Tulane University School Of Medicine

Human Genetic Program

Human Genetics emphasizes the fundamentals of the various facets of human genetic research, current breakthroughs in this rapidly expanding field, and medical aspects of human genetics, including, experience in genetics clinics. Human Genetic includes Graduate program having master and Ph.D. degrees.

One Year Masters Degree Brief Course Descriptions.

        Purpose of the Masters Program

A graduate of this program will be conversant in current concepts and vocabulary of human genetics.

Seminar in Human Genetics (HMGN 701, 1 credit hour): This class meets weekly for one hour. Human Genetics faculty, other Tulane faculty and guests from other institutions, as well as graduate students, and medical residents are invited to speak on topics of interest. Topics include basic, applied, and clinical research and reviews to canvass the latest developments in the field of genetics.

Human Genetics (HMGN 702, 3 credit hours): This class is an overview of basic disciplines and content areas within human genetics. The emphasis is clinical application of this knowledge within selected topic areas in biochemical, molecular, and population genetics as well as cytogenetics.

Clinical Aspects of Human Genetics (HMGN 703, 3 credit hours): This is a class taught by genetic counselors that reviews the clinical aspects of genetic disorders seen in clinic, and provides tools for assessing patients with these conditions. The class is meant to convey to the student the problems of diagnosing and managing genetic disease from the physician's and patient's standpoint. Students are also allowed to attend a limited number of genetics clinics as observers.

Cytogenetics (HMGN 704, 3 credit hours): This course provides the student an overview of the field of cytogenetics. Topics include laboratory diagnostic procedures, mechanisms of chromosomal rearrangement, loss, and duplication, classical and recently described chromosomal abnormalities leading to disease, and molecular cytogenetics including fluorescent in situ hybridization techniques (FISH) and other molecular techniques.

Biochemical Genetics (HMGN 705, 3 credit hours): This course is an overview of genetic metabolic diseases. It concentrates on inborn errors of metabolism and lysosomal storage diseases. The student is presented with the clinical phenotypes, current methods of treatment, diagnostic procedures, and the biochemical defects resulting in the specific clinical presentation of selected metabolic diseases.

Molecular Genetics (HMGN 706, 4 credit hours): This course will take a detailed look at molecular genetics in humans. It will cover the structure and organization of the human genome; DNA replication, DNA mutation and repair; current molecular techniques used in research; the details of gene expression including transcription, RNA processing, translation and how expression is regulated at the various levels; and the molecular basis of human disease.

Population Genetics (HMGN 710, 3 credit hours): This class will acquaint the student with the various theories and methods used in population and mathematical genetics. Topics include Hardy-Weinberg theory, Baysian theory, forensics, paternity testing, linkage analysis, and sib-pair theory.

Research Methods (HMGN 795, 3 credit hours): This course will focus on familiarizing students with the current, published scientific literature. It will include introductory lectures by faculty on the research methods used in various fields of Genetics. Students will be required to read current literature articles and present the research findings to the class in the form of short seminars.

        Ph.D. Program

The Ph.D. program centers on research, coursework, and the development of critical and creative scientific thinking. The Program's weekly research meetings and seminars and frequent informal meetings with the student's mentor are designed to foster the student's skills in scientific communication. Graduate training includes exposure to the daily operations of clinical laboratories in human genetics and the opportunity to attend genetics clinics and interact with patients and their families. The goal of the Graduate Program in Human Genetics is to train students to become highly capable, independent researcher in basic and clinical genetics and to provide students with the knowledge needed for the American Board of Medical Genetics examination.

The Genetics program is certified by the American Board of Medical Genetics for training in cytogenetics, biochemical genetics, and molecular genetics. Core courses have been designed to prepare students for state-of-the-art research in human genetics.

Requirements for Admission: Prerequisites include general requirements for admission to the graduate school. - a grade point average of at least 3.1 (on a 4.0 scale) - a combined verbal and quantitative GRE score of at least 1100 - a bachelors degree with a strong concentration in the biological or social sciences, including chemistry, biochemistry, statistics, and genetics - three letters of recommendation - prospective students for whom English is a second language must have a TOEFL score of at least 600 or a minimum of a 260 on the computer-based TSL .

The first two years of study for the Ph.D. student include the Human Genetics core curriculum (see Masters Program summary) and electives chosen in the student's field of interest with the help of the graduate advisor. A minimum of 60 hours of graduate course work is required. Within the first two years, the student should complete at least two lab rotations (special projects) with core faculty members of the Human Genetics Program. The student may take a third rotation the summer between the second and third semester. All rotations must have the approval of the chairman. By the end of the third semester, the student should choose a member of the core faculty to agree to serve as the dissertation advisor and should establish a dissertation committee.

By the end of the fifth semester, students take a general, comprehensive examination, which is the qualifying examination for Ph.D. candidacy. The examination includes basic genetics, fundamentals of human genetics, and more detailed questions in the area of the student's research (molecular genetics, biochemical genetics, cytogenetics, or population genetics). The examination committee will consist of five faculty members, at least three of whom are members of the Human Genetics Program. This committee will serve as the student's Dissertation Committee. The student's research advisor will chair the examination. A vote will be taken after completion of the examination. At least four committee members must vote for approval for admission to Ph.D. candidacy. Upon successful completion of the general preliminary examination and no less than one year prior to the defense of the dissertation, a student must submit to the Dissertation Committee a prospectus describing ongoing and proposed laboratory research. The prospectus must adhere to the requirements of the Graduate School. It should be (approximately three double-spaced typewritten pages OR similar to the "research plan" section of a NIH grant application). At least two weeks later the student will meet with the Dissertation Committee and present a 15 to 20 minute summary of the proposed research and then answer questions from members of the Committee.

Generally, by the end of four years of graduate study, students are expected to complete an original research project of publication quality, as assessed by the Dissertation Committee, and to write a dissertation according to the rules of the graduate school. The student should provide each member of their Dissertation Committee with a copy of their dissertation approximately three weeks prior to their defense seminar. The dissertation seminar will be presented in a format open to the public, followed immediately by a final examination by the Dissertation Committee. In order for the Ph.D. to be awarded, a student must have the dissertation approved by the Dissertation Committee and successfully complete the final examination concerning various aspects of the dissertation. A vote of the committee members is then taken with four of five members needed to concur for the awarding of the degree by the university.

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