The primary goal of the doctorate in pathology program is to train individuals for careers as independent scientific investigators, with a focus on the study of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of disease processes. The course programs are formulated to meet the needs of individual students in consultation with their academic adviser and with approval of the Pathology Graduate Program Committee. Courses are chosen to provide each student with a background in basic areas of biochemistry, cell biology, immunology, and genetics in preparation for in-depth study of the cellular and molecular pathogenesis of disease. This focus on cellular and molecular mechanisms is exemplified by the core course requirement, Pathology 581 Tissue, Cellular and Molecular Basis of Disease . Additional course work depends on individual trainees' area of research specialization and may include courses in other basic science departments in the University.
Students select a thesis adviser from the pathology faculty to guide their dissertation research.
The research interests of the faculty are diverse and include investigative programs in tissue injury and repair, inflammation, aging, tumor biology, apoptosis, regulation of gene expression in disease processes, and the biology and pathobiology of cytokines, adhesion molecules and extracellular matrix. Two National Institutes of Health training grants in lung immunopathology and experimental immunopathology support 4 graduate students and approximately 40 postdoctoral fellows in the department. The Department of Pathology is part of the University of Michigan Medical Center , which includes a hospital complex with a capacity of nearly 900 beds. The clinical activities of the department occupy approximately 40,000 gross square feet at the University Hospital, while the experimental programs are located in adjacent buildings, comprising approximately 23,000 square feet of recently renovated, modern, well-equipped laboratories. Several faculty members have appointments in the recently established Howard Hughes Medical Institute for Molecular Genetics.