Indiana University School of Medicine
BioMedical Gateway (IBMG) Program
 

A Gateway to the Ph.D. Programs

Thank you for your interest in joining 221 Ph.D. students and 300 graduate faculty members as they attempt to solve many of the unanswered questions in the biomedical sciences that are associated with human diseases.  Currently Indiana University School of Medicine Ph.D. students and faculty members are contributing to medical science research by investigating:  

• AIDS (Indiana University Center for AIDS Research)
• Alcoholism (Indiana Alcohol Research Center)
• Alzheimer's (Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Center)
• Cancer (Indiana University Cancer Center - home of IU Distinguished Professor Lawrence Einhorn, M.D., who is internationally recognized for developing the "Einhorn regimen" that treated Lance Armstrong, seven time winner of the Tour de France)
• Diabetes (Indiana University Diabetes Center)
• Spinal Cord and Head Injury (Indiana Spinal Cord and Head Injury Research Center and Stark Neuroscience Research Institute)
• And many other debilitating diseases.

The Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM), second largest medical school in the U.S., offers 10 research-based biomedical science Ph.D. programs; all of which are conferred by the prestigious Indiana University Graduate School.  The Ph.D. programs are as follows:

Anatomy and Cell Biology	Medical Neuroscience
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology	Microbiology and Immunology
Biomolecular Imaging and Biophysics	Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Cellular and Integrative Physiology	Pharmacology
Medical and Molecular Genetics	Toxicology

All ten of the School of Medicine biomedical science Ph.D. programs participate in an “open enrollment” system named The Indiana University School of Medicine BioMedical Gateway (IBMG) Program.  The IBMG Program provides a shared first year experience for all of School of Medicine biomedical science predoctoral (Ph.D. program) students.  Outstanding students are recruited locally, nationally, and internationally for the IBMG Program.

Interdisciplinary and Collaborative Research
The IBMG program reflects the interdisciplinary nature of modern biomedical research at the School of Medicine.  In addition to the research areas that are defined by the 10 Ph.D. degree programs (listed above), it is also possible for you to consider the following interdisciplinary research areas:

Research areas are also illustrated by the Ph.D. degree “minor” topics that are often taken by students supported by training grants:  aging; bioinformatics; biomolecular imaging; cancer/cancer biology; and diabetes.  The IU School of Medicine research centers and institutes also reflect potential research focus areas. 

Choice of Research Focus
If accepted into the IBMG program you will have the freedom to choose 3 research rotations in any of the hundreds of world-class biomedical research laboratories associated with the 10 School of Medicine Ph.D. programs.

Modern Curriculum in a Supportive Student Community  
As an IBMG student you will participate in a modern curriculum as part of a school-wide community of graduate students.  As a result of the sense of community formed and the extensive contact network created within the graduate student population, the IBMG Program promotes research collaborations between School of Medicine research laboratories.

The first year community of IBMG students takes a curriculum with core first semester components in biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, and systems biology.  Topics in these courses are coordinated to illustrate general concepts and to include disease-based examples.

Students learn about the research opportunities available at the School of Medicine through interactions with the Ph.D. Program Directors and graduate research faculty in meetings, laboratory visits, and program research retreats and open days.  Emphasis is placed on the advising mentoring of all first year students.

In the second semester, students select courses consistent with their likely Ph.D. program(s) from a modular curriculum. 

First year IBMG students perform three half-semester (7-8 week) research rotations (one at the end of the first semester and two in the second semester).  IBMG students have the freedom to choose research rotations in any available laboratories of the hundreds of research laboratories associated with the ten School of Medicine Ph.D. programs.

At the end of the first year, laboratory assignments are made and students join the affiliated biomedical science Ph.D. degree program.  They then perform their research project and complete the requirements of that degree program.

Outstanding Research Environment
The Indiana University School of Medicine holds more than $200 million in research grants and contracts, including more than $100 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health.  It hosts federally designated centers of excellence in women’s health, cancer, kidney disease, Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders, alcohol research, arthritis, a general clinical research center, and sexually transmitted disease centers on both the pediatric and adult levels.  The School is home to the $155 million Indiana Genomics Initiative, Indiana University’s multidisciplinary research enterprise that harnesses the power of genomics to promote health and prevent disease, and to many Research Centers and Institutes. 


Outstanding Research Facilities
School of Medicine facilities include many modern buildings with state-of-the-art laboratories.  Some examples are below:

The Medical Library Research Building
	The Van Nuys Medical Science Building
The Biotechnology Research and Training Center
	The Research II, III, and IV Buildings

                            The Health Information and Translational
                                        Sciences (HITS) Building

School facilities also include research core facilities for animal stem cell production, biotechnology/DNA sequencing, biostatics, cell and protein expression, chemical genomics, medical genomics, computational molecular science, electron microscopy, flow cytometry, genotyping and gene expression, biological microscopy, in vivo imaging, peptide synthesis, proteomics, transgenic and knockout animal production, quantitative amino acid analysis, and zebrafish gene knockdown.

Financial Support
As an IBMG student you will receive a competitive stipend, tuition scholarships, and health insurance, as part of your student benefits. 

Clinical Environment
The Indiana University School of Medicine is the second largest medical school in the U.S with ~1100 M.D. Students and there is an active combined M.D.-Ph.D. degree program with ~50 students enrolled.  The School is associated with University Hospital, Wishard Hospital, Riley Hospital for Children, Methodist Hospital, Regenstrief Institute.  A monorail train connects various School of Medicine facilities and Methodist Hospital.  These associations facilitate important collaborations with clinicians and provide opportunities for of the School of Medicine graduate students to interact with clinical faculty and to translate their basic research findings to the clinics.

Quality of Life and Affordable Cost of Living
The Indiana University School of Medicine is located in a modern university campus (known as IUPUI) in downtown Indianapolis, IN.  The campus has excellent facilities, including a world class swimming facility, the IU Natatorium.  Indianapolis is the capital city of the state of Indiana and its population is ~1 million.  It has a low cost of living (about 8% less expensive to live and work compared to other comparable locations in the Midwest), affordable housing, and outstanding city parks, zoo, and museums (including the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Eiteljorg Museum of Native American and Western Art, and the world's largest children's museum).  A recent study from the Biotechnology Industry Organization and Forbes magazine recently rated Indianapolis as one of the 10 best places for a business or career.  The city has a rich culture with diverse restaurants, many theatres, a symphony orchestra, and numerous concert series, including top popular music performers.  Indianapolis International Airport is located close to downtown.  Professional sports are well represented with the Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts (football), the Indiana Pacers (basketball), Indianapolis Indians (baseball), Indiana Ice (ice hockey), and other teams.  The city is famous for hosting Indy car, NASCAR, and Formula One motor racing events at the Speedway race track and also for hosting many key amateur sports events such as the NCAA basketball Final Four.

More Information

For additional information about admissions to IBMG please contact:

Monica Henry
Program Director
Indiana University of Medicine - Graduate Division
Medical Science Building Room 207
635 North Barnhill Drive
Indianapolis, IN
Phone: 317.274.3441
Fax: 317.278.5211

biomed@iupui.edu

We also encourage you to contact the program directors of individual degree programs if you would like information on particular faculty members, laboratories, or research topics.  You can also explore each program's curriculum and degree requirements by visiting their website: 

  The Chihuly DNA Tower glass sculpture in the Van Nuys Medical Science Building

Watch it being built at: http://www.chihuly.com/Video/dnatower.html