Master of Science in Translational Research (MSTR)

Required Core Courses

MTR 6000 Introductory Biostatistics: (Fall – year one)

This course approaches statistics from an applied as well as theoretical point of view. Students learn the correct application and interpretation of basic statistical concepts and techniques. The course covers probability estimation, hypothesis testing, nonparametric tests, tests for categorical data, correlation, and regression. Students will be provided with an understanding of statistical methods, skills in the use of software to apply those methods and the critical thinking to interpret analytic results produced by your effort and/or that of fellow researchers.

MTR 6010 Scientific Writing I: Review Writing (Summer II – year one)

This course will lead students through the process of writing a Review Article during their first Summer within the MSTR program. Review articles will be authored with the student’s primary mentor and will be used to accomplish the following goals:

1. Attain rapid familiarity with background in their new area of study;
2. A mechanism for mentor and student to create a productive working/writing relationship;
3. Help the student identify key gaps in the literature and/or areas of controversy that would benefit from pivotal experiments;
4. Understand the factors that contribute to variability in research outcomes in their area and;
5. Introduce the student to other scientists in their new area through an initial publication early in their career.

Mentors will be asked to agree to participate in this process, or identify another senior individual in their group who would perform the function as a condition to have MSTR students funded in their program. The course director and members of the curriculum committee will provide guidance and critical reviews throughout the process.

MTR 6020 Proposal Development and Study Design: (Summer II through Fall – year one)

This course focuses on study design and proposal development as they relate to the studies that probe the mechanism of disease. It discusses concepts such as writing a background section, asking a research question, designing a study, use of biomarkers, writing a research proposal, overview of different study designs and addressing feasibility issues. Development of the thesis proposal starts during this course and concludes with each student submitting and presenting their proposal to the MSTR faculty panel for critique and feedback.

MTR 6030 Disease Measurement Course: (Fall – year one)

Acquire the knowledge to rationally and effectively incorporate disease measurements, including emerging technologies, into the design of translational and clinical research protocols. Gain a basic understanding of measurement methodologies used in clinical medicine. Understand how “normal” values are determined, and how to interpret test results in the context of patients/research subjects. Approach disease measurements (tests) as a mean of answering questions, and to be able to choose appropriate tests to answer the questions being posed. The measurement aspects of the students’ research protocol are written and evaluated during this course.

MTR 6040 Scientific and Ethical Conduct: (Spring – year one)

In this course, students will learn the foundational principles of scientific and ethical conduct of research, complete directed experience in evaluating these principles through IRB membership and ultimately be able to apply them to their own work. By the end of the foundational class sessions, students will understand scientific conduct, ethical considerations including human subjects and animal protections, regulations governing the use of health information, drugs, and devices, good laboratory practices, conflict of interest, and ethics in challenging new research domains. The directed experience will include membership for six months on an Institutional Review Board (IRB) at either the University of Pennsylvania or the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. This membership experience will expose students to real issues, considerations, and solutions in human subjects research and study design. ​

MTR 6050 Scientific Writing II – Manuscript Writing: (Summer I – year two)

Students will write a primary data manuscript for publication with their primary lab mentor. Emphasis will be placed on identifying publishable data that was either generated by the student, or which is made available to the student for analysis from the mentor’s lab (e.g. perform a new analysis across data from multiple studies, organize and analyze data that is ‘laying in wait’ for someone to publish it). The student will be expected to learn the role of first author including:

1. coordination with the senior mentor to write the introduction,
2. organize data, analyses and figures;
3. obtain or write methods and results from collaborators;
4. writing a discussion and;
5. “getting it out the door”.

The authorship for the publication is left to the discretion of the mentor in consultation with the originator of the data and the MSTR student. This will both teach the student the value of publishing as an integral part of academic life, and will facilitate their success with subsequent grant applications. The course director will provide guidance and critical review of work throughout the process. Mentors will be asked to agree to participate in this process, or identify another senior individual in their group who would perform the function. Completion of the course and continuation of associated funding is contingent on submission of the manuscript.

