First Year

Students arrive at the end of July/beginning of August and, after a one-week orientation, engage in their first five-week laboratory rotation. This rotation is organized prior to arrival on campus in consultation with the First Year Mentor and the Dean.

Each student is guided by a First Year Mentor (assigned prior to arrival in August) who will meet with the student regularly to provide advice and guidance during the coursework, as well as assist with the selection of laboratories for the remainder of the rotation sequence.

During the first year of study, students will complete:

• the year-long Core Course
• the Responsible Conduct of Research course
• a mini-course on logic and critical analysis
• two semesters of the President's Research Seminar Series Journal Club
• three five-week laboratory rotations
• first year clinical program

The Core Course meets every day during the 16-week fall semester for a combination of didactic lecture and discussion of research papers from the primary literature. Students also:

• meet regularly with their First Year Mentor
• attend a sampling of research seminars at Memorial Sloan-Kettering
• attend the President's Research Seminar Series Journal Club, the President's Research Seminar, and meet with the speaker
• meet with faculty members to learn about their research
• complete the Responsible Conduct of Research course

The spring semester begins with a five-week laboratory rotation, followed by the second 16-week segment of the Core Course. The third five-week laboratory rotation then completes the first year curriculum. Students also:

• meet regularly with their First Year Mentor
• attend a sampling of research seminars at Memorial Sloan-Kettering
• attend the President's Research Seminar Series Journal Club, the President's Research Seminar, and meet with the speaker

In addition, throughout the first year, students visit the clinics as observers with physicians. During the first year, students have a home in the Student Center, which is fully equipped with state-of-the-art technology and provides individual study spaces for each student.

All students enter our PhD program without formal commitment to a particular laboratory. This allows students flexibility as they explore potential research mentors, participate in the first year curriculum, and learn about new areas of research through meetings with the faculty, seminars, and journal clubs.

During the first year, the three five-week laboratory rotations provide students with an opportunity to get to know the faculty, students, and postdocs in the laboratory, and to develop a significant appreciation of the various laboratories' research work.

Following the end of the spring semester, students are expected to formally choose a research mentor and begin dissertation research.