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Detailed Information

Program of Study

The program offers training leading to a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and includes faculty members from the Department of Cell Biology as well as eight other Health Center departments. Faculty members’ research spans a broad range of interests in the areas of eukaryotic cell biology and related clinical aspects. The program is particularly strong in the following areas of research: angiogenesis, cancer biology, gene expression, molecular medicine, reproductive biology, signal transduction, vascular biology, optical methods, proteomics, and computer modeling of complex biological systems. The curriculum for the first year is tailored to the individual student and can include core courses in the basic biomedical sciences that have been specially formulated to acquaint the student with the principles and practice of modern biomedical research as well as more specialized, analytical courses. In consultation with their advisory committee, students work out a supplementary program of advanced courses, laboratory experiences, and independent study designed to prepare them for general examinations near the end of their second year. Thesis research begins in the second or third year, and research and thesis writing normally occupy the third and fourth years.

Research Facilities

The program is situated in the modern Health Center in Farmington. This complex provides excellent physical facilities for research in both basic and clinical sciences, a computer center, and the Lyman Maynard Stowe Library. The program provides research facilities and guidance for graduate and postdoctoral work in cell biology–particularly membrane and surface function, membrane protein synthesis and turnover, cytoskeleton structure and function, stimulus-response coupling, gene expression and regulation, vascular biology, fertilization, bone biology, molecular medicine, early development, signal transduction, angiogenesis, computer modeling, and tumor biology. Facilities for training in cell culture, electron microscopy, electrophysiology, fluorescence spectroscopy, molecular biology, molecular modeling, fluorescence imaging, and intravital microscopy are available.

Financial Aid

Support for doctoral students engaged in full-time degree programs at the Health Center is provided on a competitive basis. Graduate research assistantships for 2009–10 provide a stipend of $27,000 per year, which includes a waiver of tuition/University fees for the fall and spring semesters and a student health insurance plan. While financial aid is offered competitively, the Health Center makes every possible effort to address the financial needs of all students during their period of training.

Cost of Study

For 2009–10, tuition is $4455 per semester ($8910 per year) for full-time students who are Connecticut residents and $11,565 per semester ($23,130 per year) for full-time out-of-state residents. General University fees are added to the cost of tuition for students who do not receive a tuition waiver. These costs are usually met by traineeships or research assistantships for doctoral students.

Living and Housing Costs

There is a wide range of affordable housing options in the greater Hartford area within easy commuting distance of the campus, including an extensive complex that is adjacent to the Health Center. Costs range from $600 to $900 per month for a one-bedroom unit; 2 or more students sharing an apartment usually pay less. University housing is not available at the Health Center.

Student Group

Currently, 20 students are pursuing doctoral studies in the program. The total number of Ph.D. students at the Health Center is approximately 150, while the medical and dental schools combined currently enroll 130 students per class.

Location

The Health Center is located in the historic town of Farmington, Connecticut. Set in the beautiful New England countryside on a hill overlooking the Farmington Valley, it is close to ski areas, hiking trails, and facilities for boating, fishing, and swimming. Connecticut’s capital city of Hartford, 7 miles east of Farmington, is the center of an urban region of approximately 800,000 people. The beaches of the Long Island Sound are about 50 minutes away to the south, and the beautiful Berkshires are a short drive to the northwest. New York City and Boston can be reached within 2½ hours by car. Hartford is the home of the acclaimed Hartford Stage Company, TheatreWorks, the Hartford Symphony and Chamber orchestras, two ballet companies, an opera company, the Wadsworth Athenaeum (the oldest public art museum in the nation), the Mark Twain house, the Hartford Civic Center, and many other interesting cultural and recreational facilities. The area is also home to several branches of the University of Connecticut, Trinity College, and the University of Hartford, which includes the Hartt School of Music. Bradley International Airport (about 30 minutes from campus) serves the Hartford/Springfield area with frequent airline connections to major cities in this country and abroad. Frequent bus and rail service is also available from Hartford.

The Health Center

The 200-acre Health Center campus at Farmington houses a division of the University of Connecticut Graduate School, as well as the School of Medicine and Dental Medicine. The campus also includes the John Dempsey Hospital, associated clinics, and extensive medical research facilities, all in a centralized facility with more than 1 million square feet of floor space. The Health Center’s newest research addition, the Academic Research Building, was opened in 1999. This impressive eleven-story structure provides 170,000 square feet of state-of-the-art laboratory space. The faculty at the center includes more than 260 full-time members. The institution has a strong commitment to graduate study within an environment that promotes social and intellectual interaction among the various educational programs. Graduate students are represented on various administrative committees concerned with curricular affairs, and the Graduate Student Organization (GSO) represents graduate students’ needs and concerns to the faculty and administration, in addition to fostering social contact among graduate students in the Health Center.