Students must take electives that total two credit units. Electives must be graduate level courses that complement the student’s project and future career plans in translational research. Electives require prior approval of the MSTR Mentoring Committee.

A sample of elective suggestions are listed by Concentration.

ITMATEd courses (MSTR and REG) that may be considered for electives can be found under ITMAT Education Courses.

Elective courses outside of the Perelman School of Medicine can also be considered.

MSTR degree candidates are required to complete two lab units of primary, meaningful laboratory research in a translational research setting. Successful completion of each lab rotation results in the awarding of one credit unit. The purpose of the lab rotation is to emphasize the basic components of the translational research experience, to appreciate that the underpinnings of translational research is understanding disease mechanism, and to learn the subtleties of the measurement of disease process and the complexity this brings to the area of human research.

The student formulates a lab proposal, conducts the research in the laboratory, collects data, and analyzes it. Each lab rotation is meant to provide experience working in a new environment or learning a new technique. Examples of lab units include, but are not limited to:

• a traditional wet bench experience to learn how to develop an assay
• a clinical lab rotation learning how to perform and analyze a technique in your specialty
• a rotation in a bioinformatics laboratory
• a rotation in an imaging laboratory

Industry Internship Program: The MSTR program, in collaboration with its corporate partners, will provide an opportunity for interested students to learn about translational medicine in a Pharmaceutical Industry Internship. The internship will include approximately 10 hours per week for one semester. Internships may span across various facets of the pharmaceutical industry, including discovery, development, regulatory affairs and/or commercialization. Students will gain hands on experience “translating technology” and will receive credit for the internship. This program will foster greater interactions between industry and academia by exposing MSTR students to the roles they can play in the pharmaceutical industry as a potential career path. Students will be expected to work on site at the corporate partners location for 1 day per week, with additional time dedicated to background research and preparation.

Evaluation process: Students will have both a university and corporate mentor that will participate in training and evaluation. Nalaka Gooneratne will serve as the university mentor for all MSTR industry interns. Corporate mentors will be assigned based on the specific content and department in which the internship is performed. Mentors will work together to ensure that interns are meeting the goals and expectations of the internship and the MTR 999 course requirements.

Eligibility: All students enrolled in the MSTR program are eligible to participate in the internship. An agreement exists between industrial partners and UPenn that permits this educational experience. The components of this agreement, which will be explained to students, include completing a free standing company application form that includes both a background check and drug testing.

Students are required to engage in a research project of their own design under the supervision of the primary mentor. At the time of application, each student specifies the project they will pursue, along with the primary mentor who will supervise the research project. Students will use class material and homework assignments to assist in proposal development.

The research should be translational in nature and involve direct measurements on patient-derived samples or the use of innovative therapeutic or diagnostic techniques with laboratory-based elements. There should be demonstrable clinical relevance. The protocol is to be designed by the student under the direct supervision of the mentor. Where appropriate, dual mentorship should be considered; including a basic scientist expert in the technology being used and a clinical investigator expert in the condition being studied. The primary protocol should account for at least 75-80% of the student’s commitment to the program.

Trainees are expected to complete a thesis that involves designing a research project, writing a formal research proposal, performing the study described in it, preparing 1-2 comprehensive scholarly scientific paper(s) reporting the results, and presenting and defending the thesis at a public seminar. The defense portion of the seminar will be a formal oral defense of the thesis with three examiners.

Degree Requirements (12 credit units):

MTR Core Courses

MTR 6000 Introduction to Biostatistics
MTR 6010 Review Writing (with an emphasis on discovery)
MTR 6020 Proposal Development
MTR 6030 Disease Measurement
MTR 6040 Scientific and Ethical Conduct
MTR 6050 Manuscript Writing

Labs

MTR 9999-001 Lab (with an emphasis on discovery)
MTR 9999-002 Lab (with an emphasis on discovery)

Thesis

MTR 6070 Thesis (with an emphasis on discovery)
MTR 6080 Thesis (with an emphasis on discovery)

Suggested Electives (Choose 2 c.u.)

