Purpose of the Program
The Biomedical Research Training Program (BRTP) is a common entry program for Ph.D. study in the College of Medicine's five Basic Science Departments and the Cancer Graduate Research Program. The purpose of this program is 1) to provide students with greater flexibility and wider opportunities for choosing a laboratory in which to pursue Ph.D. research, and 2) to provide students with a solid, broad-based training in multidisciplinary biomedical research. Biomedical Ph.D. training at UNMC prepares students for a variety of job opportunities in academia (teaching and/or research), industry (research and/or management), and other related fields.

Maximum Opportunities:
6 Departments, programs representing more than 100 Laboratories. Students entering the BRTP have the opportunity to explore a variety of research laboratories and academic programs. Students can rotate through any of the >100 research laboratories affiliated with the 5 basic science departments: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Genetics, Cell Biology & Anatomy, Pathology & Microbiology, Pharmacology & Experimental Neuroscience, Cellular & Integrative Physiology and the Cancer Graduate Research Program. Students may also do Ph.D. research in laboratories in the departments of Internal Medicine, Ophthalmology and Surgery. The research interests of the BRTP faculty are largely focused in eight topic areas as described in the following pages. These areas are: Cancer Biology, Cardiovascular Biology, Cell and Developmental Biology, Cell Signaling, Genetics, Immunology, Molecular Biology, and Neuroscience. Before the end of the first year, students select their thesis research laboratory and degree-granting program in which to enter as second year students.


A Solid Foundation: Curriculum, Rotations, and Seminars.
During the first year, students take an integrated curriculum that forms the foundation of their graduate training. The core curriculum consists of four courses:
- BRTP 821: Macromolecular Structure and Function (PDF)*
- BRTP 822: The Cell and Gene Regulation (PDF)*
- BRTP 823: Molecular Cell Biology (PDF)*
- BRTP 824: Cell Signaling (PDF)*

- To view and print the PDF files you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 you can download it free from Adobe.

During the first year, students usually perform research rotations in four laboratories. The curriculum, along with research rotations, provides the first year student with a strong, multidisciplinary foundation that is important for success in modern biomedical research. In addition, students can attend a wide variety of regularly scheduled seminars given by research scientists visiting UNMC.