140 Brady Memorial Laboratory
https://medicine.yale.edu/pathology/training/graduateprogram
M.S., M.Phil., Ph.D.

Chair
Chen Liu

Director of Graduate Studies
Themis Kyriakides

Professors Nita Ahuja (Surgery), Ranjit Bindra (Therapeutic Radiology), Marcus Bosenberg (Dermatology), Richard Bucala (Internal Medicine), Sandy Chang (Laboratory Medicine), Keith Choate (Dermatology), Vishwa Deep Dixit, Rong Fan (Biomedical Engineering), Carlos Fernandez-Hernando (Comparative Medicine), Gary Friedlaender (Orthopedics and Rehabilitation), Patrick Gallagher (Pediatrics), Stephanie Halene (Hematology), Erica Herzog (Internal Medicine), Robert Homer, Steven Kleinstein, Yuval Kluger, Christine Ko (Dermatology), Diane Krause (Laboratory Medicine), Themis Kyriakides, Francis Lee (Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation), Chen Liu, Vincent Marchesi, Gilbert Moeckel, Ruth Montgomery (Rheumatology), Jon Morrow, Jordan Pober (Immunobiology), Katerina Politi, Yibing Qyang (Internal Medicine), David Rimm, David Stern, Yajaira Suarez (Comparative Medicine), Qin Yan

Associate Professors Demetrios Braddock, Karin Finberg, Joanna Gibson, Pallavi Gopal, Anita Huttner, Ryan Jensen (Therapeutic Radiology), Samuel Katz, Peggy Myung (Dermatology), Don Nguyen, Manoj Pillai (Hematology), Kurt Schalper, Edward Stiles (Laboratory Medicine), Silvia Vilarinho (Internal Medicine), Dean Yimlamai (Pediatrics)

Assistant Professors Sarah Aitkin, Arnaud Augert, Mathieu Bakhoum (Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences), Gianfilippo Coppola, William Damsky (Dermatology), Marcello DiStasio, Romina Fiorotto (Internal Medicine), Salil Garg (Lab Medicine), Brian Hafler (Neurology), Albert Higgins-Chen (Psychiatry), Won Jae Huh, Jeffrey Ishizuka (Medical Oncology), Nelson LaMarche, Mark Lee (Laboratory Medicine), Stephania Libreros, Yang Liu, Caleigh Mandel-Brehm, Goran Micevic (Dermatology), Sathish Ramakrishnan, Jenny Huanjiao Zhou

Fields of Study

Fields of study include molecular and cellular basis of diseases including cancer, biology, biochemistry, genetics, and pathology of molecules, cells, tissues, and organ systems; including plasma membrane dynamics, mitochondrial dysfunction, signal transduction, and response to stimuli of connective tissue; assembly of viruses and their interactions with animal cells; somatic cell genetics and birth defects; biology of vascular cells; and computational and high-throughput approaches to understanding disease pathology.

For entry to the Pathology and Molecular Medicine Ph.D. program, students apply to an interest-based track, usually the Translational Molecular Medicine, Pharmacology, and Physiology (TMMPP) track within the interdepartmental graduate program of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS). After successful completion of rotations, BBS students choose a department to join.

Special Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree

Course Requirements

PATH 5503	Responsible Conduct of Research, 4th-Year Refresher	1
PATH 5640	Developing and Writing a Scientific Research Proposal	1
PATH 5650	Biology of Cancer	1
PATH 5660	The Responsible Conduct of Research	1
PATH 5679	Seminar in Molecular Medicine, Pharmacology, and Physiology	1
PATH 5680	Seminar in Molecular Medicine, Pharmacology, and Physiology	1
PATH 5690	Molecular Mechanisms of Disease	1

In addition, students must take two additional graduate-level electives, which can include courses in biochemistry, genetics, immunology, cell biology, and pathology, to be chosen in consultation with the director of graduate studies (DGS), based on the student’s background and interest.

All requirements of the graduate school must be met including the school’s two Honors Grade requirement by the end of the fourth term of full-time study. Students must also maintain an overall High Pass average. Annual presentations for the Departmental Research in Progress talks and biannual updates to the Individual Development Plan are also required.

Teaching Requirements In accordance with the BBS program, Ph.D. students are expected to participate in two terms (or the equivalent) as a Teaching Fellow after they have passed their qualifying exam. Pathology and molecular medicine students do not teach in years one and two. Students who have passed their qualifying examination begin teaching for requirement in year three.

Qualifying Examination The qualifying examination of the Pathology and Molecular Medicine graduate program consists of the following:

1. Enrollment in PATH 5640, Developing and Writing a Scientific Research Proposal, in the fall term of year two and preparation of a proposal on the topic of the student’s research. Students will receive assistance from a faculty member who will later be part of the qualifying committee.
2. Two literature reading periods in the spring term of year two specifically related to the grant proposal.
3. The oral exam in which students are examined by the qualifying exam committee on the research proposal, the reading periods, and general knowledge of pathology and molecular medicine. At least two of the qualifying committee members must be Department of Pathology faculty, with at least one with a primary appointment. The DGS must approve the membership of the committee. Students will read with two of the faculty members individually during the reading period. The primary faculty member will serve as chair and is responsible for documenting the results of the exam and submitting to the DGS.

Prospectus and Admission to CandidacyIn year three, upon successful completion of the qualifying examination, students will form a dissertation committee including a minimum of three members in addition to their dissertation/thesis adviser. At least two of the committee members must be Department of Pathology faculty, with at least one with a primary appointment. The DGS must approve the membership of the committee. Students will prepare a written thesis prospectus, consisting of a summary of background information in the field of interest, the specific questions to be answered, a rationale for choosing those questions, and a research plan for addressing those questions. Upon a successful prospectus and completing departmental and graduate school requirements, students are admitted to candidacy.

Annual Thesis Committee Meetings Following approval of the prospectus, thesis committee meetings are held at least one once a year at the discretion of the committee. Students should prepare a brief report and forward it to the committee at least one week before the meeting. At the committee meeting, the student should give a brief presentation covering the following:

• Data acquired since the last committee meeting
• Plans for the next twelve months
• The committee can aid in interpreting the results, prioritizing experiments, and assessing whether the project is on track
• If a manuscript is in preparation, students should include an outline in the annual report. The outline could include a summary of the manuscript’s main points, a list of subtitled sections, and a list of figures and tables with brief descriptions of the data to be included in each. It should be noted which experiments have been completed and which remain to be done.

M.D.-Ph.D. Students

M.D.-Ph.D. students must satisfy all the requirements listed above for the Ph.D. with the following modifications:

• Two five-week laboratory rotations are required.
• Students must serve as a teaching assistant in one course.
• Both PATH 5660, Responsible Conduct of Research, and PATH 5679/PATH 5680, Seminar in Translational Molecular Medicine, Pharmacology, and Physiology Seminar, may be waived with DGS permission. Additional classes may be waived with DGS permission. 

Requirements for Transfer Students Transfer students must satisfy the requirements listed above for the Ph.D. But both PATH 5503 and PATH 5679/PATH 5680 may be waived with DGS permission. Additional classes may also be waived with DGS permission.

See graduate school degree requirements under Policies and Regulations.

Master’s Degrees

See graduate school degree requirements under Policies and Regulations.

M.Phil. Students are not admitted for this degree. The M.Phil. is awarded only to students who are continuing for the Ph.D. Students must have completed all their course requirements, their qualifying exam, and have been admitted to candidacy as described above to be awarded this degree. Students are automatically petitioned by the university for a M.Phil. after successful completion of the requirements at the end of the third year.

M.S. Students are not admitted for this degree. On a case-by-case basis and subject to faculty vote, students who are not continuing for the Ph.D. may be considered for an M.S. degree if they have successfully completed the course requirements for the Ph.D. degree listed above with an average of High Pass and received a grade of Honors in at least two courses. Recommendation by the department for award of the degree is subject to final review and approval by the degree committee. Students who meet this criterion are eligible to petition for the M.S degree. Students who have already received the M.Phil. will not be awarded the M.S.

Additional information can be found on the Pathology and Molecular Medicine graduate-student website, https://medicine.yale.edu/pathology/training/graduateprogram.