Top of Page Home Background and Rationale Growth in areas of scientific research related to the identification and targeting of molecular events responsible for the development of disease, and to the replacement of diseased or compromised tissues with transplanted healthy tissue or with prostheses has been greatly facilitated by the recent advances in genomics and in molecular biology. Presently, research in these areas is performed in a variety of departments with little unity in training and developing future leaders in these fields. The development of the Ph.D. Graduate Program in Cell and Tissue Engineering unites faculty performing research pertinent to these areas to provide a multi-disciplinary approach to training students to integrate this information to design innovative research to address the problems unique to these important areas of biomedical science. The CTE Graduate Program prepares the students for careers in academia, as well as in the private sector, including biopharmaceuticals, biotechnology, biomedical materials and devices, and bioinstrumentation. The training faculty is composed of researchers from many departments within the university who are actively and productively engaged in research directly related to the areas listed above.
Specialized coursework is tailored to meet the specific requirements of individual students.
In addition, through an Academic Alliance recently established between Thomas Jefferson University and the School of Biomedical Engineering, Sciences, and Health Systems, Drexel University, research interests and training in biomaterials, biomedical computing, bioinformatics, and biomechanics are also represented. By means of thematically-organized seminars and journal clubs, the CTE Graduate Program, in addition to training scientists, serves to provide an interactive forum for physicians, scientists, and engineers with common research areas. The student population is comprised of students from widely divergent backgrounds including biology, biochemistry, chemistry, biophysics and bioengineering. Requirements for admission are generally similar to those stated in the general guidelines of the College of Graduate Studies. Because of the diversity in student background, an advisory committee will meet with each student at the initiation of their career to individually tailor the graduate program to further develop the student s strengths and to train them in areas that are lacking in their background.