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Detailed Information

Programs of Study

The Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences offers a multidisciplinary program designed to prepare highly qualified individuals for careers in biomedical research. The focus of this doctoral program is on the molecular interactions of living systems and their application to pharmacology. Within this broad framework, students are encouraged to develop individually tailored programs of study to meet their particular research interests and career objectives.

During their first year, students take courses, participate in individual laboratory research rotations, and choose a research adviser. In the following year, students complete their core courses and examinations, select their focus area of doctoral research, choose a thesis advisory committee, and submit a thesis research proposal. During the remaining two to four years, students focus on their thesis research and take elective courses, many of which are offered by other departments and divisions of the medical institutions.

Graduate studies are offered in the following areas of research: design, synthesis, screening, and biological testing of chemotherapeutic agents and lead compounds; cell-signaling mechanisms; intercellular interactions; molecular and cell biology of cancer; cancer chemoprotection; nerve-cell signaling and neuropharmacology; mass spectrometry; molecular biology and biochemistry of parasites; molecular and cell biology of herpesviruses and retroviruses; neuropharmacology and psychopharmacology; drug and drug-target imaging; drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics; and programmed cell death.

The Department also participates in the Medical Scientist Training Program for M.D./Ph.D. candidates.

Research Facilities

The Department’s laboratories provide complete resources for interdisciplinary research in biological chemistry, molecular biology and genetics, virology, cell biology, and chemical biology. These include facilities for chemical synthesis; gas and liquid chromatography; infrared, ultraviolet, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy; and mass spectrometry. Containment facilities are available for biological and chemical studies. The Department houses the Middle Atlantic Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, and students have access to modern institutional facilities for peptide and oligonucleotide synthesis and sequencing; state-of-the-art microscopy; production and care of transgenic animals; interactive graphics, for use in sequence analysis and molecular modeling; and the extensive clinical facilities of the Division of Clinical Pharmacology.

Financial Aid

Students admitted to the graduate program customarily receive an award that provides a stipend of $27,125 and full payment of tuition, fees, and individual health insurance premiums. These awards are funded by training and research grants from the National Institutes of Health and other funding agencies.

Cost of Study

Tuition, $36,100 per year in 2008–09, is usually fully covered.

Living and Housing Costs

A limited number of single rooms and apartments are available on campus for approximately $425 per month. Off-campus housing is also available, and the University provides free shuttle buses for the many graduate students who live in neighborhoods surrounding the School of Medicine and the University’s Homewood campus.

Student Group

There are currently more than 50 graduate students in the Department and about 500 additional Ph.D. candidates at the School of Medicine. In addition, nearly 500 medical students and more than 1,000 students in the School of Hygiene and Public Health share the campus of the Johns Hopkins medical institutions.

Student Outcomes

Graduates typically go on to postdoctoral research fellowships followed by research and teaching careers in academic institutions, government, or industry.

Location

Baltimore is a vibrant waterfront city with a wide variety of recreational, entertainment, and cultural opportunities. From its Inner Harbor attractions to its nightlife in Fells Point, from its museums and galleries to its superb sports stadiums, Baltimore provides all of the amenities of one of America’s major metropolises. Among its many cultural attractions are the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Opera Company, the Peabody Conservatory, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Walters Art Gallery, Center Stage, and the Morris Mechanic Theater. The Inner Harbor, with its shops, restaurants, and attractions (including the National Aquarium and Maryland Science Center), brings the Chesapeake Bay into the heart of Baltimore. The city also supports professional teams in major-league baseball (the Orioles), NFL football (the Ravens), and indoor soccer (the Blast). The museums, historic landmarks, and theaters in Washington, D.C., are an hour away, and the cultural offerings of Philadelphia and New York are readily accessible by train or car. Year-round opportunities for outdoor recreation are provided by the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean, the nearby Maryland countryside, and the mountains and rivers of western Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The School and The Department

The School of Medicine was founded in 1893 as part of Johns Hopkins University, the first American institution to place a primary emphasis on graduate education. The Department, also established in 1893, has served as a model for other pharmacology departments throughout the nation.

Applying

Students are typically admitted in late August, although early arrival for summer research is encouraged. Applicants should have a bachelor’s degree from a qualified college or university with a major in any of the biological, chemical, or physical sciences. Entering students are expected to have completed college-level courses in biology, chemistry (inorganic, organic, and physical), calculus, and physics; a strong background in biochemistry is particularly desirable. A completed online application, scores on the Graduate Record Examinations (General Test is required; Subject Test is required for international applicants), at least three letters of recommendation, undergraduate transcript(s), and a statement of interest must be received by the January 10 deadline.

The Faculty and Their Research

• Richard F. Ambinder, Professor; M.D., 1979, Ph.D., 1989, Johns Hopkins. Virology and human cancer; antiviral therapy; antitumor therapy; lymphoma pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment; immunological approaches to virus-associated malignancies.
• L. Mario Amzel, Professor; Ph.D., Buenos Aires, 1968. 3-D structure of proteins: immunoglobulins and other binding proteins; ATP synthase; monoxygenases and dioxygenases quinone reductase.
• J. Thomas August, Professor; M.D., Stanford, 1955. Genetic immunotherapy of infectious diseases and cancer by targeting DNA-encoded antigen chimeras to MHC II; MHC II antigen presentation; development of DNA vaccines; immune tolerance.
• Philip A. Cole, Professor and Director; M.D./Ph.D., Johns Hopkins, 1991. Chemical and biochemical approaches in the study of signal transduction, circadian rhythm, and gene regulation.
• Robert J. Cotter, Professor; Ph.D., Johns Hopkins, 1972. Development of new analytical techniques and instrumentation for mass spectrometry; applications of mass spectrometry to the structural analysis of peptides, glycopeptides, and glycolipids.
• Albena Dinkova-Kostova, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Washington State, 1996. Protection against cancer: mechanisms and strategies; structure-activity relation of protective agents; inflammation and cancer; skin cancer prevention.
• Charles W. Flexner, Professor; M.D., Johns Hopkins, 1982. Basic and clinical pharmacology of antiretroviral drugs; HIV protease inhibitors and entry inhibitors.
• Robert H. Getzenberg, Professor; Ph.D., Johns Hopkins, 1992. Cancer biomarkers; proteomic analysis of nuclear structure; nanotechnology.
• Wade Gibson, Professor; Ph.D., Chicago, 1973. Herpesvirus proteins: studies of their expression, structure, and function using genetic, biochemical, and immunological approaches.
• Marc M. Greenberg, Professor; Ph.D., Yale, 1988. Chemical and biochemical approaches to the study of DNA damage and repair.
• Carol W. Greider, Professor; Ph.D., Berkeley, 1987. Telomerase and telomere length regulation.
• J. Marie Hardwick, Professor; Ph.D., Kansas, 1978. Molecular mechanisms of programmed cell death.
• Gary S. Hayward, Professor; Ph.D., Otago (New Zealand), 1972. Pathways of herpesvirus gene regulation and latency; cis-acting DNA elements that modulate gene expression; mechanisms of positive and negative transcriptional regulation; interaction of viral immediate-early transactivators with nuclear domains; molecular piracy by Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus.
• S. Diane Hayward, Professor; Ph.D., Otago (New Zealand), 1972. Epstein-Barr virus and Kaposi’s sarcoma virus; viral latency and tumorigenesis; mechanisms of virus-induced cell proliferation; viral mediated epigenetic modification of cell gene expression; notch and Wnt pathways.
• Craig W. Hendrix, Professor and Director, Drug Development Unit; M.D., Georgetown, 1984. Anti-infective drugs; chemoprevention of infectious diseases.
• Richard L. Huganir, Professor; Ph.D., Cornell, 1982. Molecular mechanisms in the regulation of synaptic plasticity.
• Thomas W. Kensler, Professor; Ph.D., MIT, 1976. Molecular mechanisms of chemical carcinogenesis; Nrf2 signalling; cancer chemoprevention.
• Jun O. Liu, Professor; Ph.D., MIT, 1990. Chemical biology and molecular biology; use of small molecules as probes to elucidate mechanisms of signal transduction; angiogenesis and cell proliferation.
• Caren L. Freel Meyers, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Rochester, 1999. Organic and medicinal chemistry; chemical biology; drug delivery mechanisms in bacteria; development of antibiotic prodrug strategies; study of bacterial isoprenoid biosynthesis; combinatorial biosynthesis; development of potential therapeutic agents.
• William G. Nelson, Professor and Director, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center; M.D./Ph.D., Johns Hopkins, 1987. Molecular mechanisms of prostatic carcinogenesis; epigenetic alterations in cancer; new approaches to prostate cancer prevention and treatment.
• Martin G. Pomper, Professor; M.D./Ph.D., Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1990. In vivo molecular and cellular imaging; radiopharmaceutical development; targeted cancer imaging and therapy; functional brain imaging.
• Gary H. Posner, Scowe Professor; Ph.D., Harvard, 1968. Organic and medicinal chemistry aimed toward rational design and synthesis of new compounds for effective and safe chemotherapy of malaria and cancer.
