Table of Contents
Course Work and Certification
The Program in Cellular and Molecular Pathology encourages each student to develop an independent and creative approach to science. The elective course program for a distributed minor is flexible, so that individual requirements can be tailored to the professional objectives of each student.
The actual series of courses taken by each student is decided in consultation with an advisory committee consisting of the student, major professor, and four other faculty, two of whom must be trainers in the Pathology Graduate Program. New graduate students should consult with the Chair of the Graduate Education Committee, Dr. Zsuzsa Fabry, when planning their first semester coursework.
The Graduate Education Committee has designed a set of guidelines to aid the students and their advisory committees in the task of constructing an appropriate series of formal course requirements. These guidelines are described below. Students should consult the Department Secretary regarding University regulations when choosing their committee members.
Enrollment
Auditing
Most courses may be audited and you will register as an auditor, ensuring class materials will be prepared for everyone. If there is limited space in the class, however, auditors must make room for fully registered students. An audited class will appear on your transcript, but will not count for credit.Credit Load
All students must register for 8-12 credits each fall and spring semester (4-8 credits during the 8-week general session during the summer) until dissertator status is reached. During fall and spring semesters, students are advised to sign up for enough research credits (Pathology 990) to bring the total credit load to 12. Keeping the credit load above the 8-credit minimum will help avoid problems should it become necessary to drop a course.Dissertators must register for 3 research credits each semester, including the 8-week summer session.To reach dissertator status, all course work must be completed, the Written Comprehensive Qualifying Examination (Preliminary Exam A) and the Oral Research Proposal Examination (Preliminary Exam B) passed, and the Graduate School residency requirements met. This will typically occur in the third year of study.
Registering Online
For information on how to register for courses online, please refer to Registration and Coursework in the Student Handbook.
Requirements for the Major
Candidates are expected to have knowledge of cellular and molecular biology and pathology. Courses are chosen to provide each student with a background in the four focus areas of the program (oncology/cancer biology, cell matrix and growth factor biology, immunopathology, and neuropathology) and in basic areas of biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, and genetics in preparation for in-depth study of the cellular and molecular pathogenesis of disease.
The courses taken to satisfy the PhD requirement in the Cellular and Molecular Pathology track are selected by the student and his/her major professor. All courses must contribute to an organized program of study and research. A Pathology Certification Form should be filed with the Graduate Program Office to be used as a guide in constructing an appropriate series of formal course requirements for the individual student. These courses are then submitted to the student’s advisory committee for approval.
Guidelines for the PhD established by the Graduate School must be adhered to, specifically with regards to credits earned in thesis research combined with formal course credits.
Required Core Courses for a Major in Pathology
For the major, a minimum of 12 credits is required, including the following courses or their equivalent:- Pathology 803, Pathogenesis of Major Human Disease, 3 cr
- Pathology 750, Cellular & Molecular Biology/Pathology, 3 cr
- Pathology 809, Molecular Mechanisms of Disease, 2 cr
- Pathology 901, Student Seminar Series, 1 cr
- Pathology 900, Departmental Seminar Series, 0 cr
- Professional Development Course
- Ethics Course
Students are also required to take a minimum of one of the following topics courses or their equivalent. Students are strongly encouraged to select these courses according to their focus area of research.
- Pathology 709, Special Topics in Immunopathology: Immune System in Health and Disease, 2 cr
- Pathology 751, Cell and Molecular Biology of Aging, 3 cr
- Pathology 951, Cell Matrix, Structure and Function, 2 cr
CMP Required Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research
Conscious awareness of responsible conduct of research is a feature that permeates the work of CMP trainees and trainers as well as all graduate students and faculty at UW. In fact, the annual appointment/reappointment letter for research assistants includes the following text specifically related to this topic: “Professor xx will be your mentor in this effort and you will join her/his research group as a colleague. The University requires this to be a student/teacher relationship and you will be expected to honor xx's scholarly traditions and procedures while conducting your research.” Our plans for formal and informal instruction in the responsible conduct of research for trainees are listed below.
Formal instruction
The CMP is dedicated to the training of ethics. There are 4 approved courses accepted by CMP on Responsible Conduct of Research. Each trainee must take 1 of several ethic courses that meet for 1 hr each week during the semester. Below is a listing of ethic courses that cover components of Responsible Conduct of Research accepted by the Office of Research Integrity of the University of Wisconsin and by the NIH.
