Graduate Program in Experimental Pathology

Program Description

The Graduate Program in Experimental Pathology provides students with the knowledge and skills to investigate the underlying mechanisms of human disease caused by infectious agents or toxins. Our trainees develop critical scientific investigational skills including experimental design, data interpretation, communication of research data, and knowledge to conduct safe, ethical and rigorous laboratory research.

Students receive training in the pathologic basis of disease including mechanisms of cell injury and death, inflammation, tissue repair, immunity and host response, as well as basic biomedical concepts in biochemistry, cell biology, and molecular biology. Faculty research includes pathology of infectious diseases, specifically molecular and cellular pathobiology and immunobiology of emerging and tropical infectious diseases. Students receive specialized training using multidisciplinary investigative approaches that include the latest molecular and sequencing technology.

The Program by Year

It takes approximately five years to obtain a doctoral degree in Experimental Pathology. The primary activities that engage students during Years 1-5 are outlined below:

Year 1. In the first term, students complete core courses (Biochemistry, Cell Biology, and Molecular Biology and Genetics) as part of the Basic Biomedical Science Curriculum (BBSC). The BBSC is a contemporary, integrated, multidisciplinary curriculum that provides strong basic training in biomedical sciences prior to a specialized Program-specific course of study. In terms II and III, students engage a Program-specific course of study directed by Dr. Juan Olano, M.D., a board certified pathologist and pathology educator. Students are fully supported by the GSBS in Year 1.

Laboratory Research Rotations. During the first year, students conduct a series of three rotations in the laboratories of various faculty members in our program. The goal of these research rotations is to familiarize students with the specific scientific questions and techniques utilized in various laboratories to aid them in choosing a laboratory within which to conduct their doctoral research. Details on faculty research interests can be found in the program faculty section of this brochure. Students are encouraged to contact the faculty members to inquire about training opportunities that may be available.

Year 2. Students complete the Experimental Pathology Graduate Program course of study and a qualifying examination process that includes both written and oral qualifying examination components according to guidelines created by the Student Evaluation and Advisory Committee (SEAC). Upon passing the qualifying examination, students begin developing their dissertation projects in order to advance to doctoral candidacy early in their third year. Second year students also participate in the weekly Experimental Pathology Work in Progress (WIP) (PATH 6115) and are required to give an introductory seminar (30 minutes) on their current research. The WIP seminars are attended by faculty, students, post-doctoral trainees and others, who provide input and suggestions to help trainees improve their project and presentation skills. Students are also expected to attend other campus seminars including Frontiers of Infectious Diseases (PATH 6145).

Year 3. Students are heavily involved in their research and other activities including journal clubs and research in progress presentations. In the first term, students must divide their time between laboratory research and drafting a dissertation proposal that they will defend orally in order to formally advance to doctoral candidacy by the end of the spring term (May). Primary direction and day-to-day guidance is provided by the mentor. Students also draft proposals for extramural support. Students may attend local, national, and international scientific meetings to present their research findings.

Year 4. Students are heavily involved in their laboratory research and other activities including research in progress presentations. Semiannual meetings with the Supervisory Committee to update research progress are required, and final project revisions are approved by their Supervisory Committee. Students typically present their research findings at regional, national, and international scientific meetings and consider the final stages of research leading to their dissertation defense.

Year 5. In the first term, students are completing laboratory experiments, writing and submitting scientific manuscripts for peer-reviewed publication, and drafting their dissertations. They attend local, national, and international scientific meetings to present research findings and network to identify potential postdoctoral training opportunities. The doctoral studies culminate on dissertation defense day when the trainee orally presents and defends the research in public and private forums. If the Supervisory Committee is satisfied and all course requirements have been fulfilled, the dissertation is approved, the student is awarded the PhD degree.

HOST RESPONSE

■ Innate and adaptive immunity

■ Immunopathology

■ Vaccine-induced immunity

■ Vaccine development

VECTOR BIOLOGY

■ Vector-pathogen interactions

■ Vector fitness

■ Transmission

■ Field studies

VIROLOGY AND CELLULAR MICROBIOLOGY

■ Pathogen-host interactions

■ Infection epigenetics

■ Cellular signaling and infection

■ Virus evolution

■ High containment virology

■ Molecular and cellular pathogenesis https://www.utmb.edu/pathology/education/experimental-pathology-graduate-program

Institutes, Centers and Facilities

• The Institute for Human Infections and Immunity (IHII)

• Sealy Institute for Vaccine Sciences (SIVS)

• Sealy Center for Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases (SCVBZD)

• Center for Tropical Diseases (CTD)

• Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases (CBEID)

• Robert E. Shope BSL-4 Laboratory

• The Galveston National Laboratory (GNL)

• Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics (SCSBMB)

• Coordinating Research on Emerging Arboviral Threats Encompassing the Neotropics (CREATE-NEO)

