at the time of their application for admission to BBS by ranking “Human Biology and Disease” as one of their top 3 interests on their application. This is not a binding commitment, nor is it exclusive as an applicant may also check off other areas of interest at this time. Formal admission to LHB occurs during November of Year 1 in graduate school (i.e. the G1 year). To date, all LHB applicants from BBS who were in good standing in BBS in G1 have been admitted to LHB. *In the “HILS/G1 Track” students who are enrolled in one of the Harvard Life Sciences (HILS) graduate programs (including BBS) may choose to apply to LHB. All G1 students interested in applying at this time will be asked to provide an essay describing their motivation to work in an area related to human disease. Students must be in good standing in their graduate program, as ascertained by the Admissions Committee through direct communication with each HILS program head. Each applicant will be interviewed by members of the Admissions Committee, including at least one of the Program Directors. To provide more information about the LHB program, there will be an information session in October of the Fall semester. Members of our first three classes of LHB students will be in attendance so that prospective students can meet and talk to them. Course RequirementsThe curriculum does not replicate the pre-clinical coursework taken by medical students; rather, it focuses on knowledge and concepts of particular use to biomedical investigators. To this end, there are 3 full semester courses and one quarter course that are required. BCMP 234: Metabolism, HT 035: Principles and Practice of Human Pathology (offered at MIT), and BCMP 235: Principles of human disease: physiology and pharmacology, are the full semester courses. In addition, there is an introductory 3 week course that will be required, in January of Year 1: HB233: Case studies in human biology and translational medicine (offered only to LHB students). In addition to the above courses, at least one and one/half semester long course equivalents are required as electives. These will be chosen in consultation with an LHB Program Advisor to allow students to broaden their exposure to human biology and to study selected topics (e.g., immunology, neuroscience, human genetics, infectious disease, epidemiology) in greater depth. Electives include a subset of courses currently available to medical and graduate students, along with courses designed specifically for LHB students. They can include quarter courses or nanocourses. Since the elective is meant to broaden a student’s background, it should not be taken in an area directly relevant to a student’s thesis work. All courses taken for the LHB Program can be counted towards a student’s requirements for their PhD Program, as allowed by each individual PhD Program.
Clinical ExperiencesIn parallel with formal courses, LHB students will have structured opportunities to learn about the culture of medicine and explore roles for basic scientists in clinical settings. These opportunities are in the form of two courses, the Mentored Clinical Casebook Course (MCCB) and the Disease-Centered Tutorial and Clinic. Students may choose between these two courses, or may choose to take both of these courses, which are limited to LHB students. In the MCCB course, offered during Year 2, each student will follow a patient longitudinally and develop their observations into a written case. They will be introduced to the patient by the patient’s physician, and will meet in small groups with medical students and a faculty mentor to develop the case. In the summer between Year 1 and 2, in the Disease-Centered Tutorial and Clinic, students will meet weekly with a physician-scientist and/or physician, to explore a particular disease. Patient presentations and visits to clinics will be included each week. Each LHB student will also be assigned a clinical mentor, chosen according to the student’s research interests, if a student so desires. Links:Coming Soon. LHB Program Administration
Co-Directors
Associate Directors
Pat D’AmoreProf. of Ophthalmology Opthalmology, 20 Stanford St., 2 West David GolanProfessor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology Harvard Medical School Seeley G. Mudd Building, Room 304C (617) 432-2256 Steering Committee
Jim Adelstein Paul C. Cabot Distinguished Professor of Medical Biophysics HMS, Pathology TMEC 145 james_adelstein@hms.harvard.edu 617-432-3997 David Altshuler Assoc. Prof. of Genetics MGH, Genetics Richard B. Simches Research Bldg 185 Cambridge St, CPZN-6818 altshuler@molbio.mgh.harvard.edu 617-726-5940 Frank Bunn Professor of Medicine Department of Medicine Brigham and Women’s Hospital Karp Building, Rm 5-215 617-732-5841
Elizabeth Engle Assoc. Prof. of Neurology CHB, Neurology Enders 560.2, Div. of Genetics 617-919-4030
Deborah Hung Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics MGH, Simches Building 7208, 185 Cambridge St Boston, MA 02114 617/643-3117 Randy King Assist. Prof. of Cell Biology HMS, Cell Biology Seeley G. Mudd Bldg. 604 617-432-3629 Joe Loscalzo, Chair Hersey Professor of Medicine Head of the Department of Medicine Brigham and Women’s Hospital (617) 732-6340
Richard Maas Professor of Medicine BWH Genetics, NRB 458h 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur Boston, MA 02115 Phone 617/732-5856 Vamsi Mootha Assistant Professor of Systems Biology MGH, Simches Building, 185 Cambridge St. Boston, MA 02114 617/432-5730 David Reich Assist. Prof. of Genetics HMS, Genetics NRB 336 reich@receptor.med.harvard.edu 617-432-6548 Tony Rosenzweig Professor of Medicine BIDMC, SL-456, 330 Brookline Ave 617/667-7444
Board of Fellows
Christie Hershey, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellow Yang Laboratory HMS, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics 617-432-5416 Robert Lue, PhD Professor of the Practice of Molecular and Cellular Biology Biological Laboratories 1081, Harvard University 617/495-9924 Elio Raviola Bullard Prof. of Neurobiology HMS, Neurobiology B2-201 617-432-1742
Heidi Rehm Instructor in Pathology/Markey Alumnus Harvard-Partners Ctr. for Genetics & Genomics 65 Landsdowne Street Cambridge, MA 617-768-8291
Jeffery Tong Vice President/Markey Alumnus Infinity Pharmaceuticals 780 Memorial Dr. Cambridge, MA 617-453-1198 |
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