General Description

      The primary responsibility of the Program towards its Graduate Students is the provision of an environment in which scholarly attitudes towards teaching and research can develop. The Program will provide an educational experience which qualifies its graduates to obtain employment. At the same time, the Department has the responsibility of ensuring that its graduates will reflect credit upon this institution.

  Students at the MS level should acquire:
  • Knowledge of the process of research, including: familiarity with techniques for searching the literature; principles of measurement; and practical experience in the design and conduct of scientific experiments, collection of data, and interpretation of data sufficient to enable them to interpret current literature, and to embark upon the next (doctoral) level of development as researchers;
  • Familiarity with the mechanics of scientific reporting sufficient to enable them to prepare a publication for a scholarly journal;
  • Experience with oral presentation of material sufficient to enable them to prepare and deliver reports on their work at seminars or meetings of scientific societies;
  • A degree of understanding and scientific maturity sufficient to enable them to assess the work of others;
  • An understanding of the administrative procedures common to academic departments.
  Students at the PhD level should acquire:
  • Specialized knowledge in an area of research, including familiarity with the literature and techniques common to their area of specialization; and practical experience in the design and conduct of scientific experiments, collection of data, and interpretation of data sufficient to enable them to initiate and continue research successfully as independent investigators and to supervise student work in that area;
  • Familiarity with the mechanics of scientific reporting sufficient to enable them to publish their work in scholarly journals;
  • Experience with oral presentation of material sufficient to enable them to prepare and deliver reports on their work at seminars or meetings of scientific societies;
  • A degree of understanding and scientific maturity sufficient to enable them to assess and criticize constructively the work of others;
  • An understanding of the administrative procedures common to academic departments.

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Courses

      Except for required courses, the program of study will be tailored to the needs and future career plans of each individual graduate student. Courses will be selected by the graduate student in consultation with his/her advisor. The course program will be subject to approval by the Graduate Program Committee. In the event that the incoming graduate student has not identified a Faculty Advisor, courses will be determined by the graduate student in consultation with the Graduate Program Chairperson. A minimum of 30 credits is required for the MS degree. There is not a specific credit requirement for the PhD; the minimal course requirements being set by the Program. Once admitted to PhD candidacy, the student's advisory committee determines what further coursework, if any, the student shall take. In addition to the above, students must take two advanced graduate courses in a Developmental Biology-related field, where advanced means the courses have graduate-level prerequisites, such as those listed as recommended courses.

      Because the goal of the DRB program is to promote research, students who opt for the M.S. Plan A program may include up to 12 credites of DRB 699 (directed research) as part of their 30 credits required to graduate. Students opting for M.S. Plan B may only include 6 credits of DRB 699 as part of the 30 credit minimum. Students who opt for a Ph.D. may also include 12 credits of DRB 699 towards their 30 credit minimum.

      Incoming PhD students may petition the Graduate Program Committee to be exempted from required courses when the student has already satisfactorily completed equivalent courses at another institution, but in general, students should expect that they will take these courses.

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    Required Courses

Course Title (click to see detail) Credit Semester Director
(email)
DRB601 Fertilization and Early Development
(BR)
2 Fall Yusuke Marikawa
(marikawa@hawaii.edu)
DRB613 Seminars in Developmental and Reproductive Biology I
(6/23/2023)
1 Fall Monika Ward
(mward@hawaii.edu)
DRB614 Developmental and Reproductive Biology Scientific Investigations 3 Spring Monika Ward
(mward@hawaii.edu)
DRB666 Applied Reproductive Biology 3 Spring Yukiko Yamazaki
(yyamazak@hawaii.edu)
DRB695 Research Rotation 3 Fall/Spring Various
(contact individual faculty)
CMB626 Ethics in Biomedical Research
3 Fall Jun Panee
(junchen@hawaii.edu)

IMPORTANT NOTE: While DRB695 is called "Research Rotation", in actuality, students are required to do laboratory research for "one" semester under the supervision of "one" DRB faculty. To register for DRB695, obtain the course registration number (CRN) from the intended faculty, as this number will not be available from the registration system.

