"We, like many others, are concerned by how difficult it is becoming for scientists to harness the explosion of new biomedical research information and translate it into medical practice," said Thomas R. Cech, HHMI president. "At a time when science and medicine must work hand in hand to solve problems of human health and disease, we want to help change graduate education to increase the pool of scientists who are doing medically oriented research."
HHMI's new graduate education program supports and encourages graduate schools to integrate medical knowledge into their Ph.D. training. The goal is to produce researchers who have the knowledge and skills to address clinically important biological problems from the perspective of basic science.
A distinguished panel of graduate educators, biomedical researchers, and physician scientists helped in selecting the awardees. HHMI received applications from 82 institutions.
"The Institute was pleased to see such thought and creativity being put into the design of new curricula that could have a significant impact on the way Ph.D. students in the biomedical sciences are taught," said Peter J. Bruns, HHMI vice president for grants and special programs.
In some of the programs funded by the new HHMI initiative, graduate students will earn certificates or Master's degrees in molecular medicine, translational medicine, or medical science, in addition to their Ph.D. The additional coursework and clinical mentoring will prepare them to understand the symptoms, treatments, and unmet needs of patients whose underlying disease mechani
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Contact: Jennifer Donovan
donovanj@hhmi.org
301-215-8859
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
15-Feb-2006