RCR topics as described by the Office of Research Integrity of the University of Wisconsin and by the NIH:
1. Animal welfare; 2. Collaborative science; 3. Conflict of interest and commitment; 4. Data acquisition, management, sharing and ownership; 5. Protection of Human subjects; 6. Mentor/trainee responsibilities;
7. Publication practices, responsible authorship; 8. Peer review; 9. Research misconduct
| Course # | Course Title | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 675 | Appropriate Conduct of Science | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| 812 | Research Ethics and Career Development | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| 901 | Advanced Seminar: Responsible Conduct of Research | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| 999 | Research Ethics (LANGURE) | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
Approved Ethics Courses (Appendix):
Course: (675) Appropriate Conduct of Science; Instructor: Janet Mertz and Gary Roberts; Credits: 1 credit (Spring); Description: A review and discussion of ethical issues in science.
Course: (812) Research Ethics and Career Development; Instructor: Dale Bjorling; Credits: 2 credits (Fall) Description: The purpose of this seminar series is to provide trainees with information that will be useful in their development as scientists and will provide a frame of reference as they struggle with issues of authorship, plagiarism, scientific misconduct or fraud, mentoring, starting their career, developing a research program, and writing.
Course: (901) Advanced Seminar: Responsible Conduct of Research. Instructor: Tim Donohue; Credits: 1 credit; Description: This is a discussion-based course that will discuss issues for which there will often be quite legitimate, but different, perspectives. Topics will be introduced in this course largely through the use of case studies that focus on one or more ethical issues.
Course: (999) Research Ethics; Instructor: Rob Streiffer, Jim Coors, Sara Patterson, Credits: 1 credit (Spring); Description: The course objective is to enable students to understand the policies regulating research at land grant universities and the moral principles on which these policies are based. After completing the course, students should have the ability to explain (1) the research mission of land grant universities, (2) the ethical principles supporting research policies, (3) the policies that regulate research on such issues as mentoring and under-represented minorities and women in research, research misconduct, authorship and peer review, intellectual property, conflicts of interest and commitment, proper experimental design, data collection, and statistical interpretation, (4) discipline-specific issues chosen on the basis of current enrollment, and (5) the importance of life-long learning in research ethics and how to find updated information.
Course: (812) Research Ethics and Career Development; Instructor: Dale Bjorling; Credits: 2 credits (Fall) Description: The purpose of this seminar series is to provide trainees with information that will be useful in their development as scientists and will provide a frame of reference as they struggle with issues of authorship, plagiarism, scientific misconduct or fraud, mentoring, starting their career, developing a research program, and writing.
Course: (901) Advanced Seminar: Responsible Conduct of Research. Instructor: Tim Donohue; Credits: 1 credit; Description: This is a discussion-based course that will discuss issues for which there will often be quite legitimate, but different, perspectives. Topics will be introduced in this course largely through the use of case studies that focus on one or more ethical issues.
Course: (999) Research Ethics; Instructor: Rob Streiffer, Jim Coors, Sara Patterson, Credits: 1 credit (Spring); Description: The course objective is to enable students to understand the policies regulating research at land grant universities and the moral principles on which these policies are based. After completing the course, students should have the ability to explain (1) the research mission of land grant universities, (2) the ethical principles supporting research policies, (3) the policies that regulate research on such issues as mentoring and under-represented minorities and women in research, research misconduct, authorship and peer review, intellectual property, conflicts of interest and commitment, proper experimental design, data collection, and statistical interpretation, (4) discipline-specific issues chosen on the basis of current enrollment, and (5) the importance of life-long learning in research ethics and how to find updated information.
Training in the protection of Animal Subjects:
The UW All-Campus Animal Care and Use Committee requires that all individuals using animals in teaching or research attend an Animal User Orientation Certification Seminar and pass an examination in order to fulfill all regulatory requirements and be certified to handle animals. This exercise includes online access to the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals published by the National Academy of Sciences (http://bob.nap.edu/readingroom/books/labrats/). This requirement applies to trainers on this application and future trainees whose research involves animals. The PI has received this certification.
