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The aim of this program is to train a cohort of PhD Scientists in biomedical image research that will possess truly integrated knowledge of biomedicine and analytical science gained through didactic teaching, research, and practical experiences. Our premise is that the most successful research and technologies in quantitative imaging science are those that integrate clinical relevance, mathematical rigor, and engineering finesse.

Successful applicants will be supported (tuition and stipend) for the first 2 years of study and thereafter by the laboratory in which the thesis research is conducted.

HHMI Interfaces Scholars with a strong interest in the Imaging Sciences will be drawn from backgrounds in any of the basic Biosciences, Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, Biology, or Computational and Mathematical Sciences. Four to six outstanding students will be supported by the program each year. Qualifications must be competitive for admission to any Graduate Group at the University of Pennsylvania relevant to Bio-Imaging Sciences.

The program will connect students with potential mentors, arrange exposure to many imaging faculty, provide individualized advising to ensure that our requirements match up with the graduate group's requirements, and will provide professional development courses.

Summary of Elements
The Doctoral Foundation integrates the didactic elements of basic science and clinical education in biomedical imaging across the first 18 months and establishes graduate level competence in the fundamentals of imaging science.

1. 5 imaging courses within the 'Doctoral Foundation'
2. Rotation in the laboratories of prospective mentors
3. Extensive choice of elective courses
4. Imaging seminars and journal clubs
5. Co-mentorship in basic and clinical sciences
6. PhD Thesis research

Click here for the Program Booklet (PDF)

Leadership of the Program is centered in Penn’s Interdisciplinary Institute for Medicine and Engineering (IME) and the Department of Radiology. However, HHMI Scholars will take courses in multiple locations including in several Medical School and Basic Science departments. All Scholars will be Members of one of the University of Pennsylvania Graduate Groups and their lab work can be conducted in any appropriate department. All Penn departments associated with the Program are on a single campus within a few hundred yards of each other.

The organization of the program is unique:
The Doctoral Foundation will provide 18 months of vertical integration of the core didactic elements of biomedicine and basic science education in biomedical imaging through 2 Foundational units followed by Integrative and Professional components. (See program booklet page 1)

1. In Foundations in Biomedical Sciences (2 courses), students will participate in modified modules 1 and 2 of the medical student curriculum that teaches the Core Principles of Medicine including a 12-month sequence of Organ Systems Medicine, Integrative Systems and Diseases.
   
   
2. This will be complemented by 3 new courses in the Foundations of Image Sciences: the Acquisition and Analysis of Biomedical Signals I and II, and Mathematics of Medical Imaging & Measurements. Scholars will be part of the medical student class minus selective parts of the clinical curriculum that is replaced by imaging science courses.
   
   
3. The third component is an Integrative Module: Foundations of Radiology, Biomedical Imaging Sciences Preceptorship, Small Animal Imaging, and a Biomedical Imaging Seminar course.
   
   
4. The fourth component is Professional Training: Responsible Conduct of Research, Teaching Practicum, Patient-Oriented Research Training, Research ‘Survival’ Skills, and Career Development Skills.

The core curriculum will be complemented by a wide choice of elective courses offered through the program faculty and tailored to Biomedical Imaging, most notably electives in Applied Physics, Bio-Molecular Imaging (Biological Chemistry), Neurosciences, Applied Mathematics, Biophysics, Radiology, and Bioengineering, and by many existing electives in areas of specialized interest (neurosurgery, cancer biology, cardiovascular etc). The electives will be tailored to each student’s research interests. (See last 2 pages of the Program booklet). Up to 3 Lab Rotations will be offered throughout the laboratories of the participating faculty. After choice of a laboratory and advisor, Thesis Research will commence in the middle of the second year. Scholars may work in any suitable laboratory directed to basic and clinical imaging research; for example Biophotonics, Bioengineering, Medical Physics, Biophysics, Radiology, Chemistry etc. To ensure that the thesis research is directed towards translational medicine through the solution of discrete clinical problems, Scholars may receive additional mentorship from a member of the clinical faculty, usually in one of the following departments: Radiology, Cardiology, Radiation Oncology, Neurosciences, and Surgery.

Our desire is to train imaging scientists who will go on to run their own research labs with a clear understanding of the medical basis of the diseases together with the means to develop new imaging methods of detection, diagnosis, monitoring, and prognosis, and guidance for the physician.