PhD Programs in Pathology

University of Rochester Medical Center

• Th University of Rochester Medical Center's Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine is one institution offering the Ph.D. in pathology. The program is multidisciplinary, emphasizing research in areas such as neurobiology and neurological diseases, cancer biology, the musculoskeletal system, the cardiovascular and endocrine systems, immunology microbiology and hematology; and genetics, stem cell biology and development. The program requires 23 credit hours of core courses in areas such as pathways of human disease and ethics in research. Another 29-31 credits come from elective courses in areas such as immunology and signal transduction. The program is designed to last approximately five years.

  Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
  University of Rochester Medical Center
  601 Elmwood Ave., Box 626
  Rochester, NY 14642
  585-275-7811
  urmc.rochester.edu

Virginia Commonwealth University

• A second option for a Ph.D. in pathology is offered through the Department of Pathology at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Virginia Commonwealth's program offers a Ph.D. as a stand-alone degree or in conjunction with its medical school's M.D. program. The pathology program requires that students complete core courses in the fields of mammalian physiology, biostatistics, computer science, cell and molecular biology and general pathology. Several research areas are emphasized at VCU: paleopathology, aging and cancer, cytogenetics, breast cancer and biology, conservation medicine, cancer and metabolic syndrome, clinical trials and research services; and cellular and molecular pathogenesis.

  Department of Pathology
  Virginia Commonwealth University
  1101 E. Marshall Street
  Richmond, VA 23298
  804-828-9746
  pathology.vcu.edu

University of Utah

• The University of Utah offers a third possibility for pursuing a Ph.D. in experimental pathology. The university's pathology department also emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach to research, emphasizing host-parasite relationships, the regulation and storage of iron and other heavy metals in organisms, adaptive and innate immunity; and cellular and molecular processes. Required courses are taken through the school's departments of molecular biology and biological chemistry. Required core courses include those in the areas of cell biology, genomes and genetics, protein and nucleic acid biochemistry, gene expression, biophysical chemistry and structural methods. Students are also required to complete a number of laboratory rotations and take advanced courses in areas such as organ systems pathology, biochemical analysis in laboratory medicine, forensic pathology, host pathogen interaction and human disease; and clinical diagnosis and management by laboratory methods.

  Department of Pathology
  University of Utah
  15 North Medical Dr. East
  Salt Lake City, UT 84112
  801-581-4390
  path.utah.edu