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Discover the Ph.D. Program at Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

Ph.d. program, ph.d. program overview.

At Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, you’ll discover a unique research training environment of academic inquiry and scientific discovery, combined with exceptional intellectual and technological resources designed to help you achieve your highest scientific career goals.

Through the Ph.D. program, you’ll acquire a broad expertise in biomedical science with the opportunity to go deeper into your primary area of research interest.

year average time to degree

Best graduate school rankings

a top school for biological sciences as ranked by U.S. News & World Report

Guaranteed 5-year internal fellowship

includes full tuition, stipend, and benefits

Whether you’re preparing for graduate school or applying now, the Mayo Clinic experience for biomedical science Ph.D. students is different.

Program highlights:

• Research training by leading investigators in fields ranging from molecules to populations, all in the context of exceptional health care.
• Embedded within a top academic medical center, you’ll have access to clinical data from more than 6 million patient histories.
• A Career Development Internship program where senior students experience networking opportunities in career settings different from those of their research mentors.
• A national destination for research training of students from backgrounds underrepresented in science. Mayo’s NIH-funded IMSD is more than two decades old, and Mayo invented the NIH PREP concept.
• Join about 250 students who have access to 300+ faculty members in small class sizes.
• 87% of graduates since 1989 are employed in academia or industry.
• Three campuses in Minnesota, Florida, and Arizona with diverse research opportunities.
• Every student is awarded a fellowship for five years that fully covers tuition.
• Ph.D. students receive a stipend and health benefits.

See yourself here

Hear from students and faculty to get an idea of what it's like to learn here, live here, and be a Ph.D. student at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.

"I can be the scientist I want to be"

Choosing your area of specialization

You'll choose from one of eight  biomedical science specialty tracks within our Ph.D. Program. Track choice is indicated during the application process and confirmed after admission. But you'll be able to do research and learn in any Mayo laboratory that interests you, even if it's not within your track.

Perspectives on our Ph.D. Program

"Collaboration is massive here"

Collaborative research and learning environment

The hallmark of research at Mayo Clinic is the highly collaborative interaction that occurs between investigators in basic science and clinical areas. While each investigator has a competitively funded independent lab, collaboration with graduate students and staff across the institution is common. As a Ph.D. student, you’re free to select any Mayo mentor, regardless of which track you choose.

"Allowed me to build my own team"

Teaching opportunities

Tutoring and teaching opportunities are available and optional for our Ph.D. students. If you’re interested in developing these skills, serving as a tutor or a teaching assistant can help cement the knowledge you gain from your coursework.

Application window

Apply between Sept. 1 and Dec. 4 for the following academic year.

To get in touch with the Ph.D. Program, fill out the form on the Contact Us page .

Ph.D. and master's degree program catalog (2023-2024), rev. 5-11-23

Virtual visits

Explore our virtual visit options or sign up for a video chat to get a personalized look at our program.

PhD in Population Health Sciences

Prepare for a high-impact career tackling public health problems from air pollution to obesity to global health equity to the social determinants of health.

The PhD in population health sciences is a multidisciplinary research degree that will prepare you for a career focused on challenges and solutions that affect the lives of millions around the globe. Collaborating with colleagues from diverse personal and professional backgrounds and conducting field and/or laboratory research projects of your own design, you will gain the deep expertise and powerful analytical and quantitative tools needed to tackle a wide range of complex, large-scale public health problems.

Focusing on one of five complementary fields of study at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and drawing on courses, resources, and faculty from the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, you will become well-versed in a wide variety of disciplines while gaining specialized knowledge in your chosen area of study.

As a population health sciences graduate, you will be prepared for a career in research, academics, or practice, tackling complex diseases and health problems that affect entire populations. Those interested in pursuing research may go on to work at a government agency or international organization, or in the private sector at a consulting, biotech, or pharmaceutical firm. Others may choose to pursue practice or on-the-ground interventions. Those interested in academics may become a faculty member in a college, university, medical school, research institute, or school of public health.

The PhD in population health sciences is a four-year program based at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the world-renowned Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. The degree will prepare you to apply diverse approaches to solving difficult public health research issues in your choice of one of five primary fields of study:

• Environmental health
• Epidemiology
• Social and behavioral sciences
• Global health and population

In your first semester, you and your faculty adviser will design a degree plan to guide you through the program’s interdisciplinary requirements and core courses, as well as those in your chosen field of study. After successfully completing the preliminary qualifying examination, usually at the end of your second year, you will finalize your general research topics and identify a dissertation adviser who will mentor you through the dissertation process and help you nominate a dissertation advisory committee.

All population health sciences students are trained in pedagogy and teaching and are required to work as a teaching fellow and/or research assistant to ensure they gain meaningful teaching and research experience before graduation. Students also attend a special weekly evening seminar that features prominent lecturers, grant-writing modules, feedback dinners, and training opportunities.

All students, including international students, who maintain satisfactory progress (B+ or above) receive a multiyear funding package, which includes tuition, fees , and a competitive stipend.

WHO SHOULD APPLY?

Anyone with a distinguished undergraduate record and a demonstrated enthusiasm for the rigorous pursuit of scientific public health knowledge is encouraged to apply. Although a previous graduate degree is not required, applicants should have successfully completed coursework in introductory statistics or quantitative methods. Preference will be given to applicants who have either some relevant work experience or graduate-level work in their desired primary field of study.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Like all PhD (doctor of philosophy) programs at the School, the PhD in population health sciences is offered under the aegis of the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS). Applications are processed through the Harvard Griffin GSAS online application system located at gsas.harvard.edu/admissions/apply.

OUR COMMUNITY: COMMITTED, ACCOMPLISHED, COLLABORATIVE

As a PhD in population health sciences candidate, you will be part of a diverse and accomplished group of students with a broad range of research and other interests. The opportunity to learn from each other and to share ideas both inside and outside the classroom will be one of the most rewarding and productive parts of the program for any successful candidate. The program in population health sciences provides these opportunities by sponsoring an informal curriculum of seminars, a dedicated student gathering and study area, and events that will enhance your knowledge, foster interaction with your peers, and encourage you to cooperatively evaluate scientific literature, while providing a supportive, collaborative community within which to pursue your degree.

As members of both the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences communities, students have access to the Cambridge and Longwood Medical Area campuses. Students also qualify for affordable transportation options, access to numerous lectures and academic seminars, and a wealth of services to support their academic and personal needs on both sides of the Charles River.

LEARN MORE Population Health Sciences Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health www.hsph.harvard.edu/phdphs

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Medical Sciences PhD

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Why a PhD in Medical Sciences?

Our Ph.D. program in Medical Sciences provides advanced training with the goal of preparing students for research-based careers. Areas of in-depth study are driven by faculty research and encompass clinically related fields such as diabetes mellitus, obesity, immunology and infectious disease, oncology, and other chronic health conditions.

Read abstracts of recent graduate student research projects .

Admissions Information

Program prerequisites.

• BS, MS or equivalent degree from an accredited college of university
• GRE scores of at least 148 on quantitative reasoning and at least 150 on verbal reasoning
• An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher
• Written statement of goals and objectives that identifies the applicant’s research and curriculum interests and explains how admission to the program will facilitate his/her professional objectives
• Current resume and three letters of recommendation
• If English is not the first language, the University requires a paper-based TOEFL score of at least 570, or at least 90 on the Internet-based TOEFL, or 6.5 on the IELTS

Admissions is selective and competitive, based on the number of available positions in the department laboratories and available faculty and facilities.

Degree Requirements

The Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Sciences requires a minimum of 43 credits including 9 credits of dissertation. The program is designed to be completed in 4 to 5 years. Program educational goals and courses can be viewed in the Course Catalog .

Required Courses (37 credits):

•  MMSC800 Preparing Research Proposals (2 cr)
• MMSC650 Medical Biochemistry (4 cr)
• MMSC691 Human Medical Genetics (3 cr)
• MMSC868 Research (12 cr)
• MMSC603 Research Design (3 cr)
• MMSC803/804 Seminar (4 cr) (taken 8 semesters: 4 semesters for 1 credit [803] and 4 semesters for 0 credit [804])
• MMSC969 Dissertation (9 cr)

Science Core Elective Courses (6 credits)

A preliminary exam is taken at end of year 1 that tests the student’s general knowledge base in Medical Sciences and their ability to critically evaluate scientific literature. The preliminary examination includes a written component followed by an oral component on a separate day.

A candidacy exam is taken at the end of year 2. The student will prepare a written and oral proposal for dissertation research that meets the requirements for an external grant proposal. The oral proposal meeting will include both a defense of the student's proposed research and an in-depth examination of the student's knowledge of their research specialization.

When the dissertation research is complete, all Medical Sciences faculty and students will be invited to attend the oral dissertation defense meetings. Following the oral presentation and questions from faculty in attendance, the Dissertation Committee will meet separately and vote on the outcome. The outcome will be presented to the student, along with any conditions or requirements for proposal or dissertation revisions. 

Tuition Rates

The 2023-2024 UD graduate student tuition rate per credit hour is $1,028. Research Assistant awards will be made for students that best fit the needs of the sponsoring faculty member. Teaching Assistant awards will be made for students prepared to teach and otherwise assist with undergraduate instruction. Students can also apply for internal funding, such as the competitive awards offered through the UD Research and Graduate Studies Office. Students can also apply for pre-doctoral support from funding agencies such as the American Heart Association. The sponsoring faculty member will work with the student to develop the proposal.

Applications Deadlines: 

Fall: june 1 (international), august 1 (domestic), spring: january 1, apply now >, more info >.

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Wednesday, April 17, 1:00 pm

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PhD Programs

Empowering students to follow their curiosity

Bioengineering PhD

Jointly supported by the School of Engineering and the School of Medicine, the bioengineering program merges engineering principles with scientific discovery and technology to encourage the development of new medical devices and treatments.

Biosciences PhD

panning the School of Medicine and the School of Humanities and Sciences, students have the best of both worlds: the diversity of a large umbrella program coupled with the support of a small academic setting.

The Biosciences PhD program offers 14 home programs representing eight basic science departments and six interdisciplinary programs.

Biomedical Physics (BMP) PhD Program

Supported by the Departments of Radiology and Radiation Oncology, the Biomedical Physics PhD program seeks students interested in radiation therapy, imaging science, and molecular imaging and diagnostics as applied to clinical medicine. 

PhD in Epidemiology and Clinical Research

The PhD program in epidemiology and clinical research will provide methodologic and interdisciplinary training that will equip students to carry out cutting-edge epidemiologic research. The program trains students in the tools of modern epidemiology, with heavy emphases on statistics, computer science, genetics, genomics, and bioinformatics.

PhD in Health Policy

Stanford Health Policy offers a PhD program which promises to educate students who will be scholarly leaders in the field of health policy, and will be highly knowledgeable about the theoretical and empirical approaches that can be applied in the development of improvements in health policy and the health care system. These students will be well prepared for positions in academic institutions, government institutions, and private sector organizations with a demand for high-level analysis of health policy issues.

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MEMP PhD Program

Hst’s memp phd program, is this program a good fit for me.

HST’s Medical Engineering and Medical Physics (MEMP) PhD program offers a unique curriculum for engineers and scientists who want to impact patient care by developing innovations to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease. We're committed to welcoming applicants from a wide range of communities, backgrounds, and experiences.

How is HST’s MEMP PhD program different from other PhD programs?

As a MEMP student, you’ll choose one of 11 technical concentrations and design an individualized curriculum to ground yourself in the foundations of that discipline. You’ll study medical sciences alongside MD students and become fluent in the language and culture of medicine through structured clinical experiences. You’ll select a research project from among laboratories at MIT, Harvard, affiliated hospitals and research institutes , then tackle important questions through the multiple lenses of your technical discipline and your medical training. As a result, you will learn how to ask better questions, identify promising research areas, and translate research findings into real-world medical practice.

What degree will I earn?

You’ll earn a PhD awarded by MIT or by the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

What can I do with this degree?

Lead pioneering efforts that translate technical work into innovations that improve human health and shape the future of medicine.

How long will it take me to earn a PhD in HST’s MEMP program?

Similar to other PhD programs in MIT's School of Engineering, the average time-to-degree for MEMP PhD students is less than six years.

What are the degree requirements?

Science / engineering.

Choose one of the established concentration areas and select four courses from the approved list for the chosen area. Current MEMP concentration areas are:

• Aeronautics & Astronautics
• Biological Engineering
• Brain & Cognitive Sciences
• Chemical Engineering
• Computer Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Materials Science & Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Nuclear Engineering

Harvard MEMPs fulfill Basic Science/Engineering Concentration and Qualifying Exam through their collaborating department (SEAS or Biophysics).

Biomedical Sciences and Clinical Requirements

Biomedical sciences core.

• HST030 or HST034: Human Pathology
• HST160: Genetics in Modern Medicine
• HST090: Cardiovascular Pathophysiology

Restricted Electives - two full courses required*

• HST010: Human Anatomy
• HST020: Musculoskeletal Pathophysiology*
• HST100: Respiratory Pathophysiology**
• HST110: Renal Pathophysiology**
• HST130: Introduction to Neuroscience
• HST162: Molecular Diagnostics and Bioinformatics*
•  HST164: Principles of Biomedical Imaging*
• HST175: Cellular & Molecular Immunology

*  May combine two half-courses to count as one full course **Must choose at least one of HST100, HST110

Clinical Core

• HST201: Intro. to Clinical Medicine I and HST202: Intro. to Clinical Medicine II
• HST207: Intro. to Clinical Medicine

PhD Thesis Guide

Letter of intent #1:.

Research advisor and topic. Due by April 30 of 2nd year.

Letter of Intent #2:

Tentative thesis committee. Due by April 30 of 3rd year.

Thesis proposal:

Defended before thesis committee. Due by April 30 of 4th year.

Final Thesis:

Public defense and submission of final thesis document.

Harvard MEMPs must an electronic copy of the final thesis including the signed cover sheet. Harvard MEMPs should not register for HST.ThG.

Qualifying Exam

TQE: Technical qualification based on performance in four concentration area courses and Pathology

OQE: Oral examination to evaluate ability to integrate information from diverse sources into a coherent research proposal and to defend that proposal

Professional Skills

Hst500: frontiers in (bio)medical engineering and physics.

Required spring of first year

HST590: Biomedical Engineering Seminar

Required fall semester of first year. Minimum of four semesters required; one on responsible conduct of research and three electives. Topics rotate.

Required for all MEMP students. (Biophysics students may substitute MedSci 300 for HST590 term on responsible conduct of research.)

Professional Perspectives 

Required once during PhD enrollment 

What can I expect?

You’ll begin by choosing a concentration in a classical discipline of engineering or physical science. During your first two years in HST, you’ll complete a series of courses to learn the fundamentals of your chosen area.

In parallel, you’ll become conversant in the biomedical sciences through preclinical coursework in pathology and pathophysiology, learning side-by-side with HST MD students.

With that foundation, you’ll engage in truly immersive clinical experiences, gaining a hands-on understanding of clinical care, medical decision-making, and the role of technology in medical practice. These experiences will help you become fluent in the language and culture of medicine and gain a first-hand understanding of the opportunities for — and constraints on — applying scientific and technological innovations in health care.

You’ll also take part in two seminar classes that help you to integrate science and engineering with medicine, while developing your professional skills. Then you’ll design an individualized professional perspectives experience that allows you to explore career paths in an area of your choice:  academia, medicine, industry, entrepreneurship, or the public sector.

A two-stage qualifying examination tests your proficiency in your concentration area, your skill at integrating information from diverse sources into a coherent research proposal, and your ability to defend that research proposal in an oral presentation.

Finally, as the culmination of your training, you’ll investigate an important problem at the intersection of science, technology, and medicine through an individualized thesis research project, with opportunities to be mentored by faculty in laboratories at MIT, Harvard, and affiliated teaching hospitals.

Interested in applying? Learn about the application process here.

HST MEMP grad Grissel Cervantes-Jaramillo’s road to a PhD began in Cuba and wound through Florida

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MCOM Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs

Quick links, graduate & postdoctoral affairs, phd admissions.

PhD applicants are only considered for Fall and cannot apply to any other term. Details about admission requirements, deadlines, and the application process can be found on this page.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us at 813-974-2836 or [email protected] .

Requirements

Minimum admission requirements can be found in the Graduate Catalog at the link below. 

Graduate Catalog

Please review the "Application Process" section of this page for details about what documents to submit. 

GRE Scores are NOT required for admission. 

Admissions decision factors.

Students seeking a PhD in Medical Sciences from the University of South Florida are selected by an admissions committee that considers the overall qualities of the applicant. Areas of consideration include academic achievement, research experience and interests, and letters of recommendation. All selected candidates will be required to have personal interviews with members of the PhD admissions committee.

The PhD Program typically receives more than 100 applications each year, and fewer than 30% of applicants are admitted.

The undergraduate GPA of the middle 50% of students admitted for Fall 2023 was 3.4-3.78. 

Deadlines & Decision Timeline

Application.

The Medical Sciences PhD Program priority deadline is December 1. Students should apply and submit all required documents (including letters of recommendation) by this date for the best chance of consideration. Our final application deadline is February 15. 

University application deadlines can be found in the Graduate Catalog.

Application Deadlines

Well-qualified applicants will be invited to participate in interviews with faculty members prior to final admissions decisions being made. An interview is required to be eligible for admission into the program and invitations to participate in interviews are sent between mid-December and mid-March. For Fall 2024 admission, we intend to host three rounds of virtual interviews on the dates outlined below: 

January 8-11 February 12-15 February 26-29

During interview weeks, interviewees are typically invited to a virtual program overview on Monday evening, then select from one of six available interview times (Tuesday morning or afternoon, Wednesday morning or afternoon, Thursday morning or afternoon). This schedule is subject to change, but additional details will be communicated to selected applicants. 

Review & Notification

Students who participate in an interview are typically notified of the committee's admission's decision within 7-10 days of interviewing. Admitted students will be invited to visit campus; our visit weekends are currently scheduled for: 

February 8-10 March 7-9 March 28-30

Admitted students have until April 15 to notify the PhD office if they will attend USF. 

Application Process

• Submit an online application . Select the Medical Sciences program. 
• Pay the $30 application fee . You will be prompted to pay as soon as you submit your application. If you are unable to pay when you submit, you can do so within 30 days by logging into your OASIS account at my.usf.edu . 
• Submit transcripts.  To upload documents to your application, log into the application website , then navigate to My Workspace > My Documents. Unofficial copies can be uploaded directly to your application and can be used for our admissions review. If you are offered admission, you will be required to submit official transcripts from all postsecondary institutions you have attended (undergraduate and graduate).
• Submit supplemental information .** 
• Curriculum Vitae or Resume 
• Research background
• Reasons for selecting the Morsani College of Medicine to pursue a PhD
• Future career goals following graduation from the Medical Sciences PhD program
• Recommendations should come from faculty or other professionals familiar with applicant's academic performance and/or research potential 

**If you are applying to more than one program at USF, it is imperative that your supplemental information clearly indicate that it should be used for your application to the Medical Sciences PhD Program. This is especially important for letters of recommendation. Failure to appropriately indicate the PhD program may prevent your application from being reviewed.

GRE scores are no longer required. 

Additional requirements for international students.

In addition to the requirements listed above, international students must also submit the documents listed below. Unofficial copies can be used for admissions review, but final admission will not be granted until official documents are received and processed by the Office of Admissions.

• World Education Services
• Josef Silny & Associates, Inc.
• Academic Evaluation Services
• Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.
• A copy of the original document that was evaluated and an English translation (if applicable) must be included with the evaluation.

If you cannot provide a foreign credential evaluation when you apply, you may submit the documents outlined below and we can conduct a preliminary review based on this information. Documents should be uploaded to the online portal within the application. (Please note, it is still best to submit a course-by-course foreign credential evaluation if you are able to).

• Unofficial college transcript (must be in English)
• You may use a free online resource such as Scholaro or WES
• Must be your cumulative undergraduate GPA

Formal admission to the university will not be granted until an official course-by-course foreign credential evaluation is provided, but this can be submitted after an applicant is interviewed if necessary.

• Proof of English language proficiency .

If you have any questions about our Medical Sciences PhD Program, how to apply, or the status of your application, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 813-974-2836 or [email protected] .

Bouvé College of Health Sciences

Healthcare leadership.

Northeastern University's Doctor of Medical Science in Healthcare Leadership (DMSc) is an innovative, 100% online doctoral degree that is open to all medical professionals seeking to expand their career potential in healthcare leadership, administration, education, and advocacy.

Healthcare leadership careers are rising, with jobs for medical and health services managers estimated to grow 32% by 2030.

Northeastern's Doctor of Medical Science in Healthcare Leadership (DMSc) fills the need for medical professionals of all kinds to advance their education. The program is delivered 100% online and is the first degree of its type to be offered by an R1 research institution. You'll graduate ready for new career opportunities in healthcare leadership, administration, education, and advocacy.

The degree creates a path to leadership for individuals with varied healthcare backgrounds and career goals. Here's what you can expect:

• Gain perspectives and visibility into challenges and opportunities across the medical sciences.
• Engage in a curriculum comprising core courses centered on healthcare systems and leadership skills, a specialized concentration, and a problem-based thesis project related to your concentration.
• Advance your career with a degree developed in cooperation with healthcare leaders and designed to create leaders with both technical proficiency and in-demand management skills.
• Customize your degree with a choice of nine available concentrations.

Register for our open forum webinar to meet with the Program Directors, ask questions, and get information about the program.

More Details

Unique features.

Northeastern’s DMSc degree is an innovative pathway for all healthcare degree holders to advance their education toward leadership—other universities limit admissions to physician assistant graduates.

Earn your degree part-time with maximum flexibility and a 100% online curriculum open to a broad range of medical professionals working in a clinical healthcare setting. 

Gain the career advantage of a degree developed in cooperation with healthcare leaders and employers and designed to create leaders with both technical proficiency and in-demand management skills.

Specialized concentrations add career flexibility to a rigorous core curriculum. Concentrations include Health Informatics (Practice); Health Informatics (Research); Health Law; Business Management for Healthcare; Public Health; Patient Safety; Extreme Medicine; Exercise Science; and Interdisciplinary Healthcare Leadership.

Northeastern's Doctor of Medical Science in Healthcare Leadership is the first DMSc program of its kind offered by a leading R1-rated research university. 

Career Outlook

Healthcare leadership careers are rising, with jobs for medical and health services managers estimated to grow 32% by 2030. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022)

Median annual wage for medical and health services managers is $101K. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022)

Median annual wage for medical scientists in research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences is $102,210. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022)

Testimonials

- mary jo bondy, dhed., mhs, pa-c, looking for something different.

A graduate degree or certificate from Northeastern—a top-ranked university—can accelerate your career through rigorous academic coursework and hands-on professional experience in the area of your interest. Apply now—and take your career to the next level.

Program Costs

Finance Your Education We offer a variety of resources, including scholarships and assistantships.

How to Apply Learn more about the application process and requirements.

Requirements

• Application
• Application fee
• Two letters of recommendation
• Transcripts from all institutions attended
• Personal statement
• TOEFL or IELTS for applicants who do not hold a degree from a U.S. institution and whose native language is not English
• Applicants with a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited institution in a healthcare-related field plus at least 3 years of experience in a healthcare-related field and is in a leadership/management role with evidence (a supervisor letter) of duties that supports significant/progressive leadership and responsibilities will be considered.
• Cumulative GPA of 3.0 in the accredited program

Learn More Access the program page on the Bouvé College of Health Sciences website.

Admissions Details Learn more about the Bouvé College of Health Sciences admissions process, policies, and required materials.

Admissions Dates

Fall term deadline: August 1

Spring term deadline: December 1

Industry-aligned courses for in-demand careers.

For 100+ years, we’ve designed our programs with one thing in mind—your success. Explore the current program requirements and course descriptions, all designed to meet today’s industry needs and must-have skills.

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Northeastern's experience-powered learning model has been at the heart of the university for more than a century. It combines world-class academics with professional practice, allowing you to acquire relevant, real-world skills you can immediately put into action in your current workplace. Your Northeastern education can be a dynamic, transformative experience, giving you countless opportunities to grow as a professional and person.

Our Faculty

Northeastern University faculty represents a broad cross-section of professional practices and fields, including finance, education, biomedical science, management, and the U.S. military. They serve as mentors and advisors and collaborate alongside you to solve the most pressing global challenges facing established and emerging markets.

Mary Jo Bondy

Bianca Belcher

By enrolling in Northeastern, you’ll gain access to students at 13 campus locations, 300,000+ alumni, and 3,000 employer partners worldwide. Our global university system provides students unique opportunities to think locally and act globally while serving as a platform for scaling ideas, talent, and solutions.

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Degree Requirements

The Weill Cornell Graduate School awards master's and PhD degrees in the listed programs below.  Each program is unique, featuring a mix of coursework, teaching, and research experiences designed to prepare the next generation of leaders across fields. 

PhD Degree Requirements

The Weill Cornell Graduate School awards Cornell University PhD degrees to students in seven programs of study. Much of the academic structure by which a student progresses through WCGS is set by his/her program of study. Details of program requirements and procedures may be found directly within each program description.  WCGS expects students to complete their PhD degree requirements within six years.

Requirement Overview

In all programs, students take courses in the first year of graduate school. After year one, coursework is required or elective, depending on the program. Also in year one, students begin research rotations in faculty members' laboratories. The rotations help the student define his/her thesis research and determine faculty he/she wants to work with in pursuing the PhD.

By the end of the second year, the student takes the Admission for Candidacy Exam (ACE)—a combined written and oral exam with content and format determined by the program of study, and administered by a faculty committee. Upon the successful completion of the ACE, a student is considered a PhD candidate.

The progress of the PhD candidate is closely guided by a major sponsor (thesis advisor) and a Special Committee. Each program has its own process for selection of the sponsor and the committee, with a focus on developing the student as an independent scholar and scientist.

The student selects a sponsor from among Graduate School faculty and typically conducts all or nearly all of his/her thesis research in the major sponsor's laboratory. The Special Committee, including the major sponsor, meets at least annually with the student to evaluate the student's progress toward the degree.

In year three and thereafter, the WCGS PhD candidate conducts laboratory work focused on his/her approved thesis project.

Typically in the sixth year, the student completes the final examination (the thesis "defense") and has met all requirements for the PhD. The committee approves the student's thesis, the student's defense of the thesis (in the final exam), and ultimately certifies that the student has met all requirements for the degree. 

Details of program requirements and procedures may be found directly within each program description,  here . 

Master's Degree Requirements

The Weill Cornell Graduate School awards master degrees to students in six programs of study.  Each graduate program maintains specific requirements for degree completion. Review your program's departmental requirements below before beginning the process. 

Biomedical Imaging

The Master of Science in Biomedical Imaging Program is designed to provide STEM bachelor’s degree recipients with a comprehensive introduction to the physics, mathematics, radiochemistry, and engineering principles and methods that underly each of the major imaging modalities currently in use in clinical radiology and pathology.  The Program is highly interdisciplinary and includes faculty members with expertise in physics, radiology, engineering, mathematics, radiochemistry, and pathology. To review all the degree requirements, click here .

Clinical & Translational Investigation

This multidisciplinary training program is primarily for practicing healthcare professionals who hold medical degrees or are in professions or training programs focused on clinical research. The program provides fundamental clinical research skills to those pursuing long-term clinical investigative careers.  To review all the degree requirements,   click here .

Clinical Epidemiology & Health Services Research

The Master of Science Program in Clinical Epidemiology & Health Services Research program is designed for those who wish to plan, implement and analyze quantitative and qualitative research studies using appropriate research designs. To review all the degree requirements, click here .

Computational Biology

The M.S. in Computational Biology (MS-CB) presents a unique, rigorous training program, equipping students with theoretical understanding and practical mastery of state-of-the-art applications of computational approaches in biology and medicine.  To review all the degree requirements,   click here .

Executive MBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership

The Executive MBA/MS in Healthcare Policy and Research is a dual degree program that  prepares the next generation of healthcare delivery leaders for success in a rapidly changing environment.  To review all the degree requirements, click here .

Health Sciences for Physician Assistants

The Weill Cornell Graduate School Master of Science in Health Sciences for Physician Assistants (MSHS PA) program is a twenty-six month course of study to educate students to become Physician Assistants. To review all the degree requirements, click here .

Population Health Sciences

The   Department of Population Health Sciences   offers a range of educational programs to train the next generation of leading researchers and practitioners in the study of the most effective ways to organize, coordinate, manage, finance and deliver high quality care. 

To review the degree requirements for each program, click below:

• Biostatistics and Data Science
• Health Informatics
• Health Policy and Economics

Weill Cornell Medicine Graduate School of Medical Sciences 1300 York Ave. Box 65 New York, NY 10065 Phone: (212) 746-6565 Fax: (212) 746-8906

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Admission Requirements

In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, applicants must meet the following program requirements:

• Baccalaureate Field    No restrictions. However, applicants must  have a satisfactory record of courses in biology, inorganic and  organic chemistry, and at least one year of physics and of  mathematics.
• Grade Point Average  At least 2.75/4.00 for the final 60 semester hours of undergraduate study. Preference is given to applicants with a GPA of greater than 3.00/4.00.
• Tests Required  None.
• TOEFL  80, with subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17, Speaking 20, and Writing 21 (iBT Test); 60, with subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17, Writing 21 (revised Paper-Delivered Test),  OR,
• IELTS  6.5, with subscores of 6.0 for all four subscores,  OR ,
• PTE-Academic  54, with subscores of Reading 51, Listening 47, Speaking 53, and Writing 56.
• Letters of Recommendation  Three required.
• Personal Statement  Required. Personal statement must include a description of past research experience and motivation for obtaining a doctorate degree in Biomedical Sciences.
• Other Requirements Preference is given to applicants with a documented record of research accomplishments.

Degree Requirements

In additional to Graduate College minimum requirements, students must meet the following program requirements: 

MS in Biomedical Sciences

There will be no direct admission to the MS. Doctoral students who fail to progress beyond year 2 (including failing the preliminary exam) or who choose to discontinue research upon passing the preliminary exam will be allowed to petition for the MS.

• Minimum Semester Hours Required 36-38
• Course Work
• Comprehensive Examination: None 
• Thesis, Project, or Course-Work-Only Options: Course work  only. MS students are not required to produce a thesis from their  mentored research or research rotation. Although mentored  research is not required, it is expected that most MS students will  participate in mentored research.
• Other Requirements: Seminar Series (4 hours in total). Students may register for any one of the following courses: PATH 595 , PCOL 595 , PHYB 595 , MIM 595 , BCMG 595 , or ANAT 595 .

PhD in Biomedical Sciences 

• Minimum Semester Hours Required: 96 from the baccalaureate
• Course Work: ​
• Preliminary Examination: Required. D uring the second year of graduate study, students must pass a  preliminary examination in a format specified by the GEMS Program. This exam has three components. First, students will prepare a preproposal (a three-page description of research project), followed by  submission of a research proposal (following the NIH F31 proposal guidelines), and an oral defense of the proposal. The written proposal will be reviewed by a preliminary exam committee consisting of five GEMS faculty. Students will be required to present and defend the proposal during oral examination.

Dissertation : Required. Students must earn at least 52 hours in one of  the following research courses: ANAT 599 , BCMG 599 , GEMS 599 , MIM 599 ,  PATH 599 , PCOL 599 , or  PHYB 599 .

Other Requirements: Seminar Series (6 hours in total). Students may register for any one of the following courses:  ANAT 595 ,  BCMG 595 ,  MIM 595 ,  PATH 595 ,  PCOL 595 , or  PHYB 595 .

Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP):  Students with an MD earned in the United States or who are working  toward one at UIC may use medical science courses to fulfill the Year 1  course work requirements ( GEMS 504 ,  GEMS 505 ,  GEMS 506 ,  GEMS 521 , and  GEMS 522 ).  MSTP students will complete all other degree requirements: the  concentration core, seminar series, electives, preliminary examination,  and dissertation.

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Science informs medicine and medicine informs science. School of Medicine offers several master's and Ph.D.-level graduate programs for students interested in pursuing careers in health and biomedical sciences research. Our graduate students conduct their thesis work in faculty labs, where their basic, translational and clinical research advances our understanding of human development and disease. Our master's degree and Ph.D. students also contribute to the development of new diagnostics and therapeutics in cardiology, neurology, cancer, diabetes, infectious diseases and more.

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Are you interested in pursuing a joint MD/PhD program? Explore the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at School of Medicine.

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The Bioinformatics PhD Program is well established, with a long history of successful graduates in both academia and industry.  

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• Frequently Asked Questions

To apply for the Bioinformatics PhD Program, you must submit complete applications by December 1 for admission the following Fall term. Early applications are not allowed and will not be considered. 

Please visit the Rackham Graduate School web pages for additional information on applying. There you will also find information on how to respond to an offer of admission, plus tips and materials required for international applicants and incoming students.

If you are certain about pursuing a Bioinformatics PhD, then applications should be submitted directly to the Bioinformatics PhD Program ; there are more than 100 diverse affiliated faculty to choose from.

Applicants should be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. In addition, applicants with a background in quantitative sciences should consider applying directly. Separately, if you are transferring from another University of Michigan Program or have obtained an established University of Michigan mentor affiliated with the program, a direct application is most appropriate.

PIBS is an umbrella program that offers first-year PhD students flexibility in exploring opportunities in bioinformatics and thirteen other graduate programs. Through PIBS, students have the opportunity to rotate in, and potentially join the lab of a faculty mentor in another program; there are more than 500 diverse faculty to select from. PIBS students who list Bioinformatics as their primary choice must complete at least one rotation with a Bioinformatics-affiliated faculty member. After 10 months in PIBS, students officially join Bioinformatics (or one of the other programs). You can visit the PIBS website for more information.

Please note that reviewing admissions faculty for both PIBS and direct applications are the same. In addition, admitted applicants take the same Bioinformatics-specific courses and activities. See below for details on program diversity outreach, application materials, and funding.

Students who will have an MS in a relevant field (e.g. computer science, statistics, biostatistics, biology) from another university may request to have up to 6 credit-hours (two classes) waived. These classes may be used to help fulfill the core PhD requirements for biology (1 course), statistics (2 courses), and/or computing (1 course). To obtain approval, students need to send a detailed syllabus of the class(es) they took to the PhD directors along with their grade(s), which must be a B or better. The other PhD course requirements, including BIOINF-529 and two advanced bioinformatics courses, cannot be waived.

Most international Bioinformatics PhD applicants should apply through PIBS. However, some who are already embedded in a University of Michigan mentor lab affiliated with the program may be an appropriate fit for the direct Bioinformatics PhD program.

The TOEFL or IELTS exam is required unless Rackham Graduate School waiver requirements have been met. Criteria for English proficiency exemption can be found on the Rackham website . In addition, a list of required credentials from non-U.S. institutions for an application can be found here.

The Bioinformatics Graduate Program encourages applications from traditionally underrepresented minorities, students with disabilities, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. There are numerous funding opportunities and resources on campus to contribute to students overall well-being while pursuing studies. Several resources available to students can be found on the Rackham Graduate School Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion website .

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All application materials should be submitted electronically when possible. Applicants must meet  Rackham's Minimum Requirements for Admission . The  online application form  can be found on the Rackham Admissions webpages. The application is available in early September through the deadline. 

• GPA, minimum 3.2/4.0 (exceptions may be made if deemed appropriate)
• Letters of recommendation (3 required): Please be aware that submitting only the Rackham Recommendation for Admission Form is insufficient; forms must be accompanied by a letter from the recommender. All letters are due by the application deadline. Without them, applications will not be considered complete or reviewed by the Program Admissions Committee.
• Statement of Purpose: The Statement of Purpose should be a concise, well-written statement about your academic and research background, your career goals, and how Michigan's graduate program will help you meet your career and educational objectives.
• Personal Statement: The Personal Statement should be a concise, well-written statement about how your personal background and life experiences, including social, cultural, familial, educational, or other opportunities or challenges, motivated your decision to pursue a graduate degree at the University of Michigan. This is not an Academic Statement of Purpose, but a discussion of the personal journey that has led to your decision to seek a graduate degree.
• Transcripts: Please submit unofficial transcripts electronically with your online application
• GRE scores are no longer included as part of admission
• Applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate English proficiency via either the TOEFL or IELTS exam. The institution code is 1839. Other exams may not be substituted. Rackham Graduate School offers a full explanation of this requirement , including exemption criteria. Please contact Rackham directly ( [email protected] ) with questions.

Diversity is a key component of excellence, especially for solving the complex biomedical challenges that our field of computational medicine and bioinformatics faces. We believe that all people—regardless of background, race, religion, sexual/gender orientation, age or disability—deserve an equitable opportunity to pursue the education and career of their choice.

The Bioinformatics Graduate Program will provide tuition, healthcare coverage, and a stipend on a 12-month basis. This level of support will be maintained throughout a student's tenure in the Program, provided s/he remains in good academic standing and makes reasonable progress towards the degree as determined by the Graduate Directors, with faculty input. It is expected that the student will be supported directly by the mentor's laboratory, beginning in the second year. The expected time to degree is typically 5-6 years.

The U-M MS program is a terminal degree program. If you are interested in the Bioinformatics PhD Program, you must submit a new application. If you are a Bioinformatics MS student who is in good academic standing and has identified a Bioinformatics affiliated faculty mentor, you may apply for admission directly to the PhD Bioinformatics Program for the Winter term. Reviewing faculty take all application components into account and mentors are prepared to take both academic and financial responsibility for their trainees.

Eligibility: Only current or recently graduated University of Michigan Master’s students are eligible. Before applying, students must have completed more than half of all required courses, with at least six credits from the Bioinformatics Program.

Application deadline: October 1

The online application form can be found on the Rackham Admissions webpages. The application is available in early September through the deadline.

• Letters of recommendation: Please be aware that submitting only the Rackham Recommendation for Admission Form is insufficient; forms must be accompanied by a letter from the recommender. If you wish to include three letters from your original application, only one additional letter is needed. It must be from the DCMB faculty member who will serve as your primary mentor. The letter should state clearly that the mentor takes responsibility for your funding upon admission. Alternatively, you may wish to obtain three new letters of recommendation. The Admissions Committee strongly encourages you to include letters from those familiar with your research and coursework obtained while pursuing your Master’s degree. Of these, one must be from the faculty member who will serve as your primary mentor. The letter should state clearly that the mentor takes responsibility for your funding upon admission.
• Statement of Purpose: The Statement of Purpose should be a concise, well-written statement about your academic and research background, your career goals, and how the PhD Program will help you meet your career and educational objectives.
• Transcripts: Only a current, unofficial U-M transcript is necessary. You do not need to re-submit materials included with your Master’s application.
• TOEFL: If you submitted TOEFL scores when applying to the Master’s Program, additional test scores are not needed.

Bioinformatics consists of a mathematical and/or statistical analysis of a biomedical problem using computation. We define bioinformatics widely and include traditional bioinformatics areas such as for examples, systems biology, genomics, proteomics, plus statistical and evolutionary genetics, clinical informatics, and protein modeling.

As an interdisciplinary field, Bioinformatics attracts graduate students from mathematics, statistics, physics, computer science, biomedical engineering, chemistry, biochemistry and biology. Most incoming students have both a major in one and a minor in another discipline. In recent years students have entered with undergraduate training in bioinformatics or computational biology.

Each student obtains individual counseling by one of the two graduate program directors upon arrival and throughout their academic career. As Bioinformatics is still developing, new courses are added all the time. Current students are encouraged to contact the Program Directors about courses that may be relevant to their studies and are not listed on the website (esp. if they are new or infrequently offered).

In most cases, we recommend you apply to the PIBS program, as it provides flexibility in classes, funding, and a central admission for many biomedical programs. If you have no or very little biology background, please contact our Student Services Representative as to whether a direct application would be better. Current student who are considering transferring areas of study should also contact the Bioinformatics Graduate Office.

There is no need to apply both direct and through PIBS, as the same committee sees your applications.

For most students, thesis work includes computing, reading, and writing. A small group also participates in wet laboratory work. Please check both the research areas and student webpages for an overview of the varied subjects addressed in research and student theses.

Many of our graduate students obtain academic postdoctoral fellowships and go on to faculty positions. Quite a significant number of graduates go into non-academic professions such as small or large biotech companies. Some have founded their own business, and others apply their analytical skills in companies unrelated to bioinformatics. For a current list of graduate placement, please visit the alumni pages.

No. If you want to get a PhD, directly apply to the PhD Program.

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PhD in Medical Science (CIMR)

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The Cambridge Institute for Medical Research (CIMR) is one of the leading research institutions in the UK. The Institute’s mission is to determine the molecular mechanisms of disease in order to advance human health, and the working environment emphasises collaboration between basic and clinician scientists, meaning the students can learn from multiple different approaches to biomedical problems. There are 24 research groups working across three research themes (protein folding and quality control, membrane trafficking and organelle biology) and three disease areas where these fundamental processes are disturbed (rare genetic disease, neurological disease, and intracellular infection).

Students at CIMR benefit from a wealth of seminars, core topic sessions and workshops held in CIMR by outstanding world-leading researchers, providing a broad scientific education. Our students receive expert training in state-of-the-art technologies through our core research facilities, and also have diverse opportunities to communicate their research findings and develop collaborative networks, e.g. at the annual CIMR research retreat. There are also opportunities for training and involvement in public engagement with research, which is a particular area of focus.

CIMR welcomes applications from postgraduates to undertake research towards a PhD in any of the labs based in CIMR. We admit those applicants who meet the academic admissions criteria and whose research interests match those of an available member of the academic staff who is willing to act as the student's supervisor. We believe that research is most effective when it reflects the widest possible diversity of ideas and inspiration, so we welcome applications from individuals from groups that are traditionally under-represented in scientific research.

Applicants are required to contact potential supervisors directly in the first instance, to discuss their application and funding possibilities. A list of CIMR PIs can be found on the CIMR website.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of their PhD, students should:

• have a thorough knowledge of the literature and a comprehensive understanding of scientific methods and techniques applicable to their own research;
• be able to demonstrate originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in their field;
• have developed the ability to critically evaluate current research and research techniques and methodologies;
• have self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems;
• be able to act autonomously in the planning and implementation of research; and
• have gained oral presentation and scientific writing skills.

Those who wish to progress to a PhD after completing an MPhil will be required to satisfy their potential supervisor, Head of Department and the Faculty Degree Committee that they have the skills and ability to achieve the higher degree.

The Postgraduate Virtual Open Day usually takes place at the end of October. It’s a great opportunity to ask questions to admissions staff and academics, explore the Colleges virtually, and to find out more about courses, the application process and funding opportunities. Visit the  Postgraduate Open Day  page for more details.

See further the  Postgraduate Admissions Events  pages for other events relating to Postgraduate study, including study fairs, visits and international events.

Departments

This course is advertised in the following departments:

• Department of Pathology
• Department of Clinical Biochemistry
• Department of Clinical Neurosciences
• Department of Haematology
• Department of Medical Genetics
• Department of Medicine

Key Information

3-4 years full-time, 4-7 years part-time, study mode : research, doctor of philosophy, cambridge institute for medical research this course is advertised in multiple departments. please see the overview tab for more details., course - related enquiries, application - related enquiries, course on department website, dates and deadlines:, lent 2024 (closed).

Some courses can close early. See the Deadlines page for guidance on when to apply.

Easter 2024 (Closed)

Michaelmas 2024, easter 2025, funding deadlines.

These deadlines apply to applications for courses starting in Michaelmas 2024, Lent 2025 and Easter 2025.

Similar Courses

• Medical Science (CIMR) MPhil
• Haematology PhD
• Medical Science (Haematology) MPhil
• Infection and Immunity PhD
• Biological Science (MRC Toxicology Unit) PhD

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Driving Innovations in Biostatistics with Denise Scholtens, PhD

“I'm continually surprised by new data types. I think that we will see the emergence of a whole new kind of technology that we probably can't even envision five years from now…When I think about where the field has come over the past 20 years, it's just phenomenal.”  —  Denise Scholtens, PhD  

• Director, Northwestern University Data Analysis and Coordinating Center (NUDACC)  
• Chief of Biostatistics in the Department of Preventive Medicine  
• Professor of Preventive Medicine in the Division of Biostatistics and of Neurological Surgery  
• Member of Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS)  
• Member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center  

Episode Notes 

Since arriving at Feinberg in 2004, Scholtens has played a central role in the dramatic expansion of biostatistics at the medical school. Now the Director of NUDACC, Scholtens brings her expertise and leadership to large-scale, multicenter studies that can lead to clinical and public health practice decision-making.    

• After discovering her love of statistics as a high school math teacher, Scholtens studied bioinformatics in a PhD program before arriving at Feinberg in 2004.  
• Feinberg’s commitment to biostatistics has grown substantially in recent decades. Scholtens was only one of five biostatisticians when she arrived. Now she is part of a division with almost 50 people.  
• She says being a good biostatistician requires curiosity about other people’s work, knowing what questions to ask and tenacity to understand subtitles of so much data.   
• At NUDACC, Scholtens and her colleagues specialize in large-scale, multicenter prospective studies and clinical trials that lead to clinical or public health practice decision-making. They operate at the executive level and oversee all aspects of the study design.  
• Currently, Scholtens is involved with the launch of a large study, along with The Ohio State University, that received a $14 million grant to look at the effectiveness of aspirin in the prevention of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy.  
• Scholtens first started her work in data coordinating through the Hyperglycemia Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) study, which looked at 25,000 pregnant individuals. This led to a continued interest in fetal and maternal health.   
• When it comes to supportive working environments, Scholtens celebrates the culture at Feinberg, and especially her division in biostatistics, for being collaborative as well as genuinely supportive of each other’s projects. She attributes this to strong leadership which established a culture with these guiding principles.   

Additional Reading  

• Read more about the ASPIRIN trial and other projects taking place at NUDACC   
• Discover a study linking mothers’ obesity-related genes to babies’ birth weight, which Scholtens worked in through the HAPO study   
• Browse all of Scholtens recent publications 

Recorded on February 21, 2024.

Continuing Medical Education Credit

Physicians who listen to this podcast may claim continuing medical education credit after listening to an episode of this program..

Target Audience

Academic/Research, Multiple specialties

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Identify the research interests and initiatives of Feinberg faculty.
• Discuss new updates in clinical and translational research.

Accreditation Statement

The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation Statement

The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine designates this Enduring Material for a maximum of 0.50  AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

American Board of Surgery Continuous Certification Program

Successful completion of this CME activity enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME requirement(s) of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABS credit.

All the relevant financial relationships for these individuals have been mitigated.

Disclosure Statement

Denise Scholtens, PhD, has nothing to disclose.  Course director, Robert Rosa, MD, has nothing to disclose. Planning committee member, Erin Spain, has nothing to disclose.  FSM’s CME Leadership, Review Committee, and Staff have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose.

Read the Full Transcript

[00:00:00] Erin Spain, MS: This is Breakthroughs, a podcast from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. I'm Erin Spain, host of the show. Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is home to a team of premier faculty and staff biostatisticians, who are the driving force of data analytic innovation and excellence here. Today, we are talking with Dr. Denise Scholtens, a leader in biostatistics at Northwestern, about the growing importance of the field, and how she leverages her skills to collaborate on several projects in Maternal and Fetal Health. She is the Director of the Northwestern University Data Analysis and Coordinating Center, NUDACC, and Chief of Biostatistics in the Department of Preventive Medicine, as well as Professor of Preventive Medicine and Neurological Surgery. Welcome to the show.  

[00:01:02] Denise Scholtens, PhD: Thank you so much.  

[00:01:02] Erin Spain, MS: So you have said in the past that you were drawn to this field of biostatistics because you're interested in both math and medicine, but not interested in becoming a clinician. Tell me about your path into the field and to Northwestern.  

[00:01:17] Denise Scholtens, PhD: You're right. I have always been interested in both math and medicine. I knew I did not want to be involved in clinical care. Originally, fresh out of college, I was a math major and I taught high school math for a couple of years. I really enjoyed that, loved the kids, loved the teaching parts of things. Interestingly enough, my department chair at the time assigned me to teach probability and statistics to high school seniors. I had never taken a statistics course before, so I was about a week ahead of them in our classes and found that I just really enjoyed the discipline. So as much as I loved teaching, I did decide to go ahead and invest in this particular new area that I had found and I really enjoyed. So I wanted to figure out how I could engage in the field of statistics. Decided to see, you know, exactly how studying statistics could be applied to medicine. At the time, Google was brand new. So I literally typed in the two words math and medicine to see what would come up. And the discipline of biostatistics is what Google generated. And so here I am, I applied to grad school and it's been a great fit for me.  

[00:02:23] Erin Spain, MS: Oh, that's fantastic. So you went on to get a PhD, and then you came to Northwestern in 2004. And so tell me a little bit about the field then and how it's changed so dramatically since.  

[00:02:36] Denise Scholtens, PhD: So yes, I started here at Northwestern in 2004, just a few months after I had defended my thesis. At the time there was really an emerging field of study called bioinformatics. So I wrote my thesis in the space of genomics data analysis with what at the time was a brand new technology, microarrays. This was the first way we could measure gene transcription at a high throughput level. So I did my thesis work in that space. I studied at an institution with a lot of strengths and very classical statistics. So things that we think of in biostatistics like clinical trial design, observational study analysis, things like that. So I had really classic biostatistics training and then complimented that with sort of these emerging methods with these high dimensional data types. So I came to Northwestern here and I sort of felt like I lived in two worlds. I had sort of classic biostat clinical trials, which were certainly, you know, happening here. And, that work was thriving here at Northwestern, but I had this kind of new skillset, and I just didn't quite know how to bring the two together. That was obviously a long time ago, 20 years ago. Now we think of personalized medicine and genomic indicators for treatment and, you know, there's a whole variety of omics data variations on the theme that are closely integrated with clinical and population level health research. So there's no longer any confusion for me about how those two things come together. You know, they're two disciplines that very nicely complement each other. But yeah, I think that does speak to how the field has changed, you know, these sort of classic biostatistics methods are really nicely blended with a lot of high dimensional data types. And it's been fun to be a part of that.  

[00:04:17] Erin Spain, MS: There were only a handful of folks like you at Northwestern at the time. Tell me about now and the demand for folks with your skill set.  

[00:04:26] Denise Scholtens, PhD: When I came to Northwestern, I was one of a very small handful of biostatistics faculty. There were five of us. We were not even called a division of biostatistics. We were just here as the Department of Preventive Medicine. And a lot of the work we did was really very tightly integrated with the epidemiologists here in our department and we still do a lot of that for sure. There was also some work going on with the Cancer Center here at Northwestern. But yeah, a pretty small group of us, who has sort of a selected set of collaborations. You know, I contrast that now to our current division of biostatistics where we are over 20s, pushing 25, depending on exactly how you want to count. Hoping to bring a couple of new faculty on board this calendar year. We have a staff of about 25 statistical analysts. And database managers and programmers. So you know, when I came there were five faculty members and I think two master's level staff. We are now pushing, you know, pushing 50 people in our division here so it's a really thriving group.  

[00:05:26] Erin Spain, MS: in your opinion, what makes a good biostatistician? Do you have to have a little bit of a tough skin to be in this field?  

Denise Scholtens, PhD: I do think it's a unique person who wants to be a biostatistician. There are a variety of traits that can lead to success in this space. First of all, I think it's helpful to be wildly curious about somebody else's work. To be an excellent collaborative biostatistician, you have to be able to learn the language of another discipline. So some other clinical specialty or public health application. Another trait that makes a biostatistician successful is to be able to ask the right questions about data that will be collected or already have been collected. So understanding the subtleties there, the study design components that lead to why we have the data that we have. You know, a lot of our data, you could think of it in a simple flat file, right? Like a Microsoft Excel file with rows and columns. That certainly happens a lot, but there are a lot of incredibly innovative data types out there: wearables technology, imaging data, all kinds of high dimensional data. So I think a tenacity to understand all of the subtleties of those data and to be able to ask the right questions. And then I think for a biostatistician at a medical school like ours, being able to blend those two things, so understanding what the data are and what you have to work with and what you're heading toward, but then also facilitating the translation of those analytic findings for the audience that really wants to understand them. So for the clinicians, for the patients, for participants and the population that the findings would apply to.   

Erin Spain, MS: It must feel good, though, in those situations where you are able to help uncover something to improve a study or a trial.  

[00:07:07] Denise Scholtens, PhD: It really does. This is a job that's easy to get out of bed for in the morning. There's a lot of really good things that happen here. It's exciting to know that the work we do could impact clinical practice, could impact public health practice. I think in any job, you know, you can sometimes get bogged down by the amount of work or the difficulty of the work or the back and forth with team members. There's just sort of all of the day to day grind, but to be able to take a step back and remember the actual people who are affected by our own little niche in this world. It's an incredibly helpful and motivating practice that I often keep to remember exactly why I'm doing what I'm doing and who I'm doing it for.  

[00:07:50] Erin Spain, MS: Well, and another important part of your work is that you are a leader. You are leading the center, NUDACC, that you mentioned, Northwestern University Data Analysis and Coordinating Center. Now, this has been open for about five years. Tell me about the center and why it's so crucial to the future of the field.  

[00:08:08] Denise Scholtens, PhD: We specialize at NUDACC in large scale, multicenter prospective studies. So these are the clinical trials or the observational studies that often, most conclusively, lead to clinical or public health practice decision making. We focus specifically on multicenter work. Because it requires a lot of central coordination and we've specifically built up our NUDACC capacity to handle these multi center investigations where we have a centralized database, we have centralized and streamlined data quality assurance pipelines. We can help with central team leadership and organization for large scale networks. So we have specifically focused on those areas. There's a whole lot of project management and regulatory expertise that we have to complement our data analytics strengths as well. I think my favorite part of participating in these studies is we get involved at the very beginning. We are involved in executive level planning of these studies. We oversee all components of study design. We are intimately involved in the development of the data capture systems. And in the QA of it. We do all of this work on the front end so that we get all of the fun at the end with the statistics and can analyze data that we know are scientifically sound, are well collected, and can lead to, you know, really helpful scientific conclusions.  

[00:09:33] Erin Spain, MS: Tell me about that synergy between the clinicians and the other investigators that you're working with on these projects.  

[00:09:41] Denise Scholtens, PhD: It is always exciting, often entertaining. Huge range of scientific opinion and expertise and points of view, all of which are very valid and very well informed. All of the discussion that could go into designing and launching a study, it's just phenomenally interesting and trying to navigate all of that and help bring teams to consensus in terms of what is scientifically most relevant, what's going to be most impactful, what is possible given the logistical strengths. Taking all of these well informed, valid, scientific points of view and being a part of the team that helps integrate them all toward a cohesive study design and a well executed study. That's a unique part of the challenge that we face here at NUDACC, but an incredibly rewarding one. It's also such an honor and a gift to be able to work with such a uniformly gifted set of individuals. Just the clinical researchers who devote themselves to these kinds of studies are incredibly generous, incredibly thoughtful and have such care for their patients and the individuals that they serve, that to be able to sit with them and think about the next steps for a great study is a really unique privilege.  

[00:10:51] Erin Spain, MS: How unique is a center like this at a medical school?  

[00:10:55] Denise Scholtens, PhD: It's fairly unique to have a center like this at a medical school. Most of the premier medical research institutions do have some level of data coordinating center capacity. We're certainly working toward trying to be one of the nation's best, absolutely, and build up our capacity for doing so. I'm actually currently a part of a group of data coordinating centers where it's sort of a grassroots effort right now to organize ourselves and come up with, you know, some unified statements around the gaps that we see in our work, the challenges that we face strategizing together to improve our own work and to potentially contribute to each other's work. I think maybe the early beginnings of a new professional organization for data coordinating centers. We have a meeting coming up of about, I think it's 12 to 15 different institutions, academic research institutions, specifically medical schools that have centers like ours to try to talk through our common pain points and also celebrate our common victories.  

[00:11:51] Erin Spain, MS: I want to shift gears a little bit to talk about some of your research collaborations, many of which focus on maternal and fetal health and pregnancy. You're now involved with a study with folks at the Ohio State University that received a 14 million grant looking at the effectiveness of aspirin in the prevention of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. Tell me about this work.  

[00:12:14] Denise Scholtens, PhD: Yes, this is called the aspirin study. I suppose not a very creative name, but a very appropriate one. What we'll be doing in this study is looking at two different doses of aspirin for trying to prevent maternal hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in women who are considered at high risk for these disorders. This is a huge study. Our goal is to enroll 10,742 participants. This will take place at 11 different centers across the nation. And yes, we at NUDACC will serve as the data coordinating center here, and we are partnering with the Ohio State University who will house the clinical coordinating center. So this study is designed to look at two different doses to see which is more effective at preventing hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. So that would include gestational hypertension and preeclampsia. What's really unique about this study and the reason that it is so large is that it is specifically funded to look at what's called a heterogeneity of treatment effect. What that is is a difference in the effectiveness of aspirin in preventing maternal hypertensive disorders, according to different subgroups of women. We'll specifically have sufficient statistical power to test for differences in treatment effectiveness. And we have some high priority subgroups that we'll be looking at. One is a self-identified race. There's been a noted disparity in maternal hypertensive disorders, for individuals who self identify according to different races. And so we will be powered to see if aspirin has comparable effectiveness and hopefully even better effectiveness for the groups who really need it, to bring those rates closer to equity which is, you know, certainly something we would very strongly desire to see. We'll also be able to look at subgroups of women according to obesity, according to maternal age at pregnancy, according to the start time of aspirin when aspirin use is initiated during pregnancy. So that's why the trial is so huge. For a statistician, the statisticians out there who might be listening, this is powered on a statistical interaction term, which doesn't happen very often. So it's exciting that the trial is funded in that way.  

[00:14:27] Erin Spain, MS: Tell me a little bit more about this and how your specific skills are going to be utilized in this study.  

[00:14:32] Denise Scholtens, PhD: Well, there are three biostatistics faculty here at Northwestern involved in this. So we're definitely dividing and conquering. Right now, we're planning this study and starting to stand it up. So we're developing our statistical analysis plans. We're developing the database. We are developing our randomization modules. So this is the piece of the study where participants are randomized to which dose of aspirin they're going to receive. Because of all of the subgroups that we're planning to study, we need to make especially sure that the assignments of which dose of aspirin are balanced within and across all of those subgroups. So we're going to be using some adaptive randomization techniques to ensure that that balance is there. So there's some fun statistical and computer programming innovation that will be applied to accomplish those things. So right now, there are usually two phases of a study that are really busy for us. That's starting to study up and that's where we are. And so yes, it is very busy for us right now. And then at the end, you know, in five years or so, once recruitment is over, then we analyze all the data,  

[00:15:36] Erin Spain, MS: Are there any guidelines out there right now about the use of aspirin in pregnancy. What do you hope that this could accomplish?  

 Prescribing aspirin use for the prevention of hypertension during pregnancy is not uncommon at all. That is actually fairly routinely done, but that it's not outcomes based in terms of which dosage is most effective. So 81 milligrams versus 162 milligrams. That's what we will be evaluating. And my understanding is that clinicians prescribe whatever they think is better, and I'm sure those opinions are very well informed but there is very little outcome based evidence for this in this particular population that we'll be studying. So that would be the goal here, would be to hopefully very conclusively say, depending on the rates of the hypertensive disorders that we see in our study, which of the two doses of aspirin is more effective. Importantly, we will also be tracking any side effects of taking aspirin. And so that's also very much often a part of the evaluation of You know, taking a, taking a drug, right, is how safe is it? So we'll be tracking that very closely as well. Another unique part of this study is that we will be looking at factors that help explain aspirin adherence. So we are going to recommend that participants take their dose of aspirin daily. We don't necessarily expect that's always going to happen, so we are going to measure how much of their prescribed dose they are actually taking and then look at, you know, factors that contribute to that. So be they, you know, social determinants of health or a variety of other things that we'll investigate to try to understand aspirin adherence, and then also model the way in which that adherence could have affected outcomes.  

Erin Spain, MS: This is not the first study that you've worked on involving maternal and fetal health. Tell me about your interest in this particular area, this particular field, and some of the other work that you've done.  

[00:17:31] Denise Scholtens, PhD: So I actually first got my start in data coordinating work through the HAPO study. HAPO stands for Hyperglycemia Adverse Pregnancy Outcome. That study was started here at Northwestern before I arrived. Actually recruitment to the study occurred between 2000 and 2006. Northwestern served as the central coordinating center for that study. It was an international study of 25,000 pregnant individuals who were recruited and then outcomes were evaluated both in moms and newborns. When I was about mid career here, all the babies that were born as a part of HAPO were early teenagers. And so we conducted a follow up study on the HAPO cohort. So that's really when I got involved. It was my first introduction to being a part of a coordinating center. As I got into it, though, I saw the beauty of digging into all of these details for a huge study like this and then saw these incredible resources that were accumulated through the conduct of such a large study. So the data from the study itself is, was of course, a huge resource. But then also we have all of these different samples that sit in a biorepository, right? So like usually blood sample collection is a big part of a study like this. So all these really fun ancillary studies could spin off of the HAPO study. So we did some genomics work. We did some metabolomics work. We've integrated the two and what's called integrated omics. So, you know, my work in this space really started in the HAPO study. And I have tremendously enjoyed integrating these high dimensional data types that have come from these really rich data resources that have all, you know, resulted because of this huge multicenter longitudinal study. So I kind of accidentally fell into the space of maternal and fetal health, to be honest. But I just became phenomenally interested in it and it's been a great place.  

[00:19:24] Erin Spain, MS: Would you say that this is also a population that hasn't always been studied very much in biomedical science?  

[00:19:32] Denise Scholtens, PhD: I think that that is true, for sure. There are some unique vulnerabilities, right, for a pregnant individual and for the fetus, right, and in that situation. You know, the vast majority of what we do is really only pertaining to the pregnant participant but, you know, there are certainly fetal outcomes, newborn outcomes. And so, I think conducting research in this particular population is a unique opportunity and there are components of it that need to be treated with special care given sort of this unique phase of human development and this unique phase of life.  

[00:20:03] Erin Spain, MS: So, as data generation just really continues to explode, and technology is advancing so fast, faster than ever, where do you see this field evolving, the field of biostatistics, where do you see it going in the next five to ten years?  

