Welcome

Welcome to the Interdisciplinary Biomedical Studies Program at the University of Miami!

Since it’s modest beginning in 1952, the Leonard School of Medicine has grown into a large, modern campus near downtown Miami. We feature cutting-edge research supported by more than $200 million in annual funding. In this stimulating environment, exciting and challenging opportunities abound for students seeking training in the biomedical sciences.

The mission of the Interdisciplinary Biomedical Studies (IBS) program is to provide an entry point for first-year Ph.D. students who will become the next generation of scientists capable of approaching problems across multiple disciplines. Our program starts with a curriculum that promotes knowledge, critical thinking and the building of hypotheses with a focus on molecular and cellular biology.

Simultaneously, IBS students are given the flexibility of selecting rotations in any of the laboratories in our seven programs: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cancer Biology, Microbiology and Immunology, Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, Neuroscience, Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, and Physiology and Biophysics. After exploring these options in the first year, the IBS student is able to discernibly select the environment of a specific program in which to complete their degrees. Students will join mid-sized laboratories that become a temporary family while they are in Miami.

All programs have intimate ties to nationally recognized clinical research centers on the campus: William L. McKnight Vision Research Center at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, The National Parkinson's Research Center, Diabetes Research Institute, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Mailman Center for Child Development, and Batchelor Children's Research Institute.

These opportunities add yet another layer to the future careers of the IBS student.

As you explore what the IBS program at the Miller School of Medicine has to offer, I encourage you to contact us by phone (305-243-1094), e-mail (biomedgrad@miami.edu) or in person.

Sincerely,

Mathias G. Lichtenheld, M.D.
Director

Coordinator Krystle Cacci Alumnus Alex Peyser Physiology and Biophysics Alumnus Joanne Faysal Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology Alumnus Pavan Vaydianathan Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Alumnus George Brittain Neuroscience Program Alumnus Stephanie Barcelona Physiology and Biophysics Alumnus Shuyun Rao Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology