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Program in Microbiology and Immunology
Institute for Biomedical Sciences
The George Washington University, Washington, District Of Columbia
 Detailed InformationProgram of StudyThe mission of the Graduate Program in Microbiology and Immunology within the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at The George Washington University is to provide a flexible, rigorous training program, so that its graduates may become outstanding independent research scientists and teachers. It is a multidisciplinary program comprising faculty members at The George Washington University as well as at academically affiliated institutions such as Children’s National Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health. Current research strengths and training opportunities include the study of host-pathogen relationships, inflammation, vaccine development, T-lymphocyte development and activation, cancer immunology, molecular parasitology, immunoparasitology, molecular retrovirology (HIV/AIDS), and microbial genomics and proteomics. The Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine at The George Washington University is also the home of the Human Hookworm Vaccine Initiative, a public private partnership with the Sabin Vaccine Institute, and several investigators maintain active international collaborations with research laboratories in Brazil, Honduras, Panama, and China.
The program leading to a Ph.D. degree is designed to permit flexibility. During the first year, students take the core curriculum required of all students, including Macromolecular Interactions: Proteins, Macromolecular Interactions: Nucleic Acids and Information Processing, Cell Biology, and two electives offered by the graduate programs within the Institute for Biomedical Sciences. In order to gain expertise in experimental research and to familiarize themselves with the research interests of the faculty members, students are required to rotate through three laboratories. There is also a series of minicourses to develop skills for careers in science.
Upon completion of core courses and laboratory rotations, the student selects a degree program as well as a research mentor. A research advisory committee, consisting of the research adviser and two or three additional faculty members, guides the student through the completion of the dissertation. Students who choose the microbiology and immunology program have the option to take a variety of advanced courses in microbiology and/or molecular and cellular immunology, as well as electives offered by other programs within the University, during the second year of study. Typically during the summer after the second year, students undertake their comprehensive exams, are advanced to Ph.D. candidacy, and focus on completing their dissertation research projects. Research FacilitiesExtensive research and core facilities are available in well-equipped faculty laboratories housed in GW’s Medical Center, Children’s Research Institute of Children’s National Medical Center, and selected laboratories at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The University’s Gelman Library and Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library, the National Library of Medicine, the Library of Congress, and numerous government agencies and other university libraries are available to students. Innovative research collaborations are available with the laboratories of NIH investigators affiliated with the program, and students are invited to attend the numerous research seminars and colloquiums conducted throughout the area. Financial AidIndividual fellowships are available to entering students. They carry a $25,000-per-year stipend and 24-credit-hour tuition for the first year. (Support during the second year is dependent on a satisfactory record during the first year.) Advanced students are supported by research grants and/or other funding sources. Cost of StudyThe cost of tuition for the 2009–10 academic year is $1118 per credit hour, and the cost of student association fees is $1.50 per credit hour. Tuition and fees are typically provided through the Institute for Biomedical Sciences and/or participating institutions. Living and Housing CostsUniversity housing is not generally available to graduate students. Information on off-campus housing is available through the Office of Campus Life, which hosts several apartment-hunting weekends during the summer. The cost of living in the Washington area is comparable to that of other major metropolitan areas. Student GroupThe total on-campus student body includes 15,769 full-time and 9,309 part-time students. The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences enrolls more than 2,500 graduate students, including approximately 85 in biomedical sciences. LocationThe University benefits from the abundant cultural, historical, and educational offerings of metropolitan Washington, D.C. The University is close to the National Institutes of Health (including the National Cancer Institute), the National Library of Medicine, the Smithsonian Institution, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency. The UniversityThe George Washington University, chartered by Congress in 1821, is private and nonsectarian. It holds regional accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and has received professional recognition for specific programs. Diversified offerings at all levels of the University associate it with the people and activities of many organizations that are exclusive to the Washington area.
The campus, located four blocks west of the White House, is a reflection of the varied character of the surrounding area, with a mixture of large modern buildings, traditional town houses, and classroom and dormitory buildings. All the major facilities of the University are located on campus, including the University hospital and medical school complex. A safe, clean, and modern Metro-rail system connects the Medical Center with urban Washington, D.C.; suburban Virginia and Maryland; and the NIH. ApplyingPh.D. graduate students are admitted to the Institute after a review of their qualifications and an interview. Undergraduate requirements include at least a B average and courses in general and organic chemistry, general biology, general physics, and calculus. Minor deficiencies may be removed during the summer and first semester after acceptance. All applicants must submit GRE General Test scores, three letters of recommendation, transcripts from all institutions attended, and a statement of purpose. The deadline for applications is December 15. International students should note that a minimum TOEFL score of 600 (250 on the computer-based test or 100 on the Internet-based test) is required. Detailed information can be found on the Institute’s Web site. The Faculty and Their Research
- Jeff Bethony, Assistant Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine; Ph.D. SUNY at Buffalo, 2000. Genetic and parasite epidemiology.
- Maria Elena Bottazzi, Associate Research Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine; Ph.D., Florida, 1995. Host-parasite relationships during hookworm disease; project manager human hookworm vaccine initiative.
- Paul Brindley, Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine; Ph.D., Queensland (Australia), 1983. Transgenesis of schistosomes.
