Program Requirements::
Program requirements for Ph.D. and MD/Ph.D. are identical except that MD/Ph.D. students receive credit for medical school coursework and rotations completed prior to entering the CBMP program.
University of Pittsburgh guidelines dictate that a minimum of 72 credits is required for the PhD over a minimum of 6 full-time terms. Full-time student status requires 9 to 14 credits in the fall and spring terms and 3 credits is considered full-time for the summer term.
A minimum of 32 of the required 72 credits will come from coursework of which, 16 credits are received for coursework completed during the first two years of medical school.
A minimum of 40 credits must be earned for dissertation research that begin to accumulate after passing the doctoral comprehensive examination.
List of Required Courses::
Typical Course Load :
| Course Title | Credits |
| Transfer credits from medical school curriculum | 16 |
| Cell Biology of Normal and Disease States | 3 |
| Cell Physiology | 3 |
| Membrane Traffic | 2 |
| Journal Club (Spring and fall terms after passing comp exam) | 4+ |
| *Electives (at least two courses) | 4+ |
| TOTAL | 32+ |
A Typical MSTP Career in the CBMP Program
:
Year 1
Rotation(s), CBMP core coursework, initiate dissertation research
Year 2
Comprehensive exam, dissertation research, elective courses, journal club
Year 3
Dissertation research, journal club
Year 4
Write and defend dissertation, journal club
Structure of the course and how you will be evaluated:
The course is a mixture of lectures, class discussions of assigned papers, and
formal tests. The formal tests will be take-home exams and will occur at the midpoint
and at the end of the course.
Participating Faculty:
See webpage for detailed research interests.
Meir Aridor, Ph.D. -- 412-624-1970 -- aridor@pitt.eduBiogenesis and sorting of proteins and lipids for vesicular-tubular transport from the endoplasmic reticulum.
Jeffrey L. Brodsky, Ph.D. -- 412-624-4831 -- jbrodsky@pitt.eduProtein biogenesis and degradation
Jennifer Condon-Jeyasuria, Ph.D. -- 412-641-7661 -- condonj@pitt.eduMaternal-fetal signaling during pregnancy
Carolyn B. Coyne, Ph.D. -- 412-383-5149 -- coynec2@pitt.eduDefining the intracellular signaling pathways that mediate enteroviruses entry and infection of polarized epithelial and endothelial cells.
Claudette M. St. Croix, Ph.D. -- 412-624-8470 -- cls13@pitt.eduIdentification of post-translational protein modifications induced by nitric oxide (NO) related species in pulmonary endothelium, and determination of the physiological consequences of these events in vivo. Current studies concentrate on the zinc-binding.
Daniel C. Devor, Ph.D. -- 412-383-8755 -- dd2@pitt.eduRegulation, endocytosis, assembly and degradation of calcium-activated potassium channels involved in endothelial, epithelial and neuronal function.
Peter F. Drain, Ph.D. -- 412-648-9412 -- drain@pitt.eduCell biology and signaling of insulin secretory granule proteins in diabetes
Raymond A. Frizzell, Ph.D. -- 412-648-9498 -- frizzell@pitt.eduCystic Fibrosis and hypertension research is focused on the properties and regulation of ion channels in epithelial cells, the mechanisms of their trafficking to the apical membrane, and their biogenesis within the protein secretory pathway.
James L. Funderburgh, Ph.D. -- 412-647-3853 -- jlfunder@pitt.eduCorneal Cell Biology & Tissue engineering
David Hackam, M.D., Ph.D. -- 412-692-8449 -- david.hackam@chp.eduMechanisms of Epithelial Restitution in NEC, Pathogenesis and Treatment of Necrotizing Enterocolitis
Kenneth Hallows, M.D., Ph.D. -- 412-648-9580 -- hallows@pitt.eduSee webpage for detailed research interests.
Patricia A. Hebda, Ph.D. -- 412-692-6217 -- hebda@pitt.eduSee webpage for detailed research interests.
Yang Hong, Ph.D. -- 412-648-2845 -- yhong@pitt.eduCell polarity and genetic manipulation of Drosophilia genome.
Rebecca P. Hughey, Ph.D. -- 412-383-8949 -- hugheyr@pitt.eduSee webpage for detailed research interests.
John P. Johnson, Ph.D. -- 412-647-7157 -- johnson@dom.pitt.eduCellular regulating mechanisms. Epithelial sodium channel trafficking, expression, and activity. Mineralocorticoid hormones
Jes K. Klarlund, Ph.D. -- 412-647-2313 -- klarlundjk@msx.upmc.eduSignaling in Epithelial Cell Migration
Thomas R. Kleyman, M.D. -- 412-647-3121 -- kleyman@msx.dept-med.pitt.eduSee webpage for detailed research interests.