• MTR 6060 Grantsmanship or MTR 6230 Writing an NIH Grant
• BIOM 555 Regulation of the Genome
• CAMB 510 Immunology
• CAMB 512 Cancer Genetics and Biology
• CAMB 609 Vaccines and Immune Therapeutics
• CAMB 630 Topics in Human Genetics and Disease
• CAMB 632 Cell Control by Signal Transduction Pathways
• CAMB/GCB 752 Genomics
• BMB 585 Wistar Advanced Cancer Biology Course: Cancer Pathways
• PHRM 564 Drug Delivery
• PHRM 570 Principles of Cardiovascular Biology: Vascular biology, medicine and engineering
• PHRM 580: Topics in Pharmacogenomics

Degree Requirements (12 credit units):

Core Courses

• MTR 6000: Introductory Biostatistics (1.0 c.u.)
• MTR 6010: Review Writing (1.0 c.u.)
• MTR 6020: Proposal Development (1.0 c.u.)
• MTR 6030: Disease Measurement (1.0 c.u.)
• MTR 6040: Scientific and Ethical Conduct (1.0 c.u.)
• MTR 6050: Manuscript Writing (1.0 c.u.)

Two Laboratory Units

MTR 9999-001: Lab (with an emphasis in translational therapeutics)
MTR 9999-002: Lab (with an emphasis in translational therapeutics)

One Elective

Thesis

• MTR 6070: Thesis (with an emphasis in translational therapeutics)
• MTR 6080: Thesis (with an emphasis in translational therapeutics)

Suggested Electives

• MTR 6060 Grantsmanship or MTR 623 Writing an NIH Grant
• MTR 6210 Cell and Gene Therapy
• REG 6220 New Trends in Medicine and Vaccine Discovery
• REG 6100 Fundamentals of FDA Regulation
• REG 6110 Clinical Study Management
• REG 6120 Intro to Drug Development
• REG 6140 Biopharmaceutical Development, Manufacturing, and Regulatory Affairs
• REG 6300 Clinical Trials
• EPID 6380 Topics in Clinical Trial Design & Analysis

Courses

Required Entrepreneurial Science Courses

MTR 640 Entrepreneurial Science Seminar: This course reviews a broad range of topics related to establishing a successful career as an academic entrepreneur. The goal is to help students successfully navigate both business and academic environments as they conduct research on their concept, and consider commercialization opportunities.

HCMG 867 Healthcare Entrepreneurship: The goal of the course is to give students the hands-on experience of establishing and operating an early-stage healthcare or life sciences business by, among other things, working as part of a mentored group to craft and defend a business plan based on an actual technology or service in the space (defined as therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, or digital health services).

Suggested Electives

• MTR 6060 Grantsmanship or MTR 623 Writing an NIH Grant
• MTR 6240 SBIR/STTR Grants (In Dev)
• MTR 6200 Medical Entrepreneurship
• HCIN 607-001 Translating Ideas into Outcomes
• HCMG 853 Medical Devices
• HCMG 863 Management and Economics of the Pharmaceutical & Biotech Industries 
• HCMG 866 E-Health: Business Models and Impact
• MGMT 712 Managing Strategic Partnerships
• MGMT 892 Collaborative Innovation Program
• NURS 357 Case Study: Innovation in Health: Foundations of Design Thinking
• EAS 545 Engineering Entrepreneurship I   
• EAS 546 Engineering Entrepreneurship II

MSTR-EntSci student mentoring will mirror that for traditional MSTR students with a key inclusion of a business mentor. At the time of matriculation into the MSTR, a mentorship team is formed for each student.  The composition of the team is determined by the research project and is typically composed of the primary research mentor, a secondary mentor, a biostatistics mentor, a MSTR program mentor, and a business mentor. This team serves as an ongoing monitoring group for the student’s progress.  Its members are faculty with expertise relevant to both the basic and clinical aspects of the candidate’s research and each is expected to contribute their expertise to fostering the candidate’s research progress. The business mentor will provide their expertise to develop the mentee’s ability to effectively communicate his/her scientific ideas in a business context and navigate the field. An additional area of focus for the mentoring team is to cultivate the student’s skills to be an effective member of a research team and impart approaches to leading a research team.

Business Mentorship

The business mentor is a unique addition to the traditional MSTR Mentor Committee. The business mentor will participate in the mentoring committee meetings throughout the duration of the program and hold periodic meetings with the student individually. The role of the business mentor is to guide, train, advise, and promote the career development of the student. This may include:

• Provide business related expertise
• Work to develop the mentee’s ability to effectively communicate his/her scientific ideas in a business context
• Assist the mentee in identifying opportunities and avoiding threats to his/her future success (i.e. IP considerations, market analysis, cost-benefit analysis)
• Support the mentee’s development of confidence and expertise to navigate within the business realm
• Help identify learning opportunities and key steps tailored to the mentee’s goal (i.e. funding, project development, internships, collaborations, identifying skills and gaps)

ITMATEd is building a community to support trainees with entrepreneurial goals. This consists of resources, team mentoring, a network of entrepreneurial peers and faculty, and the robust Penn ecosystem.

Academic Entrepreneurship Blog and E-Book

The Academic Entrepreneurship Blog was expanded and published into an e-book, Academic Entrepreneurship for Medical and Health Scientists, which serves as a repository of tools, wisdom and best practice that seeks to democratize innovation regardless of where the academic researcher resides. There are more than 50 chapters of material, divided across the five major sections: Academia, People, Ideation, IP/Reg, and Finance.

Innovation Mixers

Innovation Mixers are designed to facilitate multi-disciplinary team building relevant to life sciences entrepreneurship and training. The ITMAT Education program has piloted the development of a monthly networking event in partnership with multiple other Schools (Wharton Business, Law, Design, Engineering, Education, and Dental). As part of the registration process for Innovation Mixers attendees indicate their expertise and specific domains in which they require assistance. A software application (InnoMix) developed for the Innovation Mixers then pairs individuals in a series of four to six meetings (analogous to speed dating) held at the Mixer, each lasting 15 minutes, thus providing attendees with a unique opportunity to meet others who could help them fill gaps in their team.

On Campus Education, Resources, and Activities related to Entrepreneurial Science

University

• Penn Health Tech Center for Health, Devices, and Technology

Penn Medicine/PSOM

• PennHealthX
• Penn Medicine Center for Healthcare Innovation

Wharton

• MBA Entrepreneurship Management
• MBA Health Care Management
• Wharton Venture Initiation Program
• Penn Biotech Group Healthcare Consulting
• Wharton Small Business Development Center
• Penn Wharton Commercialization Workshop

Engineering

• Graduate Certificate in Engineering Entrepreneurship
• Weiss Tech House

Law

• Detkin IP and Technology Legal Clinic
• Entrepreneurship Legal Clinic
  • Early Stage Start-up Kit
• Penn Law Center for Technology, Innovation and Competition

Design

• Masters in Integrated Product Design

PCI

• I-Corps Program
• Penn Center for Innovation Fellowship Program

Undergraduates

• Vagelos Life Sciences Program

External Opportunities

• The Science Center’s QED Proof-of-Concept Program seeks QED Fellows with an interest in the life sciences and related technologies to assist in developing commercially focused projects at selected universities and other research organizations in the Greater Philadelphia Region. The QED Program provides mentorship and funding to R&D projects to demonstrate the commercial feasibility of early-stage life science technologies. Working under the direction of QED Business Advisors (industry professionals and entrepreneurs) and with program personnel, research scientists, and Technology Transfer Offices, QED Fellows will help guide the development of R&D proposals for projects that are designed to retire business risk, thereby enabling follow-on commercialization through licensing or investment in new companies. Candidates will apply for the QED Fellow role through a formal application process.
• Chestnut Street Ventures, a venture fund composed of Penn alumni investing together into Penn alumni-led companies, has created a Venture Fellow Program to provide Penn alumni with the opportunity to gain increased exposure to the world of venture capital. The program allows participants to experience the entire lifecycle of a venture fund: raising capital, investor relations, deal sourcing, diligence, and making investments. No prior experience in venture capital is required and there is no financial cost to those who are selected to join the program.  In order to apply, applicants must complete a formal submission process through the fellow portal.
• Additional industry internships are available.

