Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences and Translational Medicine

Core Curriculum

All students are required to enroll in the Core Curriculum during their first year at Cedars-Sinai. The Core Curriculum is an integrated course that teaches students the fundamentals of basic biomedical research processes and familiarizes students with the clinical implications and translational opportunities associated with such research.

The academic year is divided into 4 quarters, and each quarter covers 2 disease modules and 1 enrichment module.

Each disease module will focus on the clinical and basic research and fundamental biology associated with a specific disease or medical topic. Example topics are inflammatory bowel disease, brain tumors, bacterial infections, inherited disorders, cardiovascular disease, endocrine disorders, neurological disorders, rheumatologic diseases, and the role of stem cells in disease and disease treatment.

• Students will be introduced to the disease by practicing physicians.
  • Where possible, this will include observation in clinic settings.
  • Relevant anatomy and pathology will be reviewed.
  • Diagnosis and current treatment methods will be discussed.
  • Clinical trials that are underway or in development will be discussed.
• Students will be taught the basic molecular and cellular biology associated with the disease.
  • Lectures will include topics in genetics, cell biology, immunology, biochemistry, or physiology relevant to current understanding of the disease process.
  • Example topics include the chemistry of mutations, linkage analysis, forward and reverse genetics, DNA repair, computational and systems biology, gene transfer vectors, epigenetics, the cell cycle, innate immunity, T cells and subsets, biostatistics, cholesterol metabolism.
• Current research on the topic.
  • An in-depth look at current research approaches will be presented by practicing scientists in the field.
  • Animal models of disease.
• Mentored reading, presentation, and discussion of current research papers by students.

Each enrichment module is designed to focus on topics or technologies that are not specific to particular diseases but are integral to modern biological research and essential for a working scientist. Example topics include regulatory and ethical issues in animal and human subjects research, responsible conduct of research, proteomics, genomics, imaging technologies, biostatistics, grant writing, and technology transfer.