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School of Medicine Virginia Commonwealth University VCU Medical School

Interdisciplinary BioMedical Sciences (IBMS)

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Twenty-first century biomedical research is largely an interdisciplinary enterprise. The most competitive and successful researchers will require technical and intellectual skills that reach beyond the narrow confines of particular disciplines. Recognizing this, the VCU School of Medicine has developed an admissions portal for graduate education in Interdisciplinary BioMedical Sciences (IBMS) that complements traditional departmental admissions and allows flexibility in selecting a Ph.D. program. Students in the IBMS spend their first year rotating in laboratories from any department, supplemented with cross-departmental course work.  At the end of the first year, students select an Advisor, assemble a Graduate Advisory Committee and establish an Interdisciplinary Curriculum that matches their research interests.

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 At the core of the IBMS is an independent research project developed in areas that include structural biology, eukaryotic or prokaryotic molecular biology, cellular and molecular signaling, human and molecular genetics, neuroscience, alcohol and drug abuse, tumor biology, biophysics, and bioinformatics. Close ties with the School of Engineering, Dentistry, and the College of Humanities and Sciences further expand the scope of research activities and courses that are available to students admitted through IBMS.

The IBMS Year

During the first year of graduate training, IBMS students engage in three laboratory rotations and selected coursework chosen with guidance from the IBMS Graduate Program Committee.  During orientation, students receive information about graduate school and obtain training in laboratory safety. IBMS students also attend presentations that introduce them to the IBMS research faculty to help select their laboratory rotations. All IBMS students enroll in an Interdisciplinary Journal Club that explores biomedical areas represented at the VCU School of Medicine and IBMS-affiliated graduate programs. The interdisciplinary IBMS seminar provides students with exposure to external speakers and their work in areas related to IBMS disciplines. In addition, IBMS students take courses in Scientific Integrity, Critical Scientific Thinking and Science Writing.  Additional IBMS first-year courses are selected based on the interests of the student, with guidance from their temporary advisor.

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Transition to the Ph.D.

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At the end of the first IBMS year, students select a permanent Research Advisor and enroll in the graduate program of their advisor’s home department.  Departmental programs in the VCU School of Medicine are designed to prepare students for research-oriented careers in academia or the private sector. The core of these departmentally based Ph.D. programs is an original independent research project under the supervision of a faculty advisor.  Each department provides a background of courses designed to match the needs and interests of each student and first year coursework counts towards Departmental Ph.D. requirements. Cross-departmental course work is encouraged and selected with guidance from the student’s Advisory Committee, an interdisciplinary team of faculty that guides the student through the PhD program. At the end of the second year, when most course work is finished, Ph.D. candidates take a written comprehensive examination based on their chosen field and an oral qualifying examination based on an original research proposal.  The Ph.D. program is complete after an oral defense of original research and a formal dissertation submitted to the Graduate School.

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IBMS-Affiliated Ph.D. Departments and Programs

  • Anatomy and Neurobiology
  • Biochemistry
  • Human Genetics
  • Microbiology and Immunology
  • Pathology
  • Pharmacology and Toxicology
  • Physiology and Biophysics
  • Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience

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Major Research Interests of IBMS Faculty

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  • Structural Biology
  • Aging and Regenerative Medicine
  • Proteomics, Genomics, Lipidomics
  • Cancer Biology
  • Bioinformatics
  • Metabolic Disorders
  • Inflammation/Allergy
  • Neuroscience
  • Gene Regulation/Epigenetics
  • Infectious Disease and Vaccine Development
  • Drugs of Abuse
  • Medical Physics
  • Molecular Pathogenesis

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Application for IBMS

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Applicants must have earned a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent at the time of enrollment, with an undergraduate minimum grade point average of 3.5, and minimum 1250 (verbal plus quantitative) and 4.0 analytical GRE scores. For individuals for whom English is a second language, TOEFL examination score requirements are 600 (paper-based test), 250 (computer-based test) or 100 (internet-based test). Required undergraduate courses include organic chemistry, biochemistry, cell biology (or equivalent) and statistics. Successful applications will include three letters of recommendation and a personal statement that clearly demonstrates commitment to a career in biomedical research.  Applications may be filed at any time but preferably before December 17 for full consideration for financial support for the Ph.D. program.

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