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    Recommended Courses

Course Title (click to see detail) Credit Semester Director
(email)
DRB699 Directed Research 1-6 Fall/Spring Various
(contact individual faculty)
DRB650 Stem Cell Biology
3 Spring Richard Allsopp
(allsopp@hawaii.edu)
ANAT604 Anatomy: Upper Extremity, Head and Neck 3 Fall Cris Stickley
(cstickle@hawaii.edu)
ANAT603 Anatomy: Lower Extremity, Thorax, Abdomen 3 Spring Cris Stickley
(cstickle@hawaii.edu)
ANAT607 Human Embryology 2 Summer Yusuke Marikawa
(marikawa@hawaii.edu)
CMB621 Cell Molecular Biology I 4 Fall Olivier LeSaux (621)
(lesaux@hawaii.edu)
CMB622 Cell Molecular Biology II 4 Spring Peter Hoffmann (622)
(peterrh@hawaii.edu)

NOTE: Students must enroll in DRB699 in order to receive credit for this work, with the number of credits being agreed upon by the faculty conducting DRB699, the Chair of the Graduate Program Committee, and the student. To register for DRB699, obtain the course registration number (CRN) from the intended faculty, as this number will not be available from the registration system.

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Toward Graduation

Here are some crucial information toward successful (and timely) graduation:

  • Academic Calendar for deadlines to turn in paperwork for graduation and for submission of thesis to Graduate Division
  • The Forms are located on Grad Division website
  • Format that thesis should be submitted to Graduate Division


Current Students

  PhD Program


Ryuei Sato


Chantell Balaan


Hongwen Wu


Hayden Holmlund


Nicholas Kawasaki


Cassandra Matsushige

Lance Nunes


Lovina Abdi


Andrea Chavez


Justin Padron


Courtney Kurashima


-

  Master Program


Martina Stokes


Hanna Kumasaka


Ava Vankempen


Desta Rabin


Shion Aou


Ian Venter


Chloe Garcia


-



DRB Alumni (05/24/2018)

    A list of DRB graduate program alumni

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Links & Resources

    The following two documents were created by Carolyn Higuchi (DRB graduate student) to help the incoming students prepare for their graduate studies. The documents were reviewed and fully endorsed by the DRB Graduate Program Committee.

    DRB_New_Student_Welcome
    DRB_MS_PlanA_Timeline



  • General Information on UH Graduate Programs
    • Graduate Division Sitemap - is a gateway to various information on general, campus-wide graduate programs, which certainly apply to our DRB Program as well. Specific sections that are relevant and important to the DRB students are linked below.
    • UH Academic Calender - shows important events and deadlines for graduate and undergraduate students.


  • Course-related UH Websites
    • MyUH - is UH's integrated student information system, offering various services, including access to email, web registration and other academic services, and important announcements regarding classes and grades.
    • Laulima - is the primary tool for online learning in the UH System.


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Other Information

  • Financial Assistance
        The following sources of financial assistance may be available:

    1. Graduate Teaching Assistantships: A limited number of these positions are available to provide financial support to students in return for teaching undergraduate laboratories and assisting in undergraduate lecture courses, and assisting with JABSOM gross anatomy instruction. Contact the Chair of the DRB Graduate Program, Dr. Monika Ward (mward@hawaii.edu) to inquire for availability.
    2. Graduate Research Assistantships: Advisors with suitable research funding may provide financial assistance to their graduate students. Contact individual faculty to inquire for availability.

          Tuition waivers will be assigned to students without alternative means of support (e.g., they are not funded by their mentor, or otherwise supported by an award) according to the following priority- First, PhD students, second, Master's Plan A students, and third, Master's Plan B students.
          The Chairperson of the Graduate Program Committee (see the Contact Us page) has further information on financial assistance. The document entitled "Scholarships for Post-Graduate Study" is available through the Graduate Division http://www.hawaii.edu/graduatestudies/financial/html/financial.htm).

  • Housing
    The housing information may be available from the following link:
    http://www.housing.hawaii.edu/

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