Applying

Applications for admission should be submitted on standard forms obtained from the Graduate Admissions Office at the UConn Health Center or on the Web site. The application should be filed together with transcripts, three letters of recommendation, a personal statement, and recent results from the General Test of the Graduate Record Examinations. International students must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) to satisfy Graduate School requirements. The deadline for completed applications and receipt of all supplemental materials is December 15. In accordance with the laws of the state of Connecticut and of the United States, the University of Connecticut Health Center does not discriminate against any person in its educational and employment activities on the grounds of race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, or physical disability.

The Faculty and Their Research

• Andrew Arnold, Professor and Director, Center for Molecular Medicine; M.D., Harvard, 1978. Structure and function of the cyclin D1 oncogene and cell-cycle regulator; molecular genetics and biology of endocrine tumors; inherited endocrine neoplastic diseases.
• Rashmi Bansal, Associate Professor of Neuroscience; Ph.D., Central Drug Research Institute, 1976. Developmental, cellular, and molecular biology of oligodendrocytes (OLs), the cells that synthesize myelin membrane in the central nervous system.
• Gordon G. Carmichael, Professor of Microbiology; Ph.D., Harvard, 1975. Regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes.
• Joan M. Caron, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology; Ph.D., Connecticut, 1982. Biochemistry and cell biology of microtubules; palmitoylation of tubulin and cell function; functional role of palmitoylation of signaling proteins.
• Kevin P. Claffey, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Center for Vascular Biology; Ph.D., Boston University, 1989. Angiogenesis in human cancer progression and metastasis; vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression; hypoxia-mediated gene regulation.
• Robert B. Clark, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatic Diseases; M.D., Stanford, 1975. Basic T-lymphocyte biology, especially as it relates to autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis; molecular biology and structure of the T-cell antigen receptor; T-cell function; T-cell activation.
• Ann Cowan, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Deputy Director of the Center for Biomedical Imaging Technology; Ph.D., Colorado, 1984. Mammalian sperm development.
• Kimberly Dodge-Kafka, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology, Center for Cardiology and Cardiovascular Research; Ph.D., Texas–Houston Health Science Center, 1999. Molecular mechanism of signaling pathways in the heart.
• David I. Dorsky, Assistant Professor of Medicine; M.D./Ph.D., Harvard, 1982. The structure and function of herpesvirus DNA polymerases and their roles in viral DNA replication.
• Paul Epstein, Associate Professor of Cell Biology; Ph.D., Yeshiva (Einstein), 1975. Signal transduction in relation to leukemia and breast cancer; purification and cloning of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases.
• Alan Fein, Professor of Cell Biology; Ph.D., Johns Hopkins, 1973. Molecular basis of visual excitation and adaptation; signal transduction and calcium homeostasis in platelets.
• Maurice B. Feinstein, Professor of Cell Biology; Ph.D., SUNY Downstate Medical Center, 1960. Function and regulation of blood platelets and their role in hemostasis and thrombosis; arachidonic acid biochemistry in platelets.
• Guo-Hua Fong, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Center for Vascular Biology; Ph.D., Illinois, 1988. Cardiovascular biology.
• Henry M. Furneaux, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry; Ph.D., Aberdeen (Scotland), 1978. Identification of proteins that regulate the stability of mRNA.
• Brenton R. Graveley, Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology; Ph.D., Vermont, 1996. Regulation of alternative splicing in the mammalian nervous system and mechanisms of alternative splicing.
• David Han, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Center for Vascular Biology; Ph.D., George Washington, 1994. Proteomic analysis of complex protein mixtures.
• Marc Hansen, Professor of Medicine; Ph.D., Cincinnati, 1986. Analysis of genes involved in the development of the bone tumor osteosarcoma.
• Timothy Hla, Professor of Cell Biology and Director, Center for Vascular Biology; Ph.D., George Washington, 1988. Gene expression in endothelial cells as it relates to angiogenesis; G-protein–coupled receptor signaling; biology of cyclooxygenase-2.
• Marja Hurley, Professor of Medicine; M.D., Connecticut Health Center, 1972. Molecular mechanisms by which members of the fibroblast growth factor (FGFs) and fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) families (produced by osteoblasts, osteoclasts, and stromal cells) regulate bone development, remodeling, and disorders of bone: Fgf2 knockout and Fgf2 transgenic mice are utilized in loss and gain of function experiments to elucidate the role of FGF-2 in disorders of bone, including osteoporosis.
• Laurinda A. Jaffe, Professor of Cell Biology; Ph.D., UCLA, 1977. Physiology of fertilization, in particular the mechanisms by which membrane potential regulates sperm-egg fusion; transduction mechanisms coupling sperm-egg interaction to egg exocytosis; opening of ion channels in the egg membrane.