Caroline Gluck, M.D.
CHOP Nephrology Fellow

Primary Research Mentor: Katalin Susztak, M.D., Ph.D.
Project Title: Do Epigenetic Changes in Patients with Minimal Change Disease Predict Steroid Responsiveness?
Project Description: Epigenetics refers to changes in gene expression patterns that are not caused by alterations in the nucleotide sequence itself. This project will investigate epigenetic changes that occur in patients with minimal change disease (nephrotic syndrome), aiming to use this information to develop diagnostic reagents that will predict steroid responsiveness.

Lindsey George, M.D.
CHOP Hematology Instructor

Primary Research Mentor: Rodney Camire, Ph.D.
Project Title: Zymogen-like Factor Xa Variant as Novel Warfarin Reversal Strategy: Pre-clinical Evaluation and Mechanism of Action
Project Description: Warfarin is the most commonly used anticoagulant and is very effective at preventing blood clots, but is associated with bleeding side effects that can be fatal. Currently there are no medications that reliably improve outcome when these bleeding events occur. This project is studying a recently developed molecule called Factor Xa^I16L that may prove to be more effective at reversing warfarin and may provide insight into how blood clots are formed.

Amelia Keaton, M.D.
CHOP Infectious Diseases Fellow

Primary Research Mentor: David Weiner, Ph.D.
Project Title: Development of a Synthetic DNA Vaccine Against Influenza
Project Description: Despite worldwide vaccination efforts, the influenza virus remains a significant cause of illness and death. Constant genetic change requires that new vaccines be created each season for influenza, yet current vaccines fail to induce immunity against a wide variety of influenza strains. The goal of this project is to develop an alternative influenza vaccine that uses synthetic DNA technology to protect patients from a wide range of influenza viruses.

Helge Hartung, M.D.
CHOP Hematology Assistant Professor

Primary Research Mentor: Mortimer Poncz, M.D.
Project Title: Development of an Automated Bone Marrow Device in Order to Improve the Quality of Diagnostic Bone Marrow Aspirates and Biopsies, Decrease Procedure Times, and Improve Clinical Outcomes for Patients with Leukemia and Other Blood Disorders
Project Description: More than 50% of all childhood cancers require a bone marrow evaluation as part of their work-up. To perform a bone marrow evaluation, bone marrow aspiration and biopsy needles are pushed or drilled into the marrow space by the physician performing the procedure. The goal of this project is to improve this procedure by developing an automated penetration device that allows the user to get better specimens faster, resulting in fewer adverse effects for the patient and cost savings for the public.

Amanda Ackermann, M.D., Ph.D.
CHOP Endocrinology and Diabetes Instructor

Primary Research Mentor: Klaus Kaestner, Ph.D.
Project Title: Generating a Human Beta Cell Line
Project Description: Diabetes is caused by insufficient insulin produced by pancreatic beta cells, and beta cell transplantation is a promising therapy. Unfortunately, human beta cells are in short supply and have been very difficult to culture in vitro. The goal of this project is to generate a new self-propagating and functional human beta cell line from primary pancreatic tissue surgically resected from patients undergoing pancreatectomy for hyperinsulinism.

Máire Abraham Conrad, M.D., M.S.
CHOP Gastroenterology Instructor

Primary Research Mentor: Marcella Devoto, Ph.D.
Project Title: Characterization of Intestinal Microbiome in Very Early Onset InflammatoryBowel Disease (VEO-IBD)
Project Description: Inflammatory bowel disease diagnosed in children less than 5 years old is a distinct, rare yet growing entity known as very early onset inflammatory bowel disease (VEO-IBD), with strong genomic contributors, and occasionally monogenic gene defects,that confer a heterogeneous IBD phenotype. The rapidly increasing incidence and prevalence of VEO-IBD supports the hypothesis that the environmental factors and the microbiome contribute to this phenotype. This project aims to describe the microbiome of patients with VEO-IBD and assess the interaction between host genetics with taxonomic dysbiosis in order to provide the groundwork for creating diagnostic testing to identify dysbiosis specific to certain immune defects associated with VEO-IBD.

