The Biomedical Sciences PhD program offers multidisciplinary training designed to prepare students for successful careers. Core coursework and laboratory rotations provide a strong foundation across the biomedical sciences, while advanced training is tailored to each student鈥檚 specific interests. Areas of study explore the molecular, cellular, and organismal mechanisms underlying human diseases, with opportunities to specialize in fields such as cancer biology, cardiovascular physiology, endocrinology, infectious disease, neurobiology, and reproduction.
Get a full program overview, and learn more about admissions and the course curriculum in the .
Stipends
Biomedical Sciences students receive annual stipends ($30,800.00 for 2024-2025). Fees are paid by the program. Annual program costs include books and living expenses. Health insurance is available for matriculated students.
Tuition
Full-time students receive full tuition waivers.
Financial Aid
Financial aid may be available for students in this program. Please visit Financial Aid for more information.
Take the Next Step in Your Career
Monicah Njogu Bwayi, PhD, graduated from our program in 2016 and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at St. Jude Children鈥檚 Research Hospital in the Chemical Biology and Therapeutics Department. She is currently a Senior Scientist at St. Jude.
Meet Our Faculty
Elena Galkina, PhD, FAHA
Dr. Galkina, Professor of Microbiology & Molecular Cell Biology, is studying the implication of the immune responses in atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and type 2 diabetes. She is funded by the NIH's National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and American Heart Association. Over last 13 years, the Galkina laboratory trained many PhD and master students who successfully work at National Institute of Health, The United 91短视频s Food and Drug Administration, in various biotech companies and academia.
Larry Sanford, PhD
Dr. Sanford is a highly regarded expert on the neurophysiology of sleep and stress. His primary research focuses on the brain mechanisms linking sleep, stress and learning in anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder. Dr. Sanford has been awarded over $5 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health since 2007. He was an Associate Editor of the medical journal SLEEP from 2006 to 2016.
Eva Forgacs-Lonart, PhD
Dr. Forgacs-Lonart, Associate Professor of Physiological Sciences, has completed extensive research on myosin, a motor protein that helps muscles move, and has received grants from the NIH and the American Heart Association. She is investigating how cardiomyopathy mutations alter the ATPase enzyme mechanism and how different pharmacological agents affect the chemomechanical cycle.
Richard Britten, PhD
Dr. Britten is well-known for his state-of-the-art research on radiobiology, radiation oncology and cancer biology. He has received multiple grants from NASA to study the effects of space radiation exposure on the central nervous system. Dr. Britten is an Associate Editor for Radiation Research, the official journal of the Radiation Research Society, and is on the editorial board for Oncology Reports.
Vitold Galkin, PhD
Dr. Galkin is investigating the molecular mechanisms of muscle contraction. Muscle contraction is required for vital bodily functions such as breathing, heart contractility and movement. Mutations in genes encoding muscle proteins are the most common cause of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a disease with a prevalence of about 1 in 500. Despite its significance to cardiac health and disease, there is still remarkably little known regarding the molecular mechanisms of cardiac contraction. Dr. Galkin uses state-of-the-art cryo-electron microscopy and computational approaches to study molecular interactions in the cardiac muscle. These studies may pave the road to new therapeutic approaches and drug discovery. Dr. Galkin has received funding from the American Heart Association (AHA) and the National Institutes of Health. He has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles in high profile scientific journals and he is a reviewer for the AHA.
Elena Galkina, PhD, FAHA
Dr. Galkina, Professor of Microbiology & Molecular Cell Biology, is studying the implication of the immune responses in atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and type 2 diabetes. She is funded by the NIH's National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and American Heart Association. Over last 13 years, the Galkina laboratory trained many PhD and master students who successfully work at National Institute of Health, The United 91短视频s Food and Drug Administration, in various biotech companies and academia.
Larry Sanford, PhD
Dr. Sanford is a highly regarded expert on the neurophysiology of sleep and stress. His primary research focuses on the brain mechanisms linking sleep, stress and learning in anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder. Dr. Sanford has been awarded over $5 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health since 2007. He was an Associate Editor of the medical journal SLEEP from 2006 to 2016.
Eva Forgacs-Lonart, PhD
Dr. Forgacs-Lonart, Associate Professor of Physiological Sciences, has completed extensive research on myosin, a motor protein that helps muscles move, and has received grants from the NIH and the American Heart Association. She is investigating how cardiomyopathy mutations alter the ATPase enzyme mechanism and how different pharmacological agents affect the chemomechanical cycle.
Richard Britten, PhD
Dr. Britten is well-known for his state-of-the-art research on radiobiology, radiation oncology and cancer biology. He has received multiple grants from NASA to study the effects of space radiation exposure on the central nervous system. Dr. Britten is an Associate Editor for Radiation Research, the official journal of the Radiation Research Society, and is on the editorial board for Oncology Reports.
Vitold Galkin, PhD
Dr. Galkin is investigating the molecular mechanisms of muscle contraction. Muscle contraction is required for vital bodily functions such as breathing, heart contractility and movement. Mutations in genes encoding muscle proteins are the most common cause of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a disease with a prevalence of about 1 in 500. Despite its significance to cardiac health and disease, there is still remarkably little known regarding the molecular mechanisms of cardiac contraction. Dr. Galkin uses state-of-the-art cryo-electron microscopy and computational approaches to study molecular interactions in the cardiac muscle. These studies may pave the road to new therapeutic approaches and drug discovery. Dr. Galkin has received funding from the American Heart Association (AHA) and the National Institutes of Health. He has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles in high profile scientific journals and he is a reviewer for the AHA.