- Michael Bukrinsky, Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine; M.D., Ph.D., Moscow Medical, 1984. Regulation of HIV nuclear importation; HIV and innate immunity.
- Stephanie Constant, Associate Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine; Ph.D., York (England), 1991. Host-pathogen interactions and regulation of inflammation.
- Edward DeFabo, Research Professor of Environment and Occupational Health; Ph.D., George Washington, 1974. Photoreceptor for immunosuppression; UV radiation carcinogenesis; UV effects on cellular immunity.
- Allan Goldstein, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Ph.D., Rutgers, 1964. Chemical and biological properties of thymosins; neuroimmunology; immunodeficiency diseases; cancer; AIDS; aging; wound healing.
- John Hawdon, Associate Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine; Ph.D., Pennsylvania, 1991. Hookworm infective process, nematode growth and development, hookworm population genetics.
- Robert Hawley, Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology; Ph.D., Toronto, 1984. Regulation of hematopoietic cell development; gene therapy.
- Peter J. Hotez, Professor and Chair of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine; M.D./Ph.D., Cornell and Rockefeller, 1987. Development of hookworm vaccine; control of neglected tropical diseases.
- Fatah Kashanchi, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Ph.D., Kansas, 1991. Genomics and proteomics of HIV-1 and HTLV-1 infected cells.
- Imtiaz Khan, Professor, Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine; Ph.D., Banaras Hindu (India), 1983. Immune responses to infections by opportunistic pathogens.
- Ajit Kumar, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Ph.D., Chicago, 1968. Regulation of viral gene trans-activation; role of cellular factors; RNA protein interactions.
- David Leitenberg, Associate Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine, Pediatrics and Pathology; M.D, Ph.D., Iowa, 1990. Regulation of T-cell activation and differentiation; modulation of signal transduction during T cell development.
- Frances P. Noonan, Professor of Environment and Occupational Health; Ph.D., Queensland (Australia), 1977. Skin cancer; ultraviolet radiation regulation of immunity; genetic control of susceptibility to UV immunosuppression; UV effects on autoimmunity and infectious disease.
- Gary L. Simon, Professor of Medicine, of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine, and of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; M.D., Maryland, 1975; Ph.D., Wisconsin, 1972. HIV/AIDS pathogenesis.
- L. Courtney Smith, Associate Professor of Biology; Ph.D., UCLA, 1985. Origins and evolution of the vertebrate immune system in sea urchins.
- Children’s National Medical Center
- Anamaris M. Colberg-Poley, Professor of Pediatrics and of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Ph.D., Penn State Hershey Medical Center, 1980. Regulation of gene expression and protein trafficking of cytomegalovirus.
- Robert Frieshtat, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine; M.D., Maryland, 1997. Molecular genetics and immunology of severe sepsis.
- Stephan Ladish, Professor of Pediatrics and of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; M.D., Pennsylvania, 1973. Tumor immunosuppression by gangliosides; gangliosides and metabolism.
- Kanneboyina Nagaraju, Associate Professor of Pediatrics; D.V.M., Andhra (India), 1986; Ph.D., Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (India), 1995. Mechanisms of initiation and perpetuation of autoimmune and inflammatory responses in systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases.
- Sasa Radoja, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine; Ph.D., NYU, 2001. Development and lytic function of CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes.
- Mary Rose, Professor of Pediatrics and of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Ph.D., Case Western, 1970. Lung inflammation, asthma, and genetic regulation of mucin production.
- Stanislav Vukmanovic, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine; M.D., Ph.D., Belgrade (Yugoslavia), 1991. T-cell repertoire selection; maintenance and survival of peripheral T cells.
- Steve Zeichner, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine; MD., Ph.D., Chicago, 1981.
- National Institutes of Health
- Beda Brichacek, Ph.D. HIV pathogenesis.
- B. J. Fowlkes, Adjunct Associate Professor of Genetics and Immunology and Senior Investigator, Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, NIAID; Ph.D., George Washington, 1985. T-cell differentiation in the thymus; thymus selection.
- Andy Hurwitz, Principle Investigator, NCI; Ph.D., Yeshiva (Einstein), 1994. Tumor immunology and tumor vaccine development.
- Ligia Pinto, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Immunology; Ph.D., Lisbon, 1995. Immune response to HPV and HIV.
- Jeffrey Schlom, Adjunct Professor of Genetics and of Immunology; Ph.D., Rutgers, 1969. Tumor immunology; monoclonal antibodies.
- Pam Schwartzberg, Senior Investigator, Genetic Disease Research Branch, NHGRI; M.D., Ph.D., Columbia, 1992. T-lymphocyte signal transduction; T-lymphocyte activation and development.
- Thomas E. Wellems, Ph.D., 1980, M.D., 1981, Chicago. Mechanisms of antimalarial drug resistance.
Correspondence and InformationThe George Washington University For information: Graduate Program in Microbiology and Immunology The Institute for Biomedical Sciences Ross Hall, Room 605 2300 Eye Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20037 Telephone:
202-994-2179 Fax:
202-994-0967
Email:
gwibs@gwu.edu The George Washington University For application forms: Graduate Admissions Columbian College of Arts and Sciences Phillips Hall, Room 107 801 22nd Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20052 Telephone:
202-994-6210 Fax:
202-994-6213
Email:
askccas@gwu.edu
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