Program in Genetics and Genomics PhD Training Grant

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Abstract: This is a new application to support twelve graduate students in their second year of a Ph.D. Program in Genetics and Genomics (PGG) at Harvard Medical School (HMS). Scientists in the fields of genetics and genomics are at the forefront of our Nation’s efforts to understand how life works and to diagnose and treat human disease. The mission of PGG is to provide a diverse group of students with the intellectual, technical, and professional training that they will need to become future leaders in the fields of genetics and genomics. Training derives from a customized curriculum, which emphasizes rigor and reproducibility in research, technical training, training in scientific communication, professional networking, industry internship opportunities, and, of course, dissertation research. PGG students carry out Ph.D. research in one of forty laboratories centered around, but not exclusive to, the Department of Genetics at HMS. Laboratories of training faculty are well-funded and study a wide range of topics in the fields of genetics and genomics, which range from prokaryotic gene regulation to human biology and disease. Students supported by the training grant are part of the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) program at HMS, which is a large umbrella program that draws in a top group of graduate students each year. PGG provides a self-selected group of BBS students with the opportunity to be part of a close-knit community focused on technical and professional training in the area of genetics and genomics. PGG students are required to concentrate their course work in the fields of genetics and genomics, including a requirement to take at least one course in the quantitative analysis of biological data, and one course overtly covering the need for rigor and reproducibility in modern biomedical research. PGG students also participate in a set of programmatic activities, including (1) an annual symposium, (2) attend and present at student-led monthly research presentations, 3) networking opportunities with like-minded senior students and postdocs, including those studying clinical genetics, and (4) hosting outside genetics or genomics-oriented scientists for seminars. Students will be guided in courses and rotation selections by Program Advisors and by Dissertation Advisory Committees (DAC), which will include PGG trainers. Student progress will be monitored via course grades, PA evaluations, DAC updates, G3 research talks, and by faculty attendance at student seminars in the Genetics Department Data Club series. PGG curriculum and policy will be guided by evidence-based teaching approaches incorporated into curriculum, by course and program evaluations, and by a Steering Committee composed of PGG trainers and senior PGG students. Together, the training plan will give PGG students the skills they need to become leaders in the fields of genetics and genomics and to lead future efforts using the genetics and genomic sciences to promote human health.