Sanford H. Leuba, Ph.D. -- 412-623-7788 -- leuba@pitt.eduStudying nuclear protein DNA interactions using single molecule approaches.
Sandra A. Murray, Ph.D. -- 412-648-9566 -- smurray@pitt.eduConnexin Gap Junction Protein Trafficking, Role of Gap Junction Protein in Cell Migration, Differentiation, Proliferation and Hormone Response.
Laura J. Niedernhofer, M.D., Ph.D. -- 412-623-7763 --Genetic diseases affecting DNA repair mechanisms
Nuria M. Pastor-Soler, M.D., Ph.D. -- 412-647-0235 -- pastorn@dom.pitt.eduEpithelial proton secretion in the male reproductive tract
David H. Perlmutter, M.D. -- 412-692-8071 -- david.perlmutter@chp.eduCellular pathobiology of alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency; intracellular accumulation of aggregation-prone proteins
Tony M. Plant, Ph.D. -- 412-641-7663 -- plant1@pitt.eduPubertal activation of the primate testis; neurobiological triggers, endocrine determinants and intratesticular mechanisms
Kathleen D. Ryan, Ph.D. -- 412-648-8714 -- ryankath@medschool.pitt.eduSee webpage for detailed research interests.
Abhiram Sahu, Ph.D. -- 412-641-7669 -- asahu@pitt.eduUnderstanding the neurobiology of food intake, body weight regulation, obesity, diabetes and reproduction
Guy Salama, Ph.D. -- 412-648-9354 -- gsalama@pitt.eduMechanisms underlying the initiation and maintenance of cardiac arrhythmias; development of genetically encoded Ca2+ and voltage sensitive probes, rescuing the infarcted hearts with cell implants; sex differences in ion channel expression and their related arrhythmia phenotype in the long QT syndrome; high-speed depth-resolved images of electrical activity.
Gerald P. Schatten, Ph.D. -- 412-641-2400 -- gps15@pitt.eduMolecular basis of reproduction and development; Stem cells and transplantation
Gary A. Silverman, M.D., Ph.D. -- 412-641-4111 -- gsilverman@mail.magee.eduExploring the role of how serpins protect cells from promiscuous exogenous and endogenous peptidases. Using a comparative genomics approach, we have isolated serpin genes in humans, mice and nematodes.
Donna Beer Stolz, Ph.D. -- 412-383-7283 -- dstolz@pitt.eduAngiogenesis and vascularization events in liver regeneration and remodeling.
Nirmala SundarRaj, Ph.D. -- 412-647-2236 -- sundarrajn@upmc.eduMolecular mechanisms of corneal morphogenesis, regeneration,and homeostasis
Patrick H. Thibodeau, Ph.D. -- 412-383-8858 -- thibodea@pitt.eduUsing structural, molecular, and biochemical approaches, my lab focusses on studying membrane protein structure-function relationships and the biosynthesis of these complex protein machines.
Linton M. Traub, Ph.D. -- 412-648-9711 -- traub@pitt.eduRegulation of membrane transport along the endocytic pathway.
William H. Walker, Ph.D. -- 412-641-7672 -- walkerw@pitt.eduTranscriptional regulation in Sertoli cells
Yong Wan, Ph.D. -- 412-623-3275 -- yow4@pitt.eduThe role of ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis in biological regulation
Simon C. Watkins, Ph.D. -- 412-648-3051 -- swatkins@pitt.eduDendritic cell function and connectivity in the immune system as studied using high end optical imaging.
Ora A. Weisz, Ph.D. -- 412-383-8891 -- weisz@msx.dept-med.pitt.eduSee webpage for detailed research interests.
David C. Whitcomb, M.D., Ph.D. -- 412-648-9604 -- whitcomb@pitt.eduGenetics of acute and chronic pancreatitis and genetics of pancreatic cancer; Neurohormonal control of pancreatic exocrine secretion and pathophysiologic processes including the effects of alcohol and genetic predisposition; pancreatic physiology
Anthony J. Zeleznik, Ph.D. -- 412-641-7673 -- zeleznik@pitt.eduPhysiology and cell biology of ovarian function.
Allan Z. Zhao, Ph.D. -- 412-648-8148 -- azhao@pitt.eduMechanisms underlying the causes of obesity and type-2 diabetes.
For more details contact William H. Walker, Ph.D.