Caroline Whitacre, PhD, Director
The School of Biomedical Science (SBS) promotes research to advance medical knowledge and to educate the next generation of biomedical scientists and health professionals. The School’s academic mission is to foster excellence in research, education and research
education. The School encompasses more than 140 faculty in six basic science departments in Ohio State’s College of Medicine: Biomedical Informatics; Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics; Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry; Neuroscience; Pharmacology; and Physiology and Cell Biology. Faculty in these departments interact to foster basic and translational research programs that include immunology, genetics and physiology as they relate to cancer, degenerative diseases of the nervous system and cardiovascular disease. The School’s executive committee includes representatives from the College of Medicine’s six
Signature Programs in order to align with these designated research and educational priorities in the Medical Center.
Integrated Biomedical Science Graduate Program (IBGP) – In 2001 this program replaced four of the departmental PhD graduate programs in the basic science departments in the Medical Center. The IBGP is organized with an interdisciplinary approach to investigate the biological mechanisms, causes and cures of human disease. Students prepare for careers in biomedical research with an understanding of disease mechanisms that integrates information from several academic disciplines. This graduate program has 170 faculty members from 19 departments in the Medical Center. They bring research and teaching expertise, and make available research resources to graduate students and MD/PhD students. The IBGP is recognized as one of the top PhD programs in the nation by virtue of a training grant awarded by the National Institutes of Health to support this program. New leadership was appointed this past year as Virginia Sanders, PhD, was named director, and Tom Boyd, PhD, was named associate director.
Graduate/Postgraduate Research Day – This is an annual event featuring biomedical research conducted by students/trainees at the Medical Center. Participation is open to students in the College of Medicine, including graduate, medical and MD/PhD students, as well as postdoctoral fellows and researchers, and clinical residents and fellows. For the first time, undergraduate students also made research presentations in 2007. Held each spring, Research Day features a poster display and awards presented for outstanding research, as well as presentations by world-renowned researchers and experts in biomedical science. Postdoctoral Research Office – Postdoctoral scholars contribute to the dynamic research enterprise of the College of Medicine. This office helps postdoctoral students maximize this pivotal stage in their professional development. As a resource for current and prospective postdoctoral scholars, faculty advisers and administrative staff, the office enhances the postdoctoral experience. John Robinson, PhD, directs this effort.
Undergraduate Biomedical Science Program – Ohio State provides one of only two programs in the nation that have been created for high-ability students who have an interest in conducting medical research and studying human disease. Students entering this program also are eligible for Ohio State’s honors program. The initial class of Biomedical Science
students started in autumn quarter of 2005 with 12 students; approximately 20-25 freshmen have entered the program in subsequent years. The goal is to provide a strong science
background and involve students in biomedical research that will prepare them to enter a graduate program in research, medical school, dental school or other careers in health care.
Bruce Biagi, PhD, leads this program.
SBS Faculty Funding 2000-2007:
More than 50 new faculty have been added to the School since its inception in 2000. The growth in faculty has more than doubled annual extramural funding from $18 million to $40 million. This extramural funding provides resources to support the School’s fundamental mission of improving health care by acquiring scientific knowledge and translating it to clinical applications.