Program of Study

The program of study emphasizes an integrated view of experimental pathology, pharmacology and physiology, built upon a rigorous foundation of basic science. The core first-year curriculum for this Track includes two of the following primary courses:

• Physiological Systems
• Molecular Mechanisms of Disease
• Principles of Pharmacology
• Physiological Function and Cellular Structure of Organ Systems

In addition, students will take the TMMPP Seminar course, in which specific subtopics of these disciplines are analyzed in depth based on articles from the current scientific literature.

During the first year, students will pursue three lab rotations selected on the basis of their scientific interests and will present their work to Track faculty and trainees. At the end of year 1, students will choose a thesis lab and a specific graduate program, typically one associated with the Departments of Pathology, Pharmacology, Cellular and Molecular Physiology, or the interdepartmental program in Translational Biomedicine. In year 2 they will complete additional core coursework and electives tailored to the student’s program, interests and/or thesis project. Students commonly take five or six courses within the first three semesters of graduate study.

View the current TMMPP Track Handbook for more detailed information on what to expect the first year.

Students are advised during the first year by a designated faculty Track Director.

The intellectual environment at Yale is outstanding, providing students with numerous opportunities to attend seminars on cutting-edge basic and clinical research from investigators in many disciplines (both in-house and abroad) as part of weekly departmental seminar series, symposia, “research-in-progress talks” (given by students and postdoctoral researchers), and annual departmental retreats.