Brian Jenssen, M.D., M.S.H.P.
CHOP General Pediatrics Instructor

Primary Research Mentor: Alexander Fiks, M.D., M.S.C.E.
Project Title: Clinical Decision Support Tool for Parental Tobacco Treatment in Primary Care
Project Description: Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure is a significant public health problem in that it both harms children and is widely prevalent, affecting more than 40% of US children. Pediatricians are uniquely positioned to educate and motivate parents towards protecting their children from SHS, and health information systems, such as electronic health records (EHRs) and clinical decision support (CDS) systems, can improve the quality and standardization of clinical interventions for tobacco use. This project expands upon pilot work to further refine and more rigorously evaluate a tobacco treatment CDS tool integrated within the EHR to increase delivery of smoking cessation treatment to parents in the context of their child’s medical visit.

Ari Wes, B.A.

Perelman School of Medicine M.D. Candidate

Primary Research Mentor: Jesse Taylor, M.D.
Project Title: An Assessment of Forces in Craniofacial Distraction Osteogenesis and the Development of a Novel Distraction System
Project Description: Distraction represents a critical tool in the craniofacial armamentarium, but it has significant limitations that prevent its widespread adoption. One of the most profound limitations, and a feature seen in all currently available distractors, is the external component that protrudes through the patient’s skins to allow for manual engagement of the device. The goal of this project is to gain a better of understanding of the forces required throughout the distraction period to inform the development of a novel, fully implantable distraction system.

Degree Requirements (12 credit units):

MTR Core Courses

MTR 6000 Introduction to Biostatistics
MTR 6010 Review Writing (with an emphasis on Bioinformatics)
MTR 6020 Proposal Development
MTR 6030 Disease Measurement
MTR 6040 Scientific and Ethical Conduct
MTR 6050 Manuscript Writing

Labs

MTR 9999-001 Lab (with an emphasis on Bioinformatics)
MTR 9999-002 Lab (with an emphasis on Bioinformatics)

Thesis

MTR 6070 Thesis (with an emphasis on Bioinformatics)
MTR 6080 Thesis (with an emphasis on Bioinformatics)

Required Courses

MTR/CIS/GCB 5350 Introduction to Bioinformatics or
EPID 6000/BMIN 5030 Data Science for Biomedical Informatics
One (1) Advanced Elective in Data Science/Statistics

Suggested Electives (Choose 1 c.u.)

• BMIN 5010 Introduction to Biomedical and Health Informatics
• BMIN 5210 Ai II: Machine Learning
• BMIN 5250 Introduction to Python Programming
• STAT 5710 Modern Data Mining
• CAMB 7140 DIYtranscriptomics
• BSTA 7870 Methods for Statistical Genetics and Genomics in Complex Human Disease
• GCB 5330 Statistics for Genomics and Biomedical Informatics

Postdoctoral Applicants

• Entrants must have MD, PhD, MSN, VMD, or DMD level degree
• Entrants must enroll as full-time students and are not eligible to apply unless 80% of their time is protected

Predoctoral Applicants

• Applicants must be enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania in the MD, DMD, VMD, Nursing, or Biomedical Science PhD programs.
• MD-MSTR Applications are due in the fall of year 3 of the MD program.
• DMD-MSTR Applications are due in the fall of year 2 of the DMD program and follow the dental dual-degree application process.

ITMAT Education Faculty and Administration are glad to connect with interested applicants throughout the year.  Through an initial consult, program faculty or staff can gain understanding to which program may best align with your career goals, connect to current students or faculty for additional insight, answer questions about the application process, and provide feedback on project proposals.

Contact us and a member of the team will reach out to set a time to discuss your interests.

The Online MSTR Application  requires the following items:

Applicants, please add headers with your name to the applicable documents. 

