The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine (UMMSM) offers a wide variety of research opportunities in the biological sciences encompassing multiple different disciplines and departments. The graduate faculty at UMMSM created the Program in Biomedical Sciences (PIBS) in order to give student saccess to the broadest possible range of research and to encourage interactions among faculty and students in different disciplines.

 

In the first year all students take a common curriculum to build a solid foundation in the biomedical sciences. The core coursework in the fall ranges from molecules to cells to systems of human physiology.Lectures are balanced by breakout sessions, in which faculty members discuss the primary literature with students in small groups. Students will have some choice in their breakout sessions according to their interests, lending an element of flexibility and customization to the fall curriculum.

 

The core curriculum also offers critical learning opportunities in biostatistics and in using genomic and other databases, as well as education in ethics. In the second (spring) semester, students elect from a menu of individual modular courses offered by the 8 graduate programs. Each modular course covers 6-8 weeks, and students will elect 1-2 of these per half semester. These courses will cover topics of more specific relevance to graduate programs or research themes. Students will also take a course in Biostatistics and a workshop in Bioinformatics in the spring semester.

 

At the end of the second (Spring) semester students select their mentor and join a graduate program of their choice. Each student is initially assigned to a small mentoring group, led by a faculty member and a senior student, to facilitate the process of choosing a laboratory. In the 1st year, students have the opportunity to rotate through at least 3 laboratories chosen from among the biomedical sciences graduate faculty.