Overview
Research Rotations
Coursework
Graduate Program Thesis Research
Enrichment
Stipend & Benefits
Qualification Criteria
Overview
The Predoctoral Training Program in Immunology at the University of Virginia offers a rich intellectual environment and a strong foundation for students seeking a productive and successful career in Immunology research. The Immunology Training Program provides a comprehensive and focused exposure to the workings of the immune system, and the opportunity to engage in independent research activities with world-class immunological investigators. The research interests of the faculty encompass a broad range of both basic and disease-oriented issues.
The Program typically requires four to six years of study, culminating in the awarding of the Ph.D degree. The first year consists primarily of coursework and research rotations through 2-3 different laboratories. An Advisory Committee of three faculty members helps first year students tailor a program of study that meets their individual needs and career goals. First year coursework offerings are flexible, as well as the requirements among the various Biomedical Sciences Graduate Programs. Students meet with their committees several times during the year to discuss course work, rotations, adjustment to graduate school, and any problems that arise. This gives students direct access to faculty members and helps the faculty learn about the student's interests and background.
Thesis labs and mentors are chosen at the end of the first year, and students then become members of the associated department. Students prepare and defend a detailed research proposal during the second year: successful completion qualifies the student to formally advance to Ph.D. candidacy.
The remainder of each student’s graduate experience is devoted to independent thesis research at the lab bench. This is supplemented with ongoing activities that enrich each student’s education in Immunology and opportunities for participation in colloquia, journal clubs, research group meetings, and mini-courses to help develop oral presentation and writing skills. Work in seminar-like settings help students develop their skills in writing papers and oral presentation. This sets the stage for completion of the written thesis document and its defense before a faculty committee .
Currently there are 55 students performing research leading to the Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. degree in Training Program laboratories. Among these are 25 women, 5 Asian Americans and 3 African Americans.
Research Rotations
Students typically do 3 research rotations in laboratories of their choice during their first year to gain direct research experience and to choose a mentor for their thesis research. Laboratory rotations provide the opportunity for students to become familiar with specific laboratory and research areas while performing small research projects, and to determine which faculty members, laboratory environments, and research areas are best suited to their interests and skills. First year students are strongly encouraged to arrive in July to begin their first research rotation. This allows the student to become acclimated to the program and become immersed in a research problem before classes begin in the fall.
In most cases, selection of a thesis advisor is done by the end of the first year.
Coursework
The Immunology Training Program emphasizes course work that gives in-depth exposure to contemporary Immunological issues along with a general cell and molecular biology training.
Fundamental Immunology is designed to provide the beginning student with a firm grasp of molecular and cellular immunology, with emphasis on the activation and regulation of the immune response.
Current Topics in Immunology is an advanced course that gives more focused and more in-depth analyses of the primary literature. Four topic areas and accompanying papers are selected each year by faculty with expertise in each. Students present and discuss the papers with faculty and with one another.
Immunology Colloquium is designed to give first and second year students experience in reading, analysis, and critical oral presentation of primary literature in Immunology. Papers are chosen by faculty members who introduce the topic, with alternating faculty and student presentations. Paper choices are designed to introduce students to classic, seminal discoveries in Immunology, with a follow-up paper drawn from more contemporary literature.
Cell Structure and Function, Gene Structure and Expression, and Macromolecular Structure and Function are general courses taken by all students in the various Biomedical Science Programs at the University of Virginia . They provide a broad-based introduction to modern cellular and molecular biology and a strong basis for investigation and understanding of Immunology. Students also take 1-2 other courses drawn from a wide range of topics, including Cell Signaling, Protein Structure, Physiology, Pharmacology, Cancer, Genetics, Biophysics, Molecular Medicine, and others. Total course work is usually five to seven courses, and is generally completed by the middle of the second year.
Graduate Program Thesis Research
Independent research is the core of the program. The development of the student as an investigator is fostered by limiting the number of candidates accepted into the program and by providing a close working relationship between the student and his or her research advisor. A research faculty advisor, in whose laboratory the student will complete the thesis research, is chosen at the end of the first year of study.
A variety of courses are offered in Biochemistry, Biophysics, Cell biology, Immunology, Molecular Biology, Molecular Genetics, Neuroscience, Pharmacology, and Physiology and most course work is completed in the first two years. Coursework is selected depending on the department in which the student is enrolled and the interests of the student. This is done in consultation with an advisory committee which is selected for the student at the beginning of his or her graduate career.
Classroom training is completed with the presentation and defense of a detailed research proposal, which qualifies the student to advance to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. A period of two to three years of research experience leads to the completion of the dissertation. Teaching experience is provided as part of the overall program, and opportunities for postdoctoral training are also available.
Enrichment
The need to stay abreast of new information in Immunology and related disciplines is of vital importance to the goal of educating future generations of scientific leaders. At the University of Virginia, this need is met in many ways, all designed around the principles of ease of access, variety, and excellence.
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Carter Immunology Center Seminar Series occurs weekly, and invites leaders in a broad spectrum of Immunological subdisciplines from all over the world to present their work.
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Annual Immunology Lectureship and a separate Immunology Symposium offer opportunities to hear from past and likely future Nobel laureates.
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Through the weekly Research in Progress series, students and postdocs present their own work to an audience composed of members of the Training Program.
In all cases, the students and post-docs have ample opportunity to enrich their learning experience through interaction with notable and successful scientists.
Stipend & Benefits
All students accepted into the program are given financial support in the form of an annual stipend. In 2002-03, the stipends are $18,500 to $20,000. Sources of financial support include national and University fellowships, National Research Service Awards of the NIH, teaching fellowships, and research assistantships. In addition tuition and fees costs are waived for all full-time graduate students. An individual student health insurance plan is available to students at no cost through the University, or students may elect to have the University reimburse them for a health plan of their own choosing, commensurate with the cost of the University plan.
Students in the graduate programs are full members of the university community, and have available to them the entire range of university educational, entertainment and recreational opportunities.
Qualification Criteria
Qualified pre-doctoral trainees are chosen from among students who have entered the University of Virginia graduate program in Biomedical Sciences (www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/gpo/programs.cfm). The majority of students who become affiliated with the Immunology Training Program enter through the “Microbiology, Immunology, and Infectious Disease” area of interest, and indicate “ Immunology ” as a research focus in response to the e-mail that is sent to the applicant after he/she has submitted the application. Trainees are selected in a competitive process from a pool of eligible nominees drawn from the following groups:
- Second and third year students in all the participating departments who have completed the core curriculum, rotated in 2-3 labs, and have chosen Immunology-related research in the lab of a mentor from the list of Training Faculty .
- New applicants to the graduate program in Biomedical Sciences who indicate Immunology as their proposed focus of interest.
- Medical students who are either part of the Medical Scientist Training Program [MSTP], or have completed the 2-year basic science curriculum and who now wish to obtain a combined M.D./Ph.D. degree in Immunology research
Awards are made on the basis of commitment to Immunology related research, evidence of promise as a productive scientist, and (when applicable) performance in the core curriculum and in research rotations.