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GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN PATHOLOGY

Pathology Research Laboratories

Research in Progress | Grand Rounds | VCU School of Graduate Studies

Our Director of Graduate Studies is Shawn E. Holt, PhD Office: (804) 827-0458; FAX: (804) 828-9749; seholt@vcu.edu    Dr. Holt, Associate Professor of Pathology, is Co-Director of the Aging & Cancer Laboratory under our Functional Genomics and Cellular and Molecular Pathogenesis research programs. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University. His research interest is in telomerase activity as it pertains to cellular aging and cancer in human cells.

Doctoral students in our pathology graduate program must master basic cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics, as well as learn the intellectual paradigms underlying the study of disease, host-parasite interactions, and host defense mechanisms. 

Equally important, students in the pathology graduate program may elect to emphasize research and training in clinical microbiology, molecular diagnostics, clinical chemistry, toxicology, outcomes research, or forensics.

Graduate training in pathology offers the student the unique opportunity to train in these diverse sub-disciplines, which emphasize application of pathology to the diagnosis, detection, or treatment of disease.

Funded programs of Pathology Research for a total of $1.75 million in 2007 extramural funding include:

• Hepatic Oval Cells in Culture and In Vivo, NIH-NCI, Alphonse Sirica, PhD (Principle Investigator)

• Altered Growth Factor Pathways in Biliary Cancer, NIH-NCI, Alphonse Sirica, PhD (Principle Investigator)

• COX -2 in Human and Rat Cholangiocarcinogenesis, Merck, Alphonse Sirica, PhD (Principle Investigator)

• Regulation of Prostate Growth, NIH, Joy Ware, PhD (Principle Investigator)

• Mechanisms of Prostate Transformation, NIH-NCI, Joy Ware, PhD (Principle Investigator)

• Cancer Genomics and Development of Diagnostic Tools & Therapies, Carleton Garrett, MD, PhD (Co-Investigator)

• Prostate Cancer New Investigator Award, DOD, Lynne Elmore, PhD (Co-Investigator)

• Breast Cancer IDEA Award, DOD, Shawn Holt, PhD and Lynne Elmore, PhD (Co-Investigators)

• Prostate Cancer New Investigator Award, DOD, Shawn Holt, PhD (Principle Investigator)

Requirements for Graduate Study
Applicants must be graduates of an accredited college or university. An undergraduate degree in biological sciences or chemistry is recommended. A strong background in biochemistry and cell biology is highly desirable. Minimum entrance requirements include a combined GRE score of 1200, a 3.0 grade point average, and three letters of recommendation. Applicants may substitute MCAT scores for the GRE. A MCAT score of at least 25 is required. Please visit the VCU School of Graduate Studies.

Degree Requirements
All doctoral students are required to complete core courses in the following areas: cell and/or molecular biology, mammalian physiology, general pathology, and biostatistics or computer science. The remainder of the course work is chosen from a list of approved electives with guidance from the student's advisor. Following completion of course work, students must pass both a written and an oral examination. Students then devote themselves to their research and dissertation project, culminating in the final defense of their thesis.

Submission and publication of at least one manuscript in a peer-reviewed journal is expected from each student prior to graduation. In addition, students are expected to present their research findings at one or more national research meetings.

Graduate Student Support/Stipends
Financial support for a limited number of doctoral students is available on a competitive basis. This support may take the form of teaching assistantships, fellowships, or research assistantships. Applicants who wish to be considered for financial assistance should apply as early as possible.

MD/PhD Requirements
Students accepted in the MD/PhD program at VCU are encouraged to apply to the graduate program in pathology for their PhD training. These students are expected to complete the same basic requirements as the PhD students, with the exception that credit is given for medical school courses that duplicate required core courses. It is anticipated that these students will complete their PhD research and training within 2-3 years.

Career Opportunities
Career opportunities for students earning a PhD in pathology are diverse. Our graduates are employed as faculty in academic research centers, teaching faculty in small colleges, consultants and employees of industry and biotechnology firms, directors of hospital laboratories, and as scientists in government laboratories. Graduate education in pathology offers two unique aspects, compared to other biomedical research training programs: (1) Experience and training in the study of human disease, and (2) preparation for accreditation and certification in clinical laboratory research, management, and education.

Updated March 3, 2008