Training in the Protection of Human Subjects:
The UW maintains a website devoted to Protection of Human Subjects in Research (http://www.rsp.wisc.edu/humansubs/index.html) and specifically has established and posted Guidelines for research involving human subjects. (http://www.rsp.wisc.edu/humansubs/training.html). There is also a web-training module for “Human Subjects Protection at the University of Wisconsin – Madison” (http://www.rsp.wisc.edu/humansubs/training/UWHSTraining.html), adapted from the NIH CBT Program. All individuals involved in using human research subjects and all investigators on grant proposals that include such use are required to undergo instruction and receive certification in this area, via either an online course or a downloadable PowerPoint training file. This requirement applies to trainers on this application and future trainees whose research involves human subjects. The PI has received this certification although his research does not involve human subjects.
Additional workshops and training and educational resources are also available on the UW Graduate School training module: http://research.gradsch.wisc.edu/seminarsregistration/seminarii/seminars.html
and using the Human Subjects Protections Tutorial UW-Madison at the following website is also recommended to all individuals in the CMP training program: http://info.gradsch.wisc.edu/research/compliance/humansubjects/tutorial/index.htm.
Additional workshops and training and educational resources are also available on the UW Graduate School training module: http://research.gradsch.wisc.edu/seminarsregistration/seminarii/seminars.html
and using the Human Subjects Protections Tutorial UW-Madison at the following website is also recommended to all individuals in the CMP training program: http://info.gradsch.wisc.edu/research/compliance/humansubjects/tutorial/index.htm.
Informal instructions:
Research conduct and other biomedical ethics issues are discussed in virtually every upper-level graduate course that is available and also in every trainer’s lab. Biomedical ethics issues frequently receive attention and discussion based upon research being done at UW, in this training program, or in the scientific community. For example, James Thomson’s pioneering work at the UW on culture and use of human stem cells in Pathology; and study of NIH select agents and potential bioterrorism threats are discussed in several labs on campus.
Approved Statistics Courses
Students are expected to complete a minimum of 10 graduate level credits toward a distributed minor. Distributed minor consists of advanced courses including statistics. Students will acquire skills to design quantitative studies with plans for appropriate sampling, data collection and statistical methods. The Program provides the student and their committee with some flexibility to select disease-oriented quantitative courses.
Current approved statistics courses (Appendix): Statistical Methods for Molecular Biology (Stat 992); Intro to Biostatistics - Biostatistics 541.
To monitor adequate quantitative education, the program recruited Dr. Karl Broman, Associate Professor, Department of Biostatistics & Medical Informatics in 2008. We are working with him to create a statistical course CMP students. Dr. Broman currently teaches an undergraduate course, "Introductory applied statistics for the life sciences” (Statistics 371), and is a co-instructor for "Statistical Methods for Molecular Biology” (Statistic 992). Dr Broman presents a professional development course in the Pathology Seminar Series on data presentation in the Spring semester (How to display data badly, powerpoint available at http://www.biostat.wisc.edu/~kbroman/presentations).
Current approved statistics courses (Appendix): Statistical Methods for Molecular Biology (Stat 992); Intro to Biostatistics - Biostatistics 541.
To monitor adequate quantitative education, the program recruited Dr. Karl Broman, Associate Professor, Department of Biostatistics & Medical Informatics in 2008. We are working with him to create a statistical course CMP students. Dr. Broman currently teaches an undergraduate course, "Introductory applied statistics for the life sciences” (Statistics 371), and is a co-instructor for "Statistical Methods for Molecular Biology” (Statistic 992). Dr Broman presents a professional development course in the Pathology Seminar Series on data presentation in the Spring semester (How to display data badly, powerpoint available at http://www.biostat.wisc.edu/~kbroman/presentations).
In case of questions about statistical courses, please contact Dr Broman:
Offices: 6763 Medical Sciences Center (MSC)
1274 Genetics-Biotechnology Center
Phones 608-262-4633 (MSC)
608-263-0549 (Biotechnology)
FAX 608-265-7916
Email kbroman@biostat.wisc.edu
Mailing address
Box 1532, 6770 Medical Sciences Center
1300 University Avenue
Madison, WI 53706-1532
Professional Development Courses
CMP Professional Development Education Plan: Life Sci Comm 560, Scientific Writing, 3 cr. Neuroscience 700, Professional Development for Biomedical Graduate Students, 1 cr. Grantmanship professional development is part of the Path 809 (Prelim A) course.