• Jonathan D. Powell, Associate Professor; M.D./Ph.D., Emory, 1992. Mechanisms of T cell activation and tolerance.
• Douglas N. Robinson, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Yale, 1997. Understanding cytokinesis and cell-shape control.
• Ronald L. Schnaar, Professor; Ph.D., Johns Hopkins, 1976. Cell interactions in the nervous system.
• Theresa A. Shapiro, Professor; M.D., 1976, Ph.D., 1978, Johns Hopkins. Clinical pharmacology; molecular mechanisms of antiparasitic drug action; effects of topoisomerase inhibitors on DNA of trypanosomes; structure- activity of synthetic antimalarial trioxanes.
• Robert F. Siliciano, Professor; M.D./Ph.D., Johns Hopkins, 1983. HIV latency, evolution, and persistence; HIV treatment and drug resistance; pharmacology of HIV drugs.
• Solomon H. Snyder, Professor; M.D., Georgetown, 1962. Molecular basis of neural signal transduction.
• Simona Stäger, Assistant Professor; D.V.M./Ph.D., Bern (Switzerland), 1997. Immunoparasitology; CD8+ T cells; vaccination; Leishmania.
• James T. Stivers, Professor; Ph.D., Johns Hopkins, 1993. Molecular mechanism and inhibition of enzymes involved in DNA repair; anticancer and antiviral chemotherapy; adaptive and innate immunity.
• Paul Talalay, Professor; M.D., Yale, 1948. Molecular mechanisms in chemical and dietary protection against mutagens and carcinogens.
• Sean D. Taverna, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Virginia, 2004. Histone and chromatin modifications; epigenetics and gene function; identification of histone-binding modules; small-RNA-directed gene silencing.
• Craig A. Townsend, Professor; Ph.D., Yale, 1974. Organic and bioorganic chemistry: biosynthesis of natural products and biomimetic synthesis; elucidation of protein function; molecular biology of secondary metabolism and engineering of biosynthetic systems to practical ends; study of the role and inhibition of fatty acid synthesis in human cancer, tuberculosis, and obesity.
• Jin Zhang, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Chicago, 2000. Cell signaling; kinases and phosphatases; chemotaxis; live-cell imaging; fluorescent proteins and reporters; chemical biology.
• Heng Zhu, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Clemson, 1999. Signal transduction; protein network; host-pathogen interaction; biomarker identification.
• Students accepted into the Pharmacology Graduate Training Program may also carry out thesis research with the following Oncology Center faculty members, who participate in the NCI Anti-Cancer Drug Development Training Program.
• Rhoda M. Alani, Associate Professor in Oncology; M.D., Michigan, 1991. Human melanocyte growth and differentiation, molecular regulation of melanoma development and progression, targeted therapies for melanoma, molecular diagnostics for melanoma.
• Samuel R. Denmeade, Associate Professor; M.D., Columbia, 1989. Targeted therapies for cancer; prodrugs; proteases; peptide libraries.
• William B. Isaacs, Professor; Ph.D., Johns Hopkins, 1984. Understanding the molecular genetic events responsible for initiation and progression of prostate cancer, with particular interest in inherited susceptibility to prostate cancer.
• Elizabeth M. Jaffee, Professor; M.D., New York Medical College, 1985. Analysis of antitumor immune responses against human tumors; identification of the targets of tumor-specific cytotoxic T cells.
• Kenneth Kinzler, Professor; Ph.D., Johns Hopkins, 1988. Molecular genetics of human cancer.
• Paula M. Pitha-Rowe, Professor; Ph.D., Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, 1964. Effects of viral infection on expression of cellular (cytokines and chemokines and their receptors) and viral (HIV-1, HHV-8) genes; targeted antiviral and anticellular therapy (gene transfer, ribozymes); breast cancer: role of c-erbB-2.
• Charles M. Rudin, Associate Professor; M.D./Ph.D., Chicago, 1993. Molecular mechanisms of apoptosis; roles of apoptosis in carcinogenesis and therapeutic resistance; novel therapeutic development in animal models of cancer.
• Bert Vogelstein, Professor; M.D., Johns Hopkins, 1974. Molecular genetics of human cancer.

Correspondence and Information

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Dr. James T. Stivers
Director of Admissions
Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences
725 North Wolfe Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21205
Telephone: 410-955-1457
Email: jstivers@jhmi.edu