The purpose of this track is to engage graduate students in translational medicine. Trainees enter this one year program during their second or third year of graduate studies (after their thesis project has been proposed) in one of Stony Brook University’s PhD granting programs and remain in the track beyond the program’s structured year and until graduation. Trainees will receive a certificate naming them Scholars in Biomedical Sciences (SBS) upon completion of the program.
In addition to the educational benefits to the students who are admitted into the SBMS certificate program, we expect that the track will function as a catalyst to bring scientists and clinicians together and encourage the development of translational research fusion programs. Moreover, since this is a selective, competitive program, it will help make the participating graduate programs more competitive, and will provide a new venue of scholarship and mentorship opportunities for clinical faculty.
The track aims to promote in graduate students an understanding of the presentation, progression and treatment of diseases related to their area of thesis research.
Note: Students in the dual MD/PhD or the DDS/PhD degree are not considered for this program, as their path already requires clinical experience.
It will facilitate interfacing and collaboration of the students with clinical and translational researchers and help to move basic research discoveries into the clinical setting. The track requires the addition of a clinical co-mentor to the usual student-basic science advisor team who will help guide the student's biomedical/clinical research and immerse the student in clinical experiences, vocabulary, and the overall culture of clinical research. In addition to experiential learning, the training program will also provide didactic education, including a human pathophysiology course, a module on clinical trials, clinical presentations in conjunction with trainees in the SBU Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD program), and a series of lectures on legal, ethical and regulatory issues in medical research. Interactions among the trainees and mentors will be promoted through monthly lunch presentations and a yearly symposium on topics in translational medicine.
Click here to hear about our program from our Trainees.
"As a basic scientist, working in the clinical settings of Sloan Kettering and Weill Cornell Medicine have helped me to further understand the synergistic relationship between basic laboratory science and medicine. The Biomedical Science program through Stony Brook Medicine was critical in laying the foundations for my current work. I would encourage any basic scientist (N.B., I came from a chemistry department!) who is even remotely interested in medicine to consider the program."
-Dr. Matthew Wipperman, SBMS scholar '14
Check our Admissions page for application information and deadlines
9th Annual Scholars in BioMedical Sciences Symposium on October 26th, click here for details.