• Stephen M. King, Associate Professor of Biochemistry; Ph.D., London, 1982. Cell biology; biochemistry and function of molecular motors; dynein structure and function.
• Dennis E. Koppel, Professor of Biochemistry; Ph.D., Columbia, 1973. Application of biophysical techniques to membrane dynamics; mechanisms by which specialized cell-surface domains are produced and maintained.
• Bruce Liang, Professor of Cardiopulmonary Medicine; M.D., Harvard, 1982. Signal transduction; cardiac and vascular cell biology; receptors; G proteins; transgenic mice.
• Leslie M. Loew, Professor of Cell Biology and Director, Center for Cell Analysis and Modeling; Ph.D., Cornell, 1974. Spectroscopic methods for measuring spatial and temporal variations in membrane potential; electric field effects on cell membranes; membrane pores induced by toxins and antibiotics.
• Nilanjana Maulik, Associate Professor of Surgery; Ph.D., Calcutta, 1990. Molecular and cellular signaling during myocardial ischemia and reperfusion.
• Lisa Mehlman, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology; Ph.D., Kent State, 1996. Cell signaling events that regulate oocyte maturation and fertilization; maintenance of oocyte meiotic arrest by G-protein receptors; hormonal regulation of oocyte maturation.
• Flavia O’Rourke, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology; Ph.D., Connecticut, 1976. Signal transduction in human platelets, with specific interest in the inositol phosphate signaling pathway and its regulation.
• Joel Pachter, Professor of Cell Biology; Ph.D., NYU, 1983. Elucidating the mechanisms by which leukocytes and pathogens invade the central nervous system.
• Achilles Pappano, Professor of Cell Biology; Ph.D., Pennsylvania. Cardiac membrane receptors and regulation of ion channels.
• John J. Peluso, Professor of Cell Biology and Obstetrics and Gynecology; Ph.D., West Virginia, 1974. Cell and molecular mechanisms involving the regulating ovarian cell mitosis and apoptosis; cell-cell interaction as a regulator of ovarian cell function; identification and characterization of a putative membrane receptor for progesterone.
• Carol C. Pilbeam, Associate Professor of Medicine; M.D./Ph.D., Yale, 1982. Regulation and function of prostaglandins in bone; transcriptional regulation of cyclooxygenase-2; role of cytokines and estrogen in bone physiology and osteoporosis.
• Vladimir Rodionov, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology; Ph.D., Moscow, 1980. Dynamics of cytoskeleton; self-organization of microtubule arrays; regulation of the activity of microtubule motors.
• Daniel Rosenberg, Professor of Medicine; Ph.D., Michigan. Molecular genetics of colorectal cancer; signaling pathways in the development of tumors; toxicogenomics.
• David W. Rowe, Professor of Pediatrics; M.D., Vermont, 1969. Hormonal and genetic regulation of Type I collagen synthesis in bone, using molecular biological techniques.
• John B. Schenkman, Professor of Pharmacology; Ph.D., SUNY Upstate Medical Center, 1964. The cytochrome P450 monooxygenase system; homeostatic control of the hepatic microsomal enzymes.
• Linda H. Shapiro, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Center for Vascular Biology; Ph.D., Michigan, 1984. Regulation and function of CD 13/aminopeptidase N in angiogenic vasculature and early myeloid cells; control of tumor and myocardial angiogenesis by peptidases; inflammatory regulation of angiogenesis.
• Mark R. Terasaki, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology; Ph.D., Berkeley, 1983. Structure and function of the endoplasmic reticulum; confocal microscopy.
• Jennifer Tirnauer, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Center for Molecular Medicine; M.D., Maryland, 1989. Role of the microtubule cytoskeleton in cancer biology; molecular mechanisms of microtubule regulation.
• James Watras, Associate Professor of Medicine; Ph.D., Washington State, 1979. The mechanisms by which the sarcoplasmic reticulum regulates intracellular calcium concentration in vascular smooth muscle.
• Bruce A. White, Professor of Cell Biology; Ph.D., Berkeley, 1980. Regulation of prolactin gene expression by Ca and calmodulin in rat pituitary tumor cells; examination of nuclear DNA-binding proteins, nuclear calmodulin-binding proteins, and nuclear Ca-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase activity.
• Charles Wolgemuth, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology; Ph.D., Arizona. Using physics to understand biological systems; morphology; propulsion; growth and fluid dynamics.
• Catherine H.-y. Wu, Associate Professor of Medicine; Ph.D., CUNY, Brooklyn, 1976. Mechanisms of procollagen propeptide feedback inhibition of collagen synthesis; pretranslational control.
• George Y. Wu, Professor of Medicine; M.D./Ph.D., Yeshiva (Einstein), 1976. Receptor-mediated endocytosis of glycoproteins; drug delivery by endocytic targeting; targeted gene delivery and expression.
• Lixia Yue, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology and Center for Cardiovascular Research; Ph.D., McGill, 1999. TRP channels and Ca2+ signaling mechanisms in cardiac remodeling.

Correspondence and Information

University of Connecticut Health Center
Dr. Kevin Claffey
Director, Cell Biology Graduate Program
MC 3501
Farmington, Connecticut 06030-3501
Telephone: 860-679-8713
Email: claffey@nso2.uchc.edu