[00:20:19] Denise Scholtens, PhD: That's a great question. I think all I can really tell you is that I'm continually surprised by new data types. I think that we will see an emergence of a whole new kind of technology that we probably can't even envision five years from now. And I think that the fun part about being a biostatistician is seeing what's happening and then trying to wrap your mind around the possibilities and the actual nature of the data that are collected. You know, I think back to 2004 and this whole high throughput space just felt so big. You know, we could look at gene transcription across the genome using one technology. And we could only look at one dimension of it. Right now it just seems so basic. When I think about where the field has come over the past 20 years, it's just phenomenal. I think we're seeing a similar emergence of the scale and the type of data in the imaging space and in the wearable space, with EHR data, just. You know, all these different technologies for capturing, capturing things that we just never even conceived of before. I do hope that we continue to emphasize making meaningful and translatable conclusions from these data. So actionable conclusions that can impact the way that we care for others around us. I do hope that remains a guiding principle in all that we do.  

[00:21:39] Erin Spain, MS: Why is Northwestern Medicine and Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine such a supportive environment to pursue this type of work?  

[00:21:47] Denise Scholtens, PhD: That's a wonderful question and one, honestly, that faculty candidates often ask me. When we bring faculty candidates in to visit here at Northwestern, they immediately pick up on the fact that we are a collaborative group of individuals who are for each other. Who want to see each other succeed, who are happy to share the things that we know and support each other's work, and support each other's research, and help strategize around the things that we want to accomplish. There is a strong culture here, at least in my department and in my division that I've really loved that continues to persist around really genuinely collaborating and genuinely sharing lessons learned and genuinely supporting each other as we move toward common goals. We've had some really strong, generous leadership who has helped us to get there and has helped create a culture where those are the guiding principles. In my leadership role is certainly something that I strive to maintain. Really hope that's true. I'm sure I don't do it perfectly but that's absolutely something I want to see accomplished here in the division and in NUDACC for sure.  

[00:22:50] Erin Spain, MS: Well, thank you so much for coming on the show and telling us about your path here to Northwestern and all of the exciting work that we can look forward to in the coming years.  

[00:22:59] Denise Scholtens, PhD: Thank you so much for having me. I've really enjoyed this.  

[00:23:01] Erin Spain, MS: You can listen to shows from the Northwestern Medicine Podcast Network to hear more about the latest developments in medical research, health care, and medical education. Leaders from across specialties speak to topics ranging from basic science to global health to simulation education. Learn more at feinberg. northwestern.edu/podcasts.  

GMS & C3 Host Spring 2024 End-of-Semester Social

On April 25, Graduate Medical Sciences and the Community Catalyst Center (C3) hosted their annual End-of-Semester Social to celebrate the final days of the Spring 2024 term.

The event was held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Talbot Green, where a chilly morning made way for a warm and sunny afternoon just in time for the event. The event drew around 200 students, faculty and staff from a variety of GMS programs.

Attendees enjoyed several types of sandwiches, salads and chips, as well as lawn games scattered across the green. Tables set up on the grass allowed students, faculty and staff to sit and enjoy their lunch in the company of classmates and colleagues. GMS Marketing & Communications Specialist Mike Bloom provided live music throughout the event.

Students also had the chance to enter a raffle for one of three prizes: a pair of Red Sox tickets, a pair of Boston City Harbor Cruise tickets and a C3 zip-up jacket.

Check out some more pictures from the social below, and click here to view a calendar of upcoming events as we near the end of the semester.

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Congratulations to the 2024 Commencement Marshals!

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The Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS) is proud to announce the 2024 Commencement Marshals. One of Harvard's most cherished traditions, to be named a marshal is considered an honor for a graduating student.

Selected by the Harvard Griffin GSAS Student Council and nominated by fellow students, graduate program administrators, or Harvard faculty, the Commencement Marshals play a crucial role on graduation day, assisting the School's deans in organizing the procession from the Lawns at Richards Hall to Harvard Yard. As they lead the graduating class into Tercentenary Theatre, they proudly raise the Harvard Griffin GSAS gonfalon, a symbol of its history and tradition.

The 2024 Commencement Marshals representing the doctor of philosophy are:

• Jonathan Boretsky, PhD, mathematics
• Iman Mohamed Said Darwish, PhD, history of science
• Gino Domel, PhD, engineering sciences
• Kelcee Alexandria Everette, PhD, biological and biomedical sciences
• Sonya V. Gupta, AM, regional studies–Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia
• Ayana LaShae Henderson, PhD, biological and biomedical sciences
• Chanthia C. Ma, PhD, biological and biomedical sciences
• Amy Tsang, PhD, sociology.

Sonya V. Gupta, AM, regional studies—Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia, has been chosen as the 2024 Commencement Marshal representing graduates with a master of arts, master of science, or master of engineering. Ms. Gupta and Ms. Henderson have also been selected as the student speaker for their respective Harvard Griffin GSAS Diploma Awarding Ceremony. 

Congratulations to all the 2024 marshals on behalf of the entire Harvard Griffin GSAS community!

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Gut Microbiota Acts Like an Auxiliary Liver

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Microbes in the mammalian gut can significantly change their hosts’ amino acid and glucose metabolism, acting almost like an extra liver, according to a new preclinical study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

The study , published April 23 in Cell Host & Microbe, adds to the growing list of ways in which the microbiome influences physiology, and could lead to new strategies to treat conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and diabetes.

In recent years, scientists have found that the billions of microbes living on and in the human body profoundly influence our physiology. Senior author Dr. Chun-Jun Guo , an assistant professor of microbiology & immunology in medicine and a member of the Jill Roberts Institute for Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Weill Cornell Medicine, wanted to take a deeper look at how the essential microbes in the gut affect our access to the nutrients extracted from the food we’ve ingested.

Dr. Chun-Jun Guo

“They ‘eat’ before us, taking first dibs on the nutrients from the food we consume, and leaving us with what remains after they satisfy their own nutritional needs,” said Dr. Guo, who is also a member of the Friedman Center for Nutrition and Inflammation at Weill Cornell Medicine.

To better understand this process, first author Dr. Ting-Ting Li, a postdoctoral associate in the Guo lab, and collaborators, assessed how efficiently different bacteria that naturally inhabit our intestines, called human gut commensals, deplete amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Due to the poorly characterized metabolic functions of many gut bacteria, the team experimented with various settings to find the optimal conditions for their study. After screening more than 100 different human gut microbes, the investigators pinpointed several that are highly efficient at metabolizing various dietary amino acids. When these microbes colonized the gastrointestinal tracts of germ-free mice—mice that initially had no microbes—the levels of those amino acids dropped in the host's intestine and bloodstream.

The team then identified the specific bacterial metabolic genes that deplete amino acids. It was a long list. “We found that in one single bacterium, there are over 20 different genes encoding a similar enzymatic function,” Dr. Guo said. “And because we have improved our CRISPR-Cas9 gene deletion techniques for gut bacteria, we were able to perform a large gene deletion screen and identify the metabolic genes in the bacteria that were responsible for depleting amino acids."

The scientists took their findings from cultured cells into animals, giving germ-free mice genetically modified strains of bacteria, one at a time. “We can now precisely manipulate individual genes for depleting amino acids in the gut,” Dr. Guo said. “This allows us to assess the individual function of these genes and to see how they actually impact host amino acid homeostasis.”

Dr. Ting-Ting Li

That work produced a surprising result; by consuming a specific class of amino acids, gut microbes can alter their hosts’ blood glucose homeostasis. Further analysis revealed that by changing amino acid availability, the microbes appear to affect the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which in turn changes glucose regulation.

“A lot of these metabolic functions can be done by the liver, but now we’ve found that there are functionally comparable enzymes encoded by the gut microbiota that can do the same or similar things,” said Dr. Guo. “It’s like there is a second liver operating in the gut.”

The team is now designing new strategies to modulate the bacterial enzymes more precisely, and looking at how various combinations of bacteria affect the host’s amino acid metabolism.

Tantalizingly, some of the same genes the current study highlights are also dysregulated in the gut microbiomes of patients with digestive and metabolic diseases. Drugs targeting specific microbial genes, or engineered strains of bacteria, could potentially provide new ways to treat such conditions, according to Dr. Guo.

“These metabolic genes might be potential biomarkers for diseases like type 2 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease, and they are also potential treatment targets,” he added. "Our research demonstrates the possibility of precisely manipulating gut microbiota to regulate host metabolism and improve host metabolic functions.”

The work described in this story was supported in part by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, all part of the National Institutes of Health, through grant numbers: DP2HD101401, DK13581601, R01AI178683, DK126871, AI151599, AI095466, AI095608, AI142213, AI172027 and DK132244. Additional support was provided by a pilot award from the American Gastroenterological Association, the W.M. Keck Foundation, the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, RAPP funding from Weill Cornell Medicine, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, the UCAS Joint Ph.D. Training Program scholarship, the LEO Foundation, Cure for IBD, the Jill Roberts Institute, the Sanders family and Rosanne H. Silbermann Foundation.

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