During the first year, this course meets daily for 17 weeks during the fall and spring semesters. Topics are presented through a mix of didactic lectures, workshops, and discussions focused on research papers. Students are expected to present papers and lead conversations in which the group analyzes research.
The course is divided into four main sections:
Scientific Reasoning prepares students to think about science deeply and dissect primary literature.
Mechanistic Biology teaches fundamental principles of molecular biology, how cells are constructed and maintained, and how groups of cells collaborate to achieve normal development.
Cancer Biology teaches how to think about cancer as a disease and as a biological problem. This course leverages the world-class research and clinical expertise at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
First Year Development/Entrepreneurship First Year Development prepares students to transition in their thesis lab and teaches foundational science communication skills. Entrepreneurship teaches the processes involved in developing a technology for the market, including understanding intellectual property; evaluating the market for a technology; building a basic financial model; establishing funding mechanisms; assessing regulatory issues; and developing a business plan.
Students complete three six-week laboratory rotations during the first year. Students choose their first rotation in consultation with the dean prior to their arrival on campus. Students who wish to join their thesis laboratory after completing two rotations may opt out of the third rotation upon permission by the dean. Rotations provide students with an opportunity to get to know the faculty, students, and postdocs in the laboratory. There is no coursework during the rotations, allowing students to focus on developing an appreciation for the ongoing research, the style and approach of the principal investigator, and the personality and dynamics of the laboratory, as well as ideas for potential thesis projects.
Students prepare a two-page written summary at the end of each rotation. Each student’s performance in the rotation is assessed via a written evaluation by the rotation mentor in discussion with the student. Students present a 10-minute chalk talk, based on research from one of their rotations, for their fellow students and rotation mentors.
All students are required to complete this course in the fall semester of the first year. It provides formal training related to issues of research integrity.
The goals of this course are to:
- heighten the awareness of trainees to ethical considerations relevant to conducting research
- inform trainees of federal, state, and institutional policies, regulations, and procedures applicable to conducting ethical research
- provide trainees with the opportunity to engage with senior faculty and peers, in a relatively informal setting, about the implications of policies and procedures on their behavior in a research environment
Developing the ability to present and discuss the results of your research in a coherent, logical and compelling fashion is an important feature of becoming a successful scientist. From the first through the fourth years in the program, all students are required to attend and participate in presentations that will help to develop these skills, from chalk talks in the first and second years, to formal graduate student seminars presented in years three and four. Each student presents his or her project, and fellow students provide critical feedback.
Students participate in this student-run course beginning in the second year and continuing throughout their fourth year in the graduate program. There are eight sections of roughly five participants each. Students select papers of interest (based on the section’s topic) and present them to the group for discussion.
A journal club of this type is important in that it helps prevent the tunnel vision that can sometimes develop as students focus on their thesis research. Because the entire student body participates, the forum includes diverse topics and a continued exchange of ideas within the graduate community.
This curriculum has been structured to emphasize the foundations in Programming R. Active learning and classroom pair programming will be equally used and integrated to complement traditional lectures.
Cancer Biology students in this course will learn to apply quantitative exploratory data analysis techniques to different forms of experimental data.
Immuno-Oncology provides a foundation in the cellular and molecular principles of the immune system and examines how these mechanisms are leveraged to understand and treat cancer. The course explores core concepts in innate and adaptive immunity, immune cell development and signaling, antigen recognition, immune tolerance, and tissue organization, while highlighting how tumors evade immune surveillance. Students will also examine the scientific basis of modern immunotherapies including checkpoint blockade, cellular therapies, and antibody-based approaches and consider emerging strategies to improve anti-tumor immune responses. This course is optional and can be taken as an elective.
This is a five-part course designed to help senior PhD students chart a path towards writing and defending their dissertation over the next few years. Students in this course will also start to think about career possibilities after graduation. In addition to fixed sessions in this course, students will also individually meet with either a GSK dean or program director after the course to help strategize the next few years of their PhD.