Resources and Core Laboratories

• BSL2, 3, 4/ABSL2, 3, 4 Facilities

• Biocontainment Insectaries

• Electron Microscopy/Cryo-electron Microscopy (Cryo-EM)

• World Reference Center for Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses (WRCEVA)

• Optical Microscopy Core (OMC)

• Molecular Genomics Core (MGC)

• Flow Cytometry and Cell Sorting Core (FCCS)

• Next Generation Sequencing Core (NGS)

• Single Cell Genomics Core (SCGC)

Robert E. Shope BSL-4 Laboratory

In 1997, UTMB decided to construct a Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) laboratory facility to safely handle and maintain infectious agents so that UTMB researchers could continue making important discoveries on how to combat some of the most deadly diseases known to man. This was well before the anthrax attack of 2001, and before the decision in 2003 by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to partially fund construction of the Galveston National Laboratory on the UTMB campus. Construction of UTMB’s BSL-4 laboratory was largely funded by a grant from The Sealy and Smith Foundation of Galveston, a philanthropy solely dedicated to benefiting UTMB, with additional support for the facility from NIH.

The BSL-4 laboratory was formally dedicated on November 17, 2003, and was named the Robert E. Shope, MD, Laboratory in honor of Dr. Shope, a world-renown virologist who was a member of the UTMB faculty. UTMB’s Shope Lab, as it has come to be known, has been fully operational since 2004. It is the first fullsized facility of its kind in the nation to be located on a university campus.

The Moody Medical Library

MML houses the largest and the most significant collection in the history of the biomedical sciences in the southern United States. The historical holdings, which amount to over 30,000 titles, constitute an important resource not only for the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston but also for the state and the nation.

Pathology Work in Progress (WIP) Seminars – Trainees in Experimental Pathology, including graduate students and post-doctoral fellows engaged in research, present their current findings to their peers, faculty and staff. Graduate students in their first year in the program present 30-minute talks, while more senior students and postdoctoral fellows present 45-minute talks. This seminar series serves several purposes: 1) to provide trainees the opportunity to develop their verbal presentation skills; 2) to provide a forum for trainees to receive input into their research; and 3) to help develop a cohesive identity among trainees interested in the diverse research topics within the Department of Pathology.

Department of Pathology Research Day – This event has been held annually since 1995 and provides an opportunity for all faculty, doctoral students, and postdoctoral fellows to meet and present their latest research at a poster session forum. Other activities include Researcher of the Year award and presentation during lunch, monetary awards for best poster presentations (sponsored by faculty and the Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases), and the Graduate Student Organization recognition of faculty for Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring. The Department also recognizes a faculty member as Faculty Researcher of the Year.

Training Grants

Student tuition and stipend are fully supported by the Graduate School the first year. The student’s mentor covers tuition and stipend until graduation but multiple opportunities are available for support by NIH and other training grants:

• T32 Vector-Borne Diseases Training Program

• T32 Biodefense Training Program

• McLaughlin Predoctoral Fellowship in Infection and Immunity

Presidential and McLaughlin Scholars Programs aim to recruit outstanding graduate students to the Experimental Pathology graduate program. The most outstanding candidates for these highly competitive scholarships receive substantial financial supplements to the normal graduate stipends and academic enrichment activities with an outstanding peer group. Each year, up to five (5) incoming students are selected to join the Presidential Scholars program. Stipend supplement of $5,000 (Presidential Scholar) and $3000 (McLaughlin Scholar) above the normal graduate fellowship for up to 5 years of study. PS also are eligible for a one-time $3,000 amount to defray relocation and initial housing costs.

James W. McLaughlin Endowment for Training in Infection and Immunity

Immunology and Biodefense Journal Club – Faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students present recently published papers in high-impact journals. These informal discussion sections allow fellows to strengthen their presentation skills, critical thinking and broaden immunological concepts and research tools.

Colloquium of Infectious Diseases – Nationally and Internationally renowned researchers are invited to present their most recent research in the fields of infectious diseases, emerging infectious diseases, biodefense and tropical medicine.

GSBS Social Events

• Monthly Trivia Hour

• Student Organization Fairs

• Spring Fest

• Weekly Student Life Events

Experimental Pathology Social Events

• Annual student/faculty social event at Program Director’s house

• Student sponsored social events

Dr. James W. McLaughlin served as professor of medicine at The University of Texas Medical Department in Galveston from 1897 to 1905. During his 26 years as a family physician and as a faculty member of the Medicine Department, he maintained an active interest in immunity and infectious diseases and was the author of a number of publications on the subject. Dr. McLaughlin had a state-wide reputation as a physician and was highly regarded by his students as a teacher. He was one of the first members of the faculty to recognize the need for combining laboratory investigation with clinical medicine. The James W. McLaughlin Endowment was established in 1952 by Mr. A.C. McLaughlin in honor of his father. A purpose of the endowment is to establish and support fellowships for infection and immunity research.