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| Graduate Degree Programs |
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Biomedical Sciences: Degrees
Our graduate programs offer the MS and PhD training in several biomedical sciences disciplines including
clinical research,
cell and molecular biology,
epidemiology,
developmental and reproductive biology,
tropical medicine.
In addition to graduate programs focusing on a single discipline, interdisciplinary graduate programs are
offered in Neuroscience and in Ecology, Conservation & Pathogen Biology. Graduate
faculty from the School of Medicine as well as several cooperating institutions including the Cancer Center of Hawai'i and
the Pacific Biosciences Research Center are involved in a wide range of research projects, from the molecular processes
involved in embryo formation to the antioxidant properties of trace elements that may play a role in aging and disease
susceptibility. Certain programs provide research and training addressing health disparities in Asian and Pacific Islander
populations. Research is carried out in the new, state-of-the-art BioScience Building located at the School of Medicine's
Kaka'ako facilty which has received national recognition by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Cell & Molecular Biology
The Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences provides an integrated course of study for students
seeking a PhD or MS degree in health-related research that emphasizes the increasingly powerful techniques and approaches
of cell and molecular biology. Participating faculty members are drawn from across the campus: they come from the Basic
and Clinical Sciences Departments of the Medical School, the Cancer Research Center, The Pacific Biomedical Research
Center, the College of Natural Sciences, and the College of Tropical Agriculture.
more...
Contacts: M. Berry, PhD (mberry@hawaii.edu) or M. Gerschenson, PhD
(gerschen@hawaii.edu)
Clinical Research
Consistent with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) emphasis on the reduction and elimination of health disparities,
the Clinical Research curriculum will provide high quality training for doctoral and postdoctoral candidates in order to
increase the critical mass of clinical researchers, including minority investigators, at UH. The MS in biomedical science
will also function as a supportive mechanism for newly trained investigators, actively facilitating career development and
encouraging research collaborations, particularly those related to health disparities research.
more...
Contact: R. Harrigan, EdD (mscr@hawaii.edu)
Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of the distributions and determinants of health-related events in human populations. A basic
tenet of epidemiology is that diseases are not randomly distributed in the population. Determining the prevalence and
risk factors associated with these events, as well as measuring the magnitude of such occurrences, is the basis of
public health action. An essential part of this determination involves the utilization of epidemiologic and biostatistical
methods to evaluate the effectiveness of disease control measures.
more...
Contact: Eric Hurwitz, PhD (ehurwitz@hawaii.edu)
Developmental and Reproductive Biology
In August 2009, the Graduate Program in Physiology will be renamed the Graduate Program in Developmental and Reproductive
Biology (DRB) with a consequent shift in the focus of the program. This change will provide students with the opportunity to
participate more fully in the state-of-the-art research program that has developed during the last nine years in the newly
formed Institute for Biogenesis Research (IBR). Many significant discoveries relating to developmental and reproductive
biology have been made by IBR scientists. The major focus of the new program will be developmental and reproductive biology
in mammals, but instructive evolutionary comparisons with other phyla will be explored. This program will continue to offer
students a wide variety of coursework to enable graduates to choose from many different career options.
more...
Contacts: R. Allsopp, PhD (allsopp@hawaii.edu) or S. Ward, PhD
(wward@hawaii.edu)
Tropical Medicine
The Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology offers graduate programs leading to the MS and
PhD in Biomedical Sciences (Tropical Medicine). Faculty conduct extensive research on pathogenic microorganisms and the
diseases they cause using laboratory-based, field-based and clinic-based techniques. The department is one of the few
academic departments in the United States that offers learning opportunities in virology, bacteriology, parasitology,
entomology, immunology, epidemiology, ecology, and evolution of infectious diseases.
more...
Contact: S. Chang, PhD (sandrac@hawaii.edu)
Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs:
Neuroscience
The Neurosciences has been one of the fastest growing research areas over the last 30 years. The last eight years have seen
significant advances in Neuroscience research at UH Manoa, with substantial Specialized Neuroscience Research Program (SNRP)
NIH funding plus considerable additional NIH funding generated by the Neuroimaging group and significant funding for
Neuroscience at QMC, PHRI and other Hawaii institutions that all lack graduate level research training programs. This rapid
research expansion needs the support that can only be provided by dedicated students at both predoctoral and postdoctoral
levels with effective training in Neuroscience. The new Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Graduate Program provides a point of
focus for training of research Neuroscientists at UH Manoa and throughout this community.
Contact: M. Rayner, PhD (martin@pbrc.hawaii.edu)
Ecology, Conservation and Pathogen Biology
Populations around the world face the threat of new infectious diseases such as avian flu or the spread of ‘old’ ones such as
dengue fever. At the same time wildlife and biodiversity of our native ecosystems such as coral reefs also are threatened by
disease and the environmental effects of global warming. Overcrowding, overdevelopment and environmental changes have
accelerated the spread of diseases by providing new ecological and evolutionary opportunities. To understand and respond to the
spread of new and existing infectious diseases requires a new cadre of scientists adept at integrating ecological and biomedical
sciences encompassing disciplines studying infectious diseases, biotic invasion, ecosystem protection and management, and species
and genetic diversity. The University of Hawaii’s NSF IGERT:
Integrative Training in Ecology, Conservation & Pathogen Biology (ECPB) fellowship program provides this interdisciplinary
training by drawing upon the UH’s growing research strengths, the rich research venue of the tropical Asia-Pacific Basin and the
UH’s many research partnerships throughout Asia.
more...
Contact: B. Wilcox, PhD (ecpb@hawaii.edu)
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