UW-Madison offers a wealth of resources intended to enrich graduate studies and enhance professional skills. The Program encourages students to take advantage of the resources that best fit their needs and support your career goals. During PATH 809 we discuss information on the following resources:
Academic and Professional Skills (http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/gspd/skills.html) Fellowship announcements and professional development opportunities GradLink@Madison and GradConnections (http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/gsc/gradconnections.html).
For information on teaching, research, and entrepreneurship programs, graduate student awards, grants, travel money, and fellowships, as well as yearly events and symposiums, go to Programs, Awards, and Workshops (http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/gspd/workshops.html).
Career planning; choosing an advisor, developing a portfolio, applying for positions, getting funding, negotiating a salary: (http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/gspd/careerplanning.html). Workshop information for faculty, staff, and new students http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/gspd/deptresources.html.
Other professional development offices for graduate students: http://www.cals.wisc.edu/gradstudies/profdev/
UW-Madison offers a wealth of resources intended to enrich graduate studies and enhance professional skills. The Program encourages students to take advantage of the resources that best fit their needs and support your career goals. During PATH 809 we discuss information on the following resources:
Academic and Professional Skills (http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/gspd/skills.html) Fellowship announcements and professional development opportunities GradLink@Madison and GradConnections (http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/gsc/gradconnections.html).
For information on teaching, research, and entrepreneurship programs, graduate student awards, grants, travel money, and fellowships, as well as yearly events and symposiums, go to Programs, Awards, and Workshops (http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/gspd/workshops.html).
Career planning; choosing an advisor, developing a portfolio, applying for positions, getting funding, negotiating a salary: (http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/gspd/careerplanning.html). Workshop information for faculty, staff, and new students http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/gspd/deptresources.html.
Other professional development offices for graduate students: http://www.cals.wisc.edu/gradstudies/profdev/
Requirements for the Minor
Breadth Courses leading to a Distributed Minor in Pathology
In addition to the core courses outlined above, all students for the PhD in the Cellular and Molecular Pathology Track will be expected to complete a minimum of 10 graduate-level credits toward a distributed minor. A suggested distributed minor would consist of advanced courses from cellular and molecular biology, genetics, immunology, biochemistry, oncology, virology, and statistics.To fulfill the advanced course requirements, additional courses are required from each section listed below. These courses should provide the student and his/her committee with the flexibility to complement a broad range of disease-oriented basic research projects. New, experimental, or special topics courses that offer advanced level training in these specialty areas are acceptable. The advanced training received in these areas coupled with thesis research will insure that the Pathology PhD student has proper breadth knowledge and a foundation in core areas of biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, genetics and immunology.
Biochemistry
- Biochemistry 601 Protein & Enzyme Structure and Function, 2 cr
- Biochemistry 602 Biochemical Mechanisms of Regulation in the Cell, 2 cr
- Biochemistry 603 Eukaryotic Molecular Biology, 2 cr
- Biochemistry 612 Prokaryotic Molecular Biology, 3 cr
- Biochemistry 625 Coenzymes and Cofactors in Enzymology, 2 cr
- Biochemistry 651 Biochemical Methods, 2 cr
- Biochemistry 729 Advanced Topics, 1-3 cr
- Biomolecular Chemistry 675 Advanced or Special Topics, 1 cr
Cell and Molecular Biology
- Pathology 703 General Pathology, 3 cr
- Zoology 555 Developmental Biology Laboratory, 3 cr
- Pharmacology 710 Cytosolic and Nuclear Signaling Mechanisms, 2 cr
- Zoology 570 Cell Biology, 3 cr
- Oncology 703 Carcinogenesis & Tumor Cell Biology, 3 cr
- Bacteriology/Oncology 640 General Virology, 3 cr
- Human Oncology 410 Radiobiology, 2 cr
- Oncology 675 Special Topics in Cancer Research, 2 cr
- Human Oncology 640 Biochemical Mechanisms of Tumor Promotion and Progression, 2 cr
- Oncology 707 Growth and Differentiation, 3 cr
- Oncology 720 Advanced Molecular Virology, 2 cr
Immunology
- Biomolecular Chemistry 612 Immunochemical Techniques, 2 cr
- Medical Microbiology 528 Immunology, 3 cr
- Medical Microbiology 720 Topics in Immunology, 3 cr
- Bacteriology 790 Immunology of Infectious Disease, 3 cr
Genetics
- Genetics 466 General Genetics, 3 cr
- Medical Genetics 707 Genetics of Development 3, cr
- Genetics 561 Introductory Cytogenetics, 2-3 cr
- Genetics/Biochemistry 640 Molecular Neurobiology, 2 cr
- Genetics 565 Human Genetics, 3 cr
- Genetics 677 Advanced Topics in Genetics, 1-3 cr
- Bacteriology 607 Advanced Microbial Genetics, 3 cr
- Genetics 612 Prokaryotic Molecular Biology, 3 cr
Types of Classes
Seminars and Seminar Courses
Students are required to give a minimum of 3 seminars throughout their graduate career. Seminars can be given as part of a the Pathology Seminar Series (Pathology 900), a course or a regional, national, or international meeting. Additionally, dissertators are required to give a thesis-based seminar prior to their thesis defense as part of the Pathology Seminar Series, Pathology 900.
