Academic Program

Curriculum:  Year 1

Lab Rotations (3 rotations, 10 weeks each)
Based on your specific interests, you will choose from a wide range of research laboratories available to you.  This "hands on" research experience will provide you with the background to decide on a laboratory and mentor to guide you through your dissertation research.

First Semester

Courses
Integrated, science-based teaching is the foundation of every PBMM course.  You will learn from a team of faculty that will contribute their expertise in the basic biology and physiology of each topic coupled with an emphasis on understanding relevant diseases, clinical correlates, and therapeutic approaches. The lectures also emphasize the scientific techniques and experimental approaches that are essential to the concepts being discussed. In addition, many instructors assign journal readings and independent projects, which may include Web-based searches or literature reviews, to actively engage you in the learning process.

  • GBS Core Course (August-October):  First year students in all Graduate Biomedical Sciences Themes take a common 10-week core curriculum emphasizing the fundamentals of biochemistry, genetics, and cell biology. This coursework will include an overview of the principles of biochemistry, metabolism, molecular biology, genetics and biological organization.
  • Introduction to Experimental Medicine (November-December):  This six-week course will consist of interactive lectures, discussions, and scientific literature reviews demonstrating general principles in biomedical sciences and how defects in these processes, including environmental impacts, are related to human disease or birth defects.  Faculty will discuss scientific rationale, logic, and approaches to investigate these processes and provide examples from the primary literature or research ongoing in their laboratories.  This will include examples of translational studies designed to develop new therapeutic approaches to treat disease. This course will be taught jointly by faculty from four themes (Pathobiology & Molecular Medicine, Cancer Biology, Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology and Genetics and Genomic Sciences). 

 

Second Semester

Courses
Four modules of one month each comprise the second semester curriculum. The first three modules provide a comprehensive introduction to Integrative Physiology and Pathobiology.  These will explore fundamental principles and mechanisms modulating normal and abnormal function of the major human organ systems.  Students will learn to appreciate how organ systems are truly integrative, highly-refined, and exquisitely responsive to mechanical, endocrine, autocrine/paracrine, and neural stimuli, and why alterations in these inputs can induce disease and dysfunction.  With each organ system discussed, this principle will be reinforced by detailed discussions of the pathobiology underlying several disease states (during which homeostasis is lost).  Together, these four modules will equip students with the ability to apply knowledge of essential biologic mechanisms to specific disease processes, thus laying the foundation necessary for advanced coursework and research training.  Individual modules can be taken as electives by students in other themes. The modules include the following foci:

  • Nerves, Muscle and Bone  (January):  Module 1 will include an overview of basic cellular physiology and the neurological and musculoskeletal systems.  Neurologic and neuromuscular diseases such as Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, and myasthenia gravis will be discussed, along with primary myopathies (e.g., dystrophinopathies), joint diseases (osteoarthritis, acute arthritis, arthropathies, fibrosing disorders), and bone diseases (osteoporosis, osteopetrosis, osteonecrosis).
  • Heart, Lung and Kidney (February):  Module 2 will introduce the exquisitely integrated cardiovascular, respiratory, and renal systems.  This integration will be reinforced with examination of numerous disease states (acidosis, hypertension, heart failure, atherosclerosis/chronic vascular inflammation, genetic and environmentally-induced pulmonary diseases, chronic kidney disease).
  • GI, Endocrine and Immune Systems  (March):  Module 3 will examine the physiology and pathobiology of the gastrointestinal tract, followed by sub-modules focused on endocrinology and immunology.  Students will learn how the endocrine system integrates homeostasis of multiple organ systems through a comprehensive approach—influencing all systems examined in the previous modules.  The mechanisms and consequences of abnormal GI function (e.g., Crohn’s disease, cirrhosis, pancreatitis), endocrine dysregulation (type II diabetes mellitus, gigantism, hyperthyroidism, Cushing’s syndrome), and immune dysfunction (HIV, rheumatoid arthritis, type I diabetes mellitus) will be discussed.
  • Pharmacology and Molecular Medicine (April):  Module 4 students entering this fourth module will be expected to have a thorough understanding of normal and abnormal organ system function as discussed in the three-modules described above.  Lectures will build on that foundation to cover recent advances in drug design and development based on approaches of molecular pharmacology and molecular medicine.  In addition, drug targeting strategies that take advantage of specificity in cellular structure and cell signaling processes will also be discussed.

Seminar Series
Faculty from participating departments, other UAB faculty, and faculty from other institutions discuss their latest research.

Curriculum:  Year 2 and Beyond

Qualifying examination
Students must pass a qualifying examination that assesses their general knowledge, ability to read the literature, and ability to formulate and defend testable hypotheses.  The examination involves a written proposal and oral defense of the proposal.

Journal Clubs
From the second year until completion of the program, students participate in a Journal Club related to their specific area of interest.  The purpose of the journal club is to enhance the ability to critically read the literature and to stay abreast of current findings in the field.

Elective coursework
Advanced courses relevant to the student's area of interest are required and may be completed anytime from the second year on.  In consultation with their research mentor and graduate committee, students can choose from an exciting array of courses available both within the PBMM Program and the other Programs within the Graduate Biomedical Sciences umbrella.  Below is a partial list of elective courses:

  • Biology of Disease
  • Molecular Basis of Disease
  • Principals of Gene Therapy
  • Cell Signaling
  • Developmental Genetics
  • Cancer I – Pathogenesis
  • Cancer II – Etiology
  • Cancer III – Cell Cycle and Apoptosis
  • Biology of Neoplasia
  • Stem Cell Biology
  • Quantative Genetics and Systems Biology
  • Cell Interactions with Biomaterials
  • Advanced Skeletal Biology
  • Cell Adhesion
  • Graduate Pharmacology
  • Modern Drug Design and Development
  • Nucleotide Metabolism
  • Protein Mass Spectroscopy
  • Drug Metabolism and Pharmacogenetics
  • New Perspectives in Cardiovascular Biology
  • Animal Model Systems for Genetic and Genomic Analyses
  • Genomics
  • Introductory Immunology
  • Lymphocyte Biology
  • Innate Immunity
  • Mucosal Immunology
  • Free Radicals in Health and Disease
  • Mitochondrial Basis of Human Disease
  • Signal Transduction in Redox Biology
  • Principles of Toxicology
  • Actions and Assessment of Toxicants
  • Epigenetics
  • Bioinformatics
  • Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology
  • Principals of Cellular Neuroscience
  • Protein Structure
  • Primary Immune Deficiencies
  • Molecular Genetics
  • RNA Biology
  • Structural Biology
  • Membranes and Organelles