A list of seminar courses that can be taken for credit is listed below. Additional equivalent seminar courses can be also taken upon approval by the Student’s Advisory Committee.
- Biochemistry 907, Advanced Molecular Genetics
- Biochemistry 903, Membrane Biochemistry
- Botany/Zoology 965, Cellular and Developmental Biology
- Bacteriology 901, Microbiology
- Genetics 993, Seminar in Genetics
- Oncology 901,Seminar
Additional Courses
The student’s advisory committee may require additional courses. However, there is no general departmental requirement for additional course credits.
Special Topics and Mini-Courses
Several one credit courses are usually offered each semester. Special topic courses of interest to our graduate students are offered by many departments. Mini-courses are intended to be literature-oriented seminars emphasizing reading and discussion of assigned material.
Tutorials
Students can arrange to take tutorials in lieu of course work. Tutorials should be arranged between the interested student and professor(s). Tutorials are not a substitute for a limited background. Careful consideration should be used as to whether formal classroom instruction in a particular area is needed prior to arranging for a tutorial in that area.
Journal Clubs
Several weekly journal clubs in special topics exist. Generally one paper is presented each week. Some are offered as formal courses; others meet informally. Below is a list of some of the journal clubs that CMP trainers currently participate in:
- Biotechnology Training Program Student Seminar Series
- Cancer Biology Literature Group (every other week)
- Cardiovascular Research Center Journal Club (Thursdays once a month)
- Developmental Biology Journal Club (Wednesdays at 12:00pm)
- Geriatrics Journal Club (Tuesdays at 7:30pm)
- Glaucoma Research Group
- Neuroimmunology Journal Club (Fridays at 11:00pm)
- Immunology Research Group (Thursdays at 12:00pm)
- MSTP Student Journal Club
- Neurological Surgery Journal Club (bi-weekly)
- Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Research Colloquium (Fridays at 12:00pm)
- Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Grand Rounds (Fridays at 7:30pm)
- Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Retina Group (Tuesdays at 7:00pm)
- Seminar in Cellular Biology and Cytoskeletal Dynamics
- Stem Cell Biology Journal Club (Fridays at 12:00pm,)
- Transcriptional Mechanisms Research Group (monthly)
- UWCCC Tumor Immunology Journal Club (Tuesdays at 9:00am)
- Vascular Biology Research Colloquium (monthly)
- Zebrafish Research Group (last Tuesday of month)
Viewing an Autopsy
CMP graduate students are required to view an autopsy at least once during their time in the program. Autopsies are viewed in groups of 2-3 graduate students, generally beginning at 9-10am and lasting 2-4 hours.
For further information, please refer to Viewing an Autopsy in the Student Handbook.
Grades
PhD students must maintain a B average or better in all graduate courses. Grades of BC or lower suggest an inadequate comprehension of course material. The Graduate School requires that a student maintain a minimum graduate GPA of 3.0 in all graduate-level work.
Feedback, questions or accessibility issues: webmaster@pathology.wisc.edu
File last updated: April 9, 2009