• Curriculum Vitae
• Personal statement (one page)
  • Describe your career goals and what skills you need to reach those goals
  • Include a learning plan of the activities that will help you attain these skills
  • Predoctoral (MD, DMD, VMD) Students, please address the following:
    • What motivated you to pursue the MSTR program versus the other Master Degree programs or ‘year out’ research opportunities?
    • Why do you want to pursue formal research training during graduate school versus a later stage of training?
    • Why are you seeking formal training in Translational Research?
• Research plan: 2-3 page description of proposed research project
  • *Entrepreneurial track: project should emphasize innovation with the potential to commercialize
• External support: description of the applicant’s support awarded or under review for salary, tuition, or research supplies
  • Please be as specific as possible when describing current or potential support: e.g. appointed to a T32 training grant, dates of appointment, amount available for tuition support each year.
  • Please specify if you prefer to be considered for a specific funding mechanism: TL1, KL2, ITMAT Scholarship
  • If you do not have other support, please indicate this in the document.
• Primary Mentor NIH biosketch and other support
• Transcripts — ONLY for predoctoral applicants — upload an unofficial transcript from your current graduate program issued to you from your school’s registrar
• Three letters of support from the applicant’s:
  1. Primary mentor (send them the guidelines below)
  2. Secondary/co-mentor if applicable, or faculty member who can speak to your suitability for the MSTR program and/or experience in research
  3. Third faculty member who can speak to your suitability for the MSTR program and/or experience in research
     1. For postdoctoral applicants, choose another faculty member
     2. For all predoctoral applicants, choose another faculty member from undergraduate or graduate/medical school
• Application Fee: $45 by credit card via CollegeNet

1. Create a CollegeNet account. After logging into CollegeNet, select “Online Application”.
2. Enter your Personal Information.  Save and continue to Program Information.
3. Choose “Perelman School of Medicine Masters Programs”
   • Post-doctoral and Faculty MSTR Applicants select: “Translational Research, MS, Post-doctoral applicants”
   • Pre-doctoral MSTR Applicants select: “Translational Research, MS, Pre-doctoral applicants”
   • Select “Summer 2023” term.
4. You can enter information in stages, at your own pace, and access the application any number of times until submission.
5. Once the application has been fully submitted, check the status and note the receipt of recommendation letters.

The Mentor(s) letter of support should address the following:

1. The commitment to mentor the candidate
2. The suitability of the trainee’s education objectives for stated career goals
3. The feasibility and relevance of stated area of research to be undertaken during the program to include:
   • The resources available to complete the research
   • The availability of collaborative relationships that may be required to undertake the research question
4. Mentor’s prior experience mentoring in ITMAT programs and/or mentoring translational research trainees
   *Entrepreneurial track: include relevant experience as an innovator
5. Add an appendix: Mentor’s biosketch and other support

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2023 Thesis Defense Schedule

• MSTR Thesis Defense: Tristan Lim Thesis title: Early Inflammation and Interferon Signaling Coordinate Enhanced Intestinal Crypt Wednesday, April 5th, 2023 @ 1:30pm 8031 Maloney Building, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Joanna Wang, MD Loss and accelerated senescence of alveolar epithelial type II cells in pulmonary fibrosis in a murine model of Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome Monday, April 17th, 2023 @ 3:00pm 8030 Maloney Building, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Debanjan Haldar Thesis Title: “Application of Unsupervised Machine Learning in Radiogenomic Classification of Pediatric Low Grade Gliomas” Tuesday, April 25th, 2023 @ 3:00pm Virtual
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Garrett Santini Thesis title: “Deciphering Heterogeneity Amongst Lamina-Associated Domains (LADs) in Development and Disease” Monday, May 1st, 2023 @ 2:00pm Smilow Center for Translational Research, 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Kelly Sloane, MD Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation to Ameliorate Impairments in Neurocognition After Stroke Monday, May 1st, 2023 @ 2:00pm Virtual
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Christina Murphy Thesis Title: “Wound scabs containing neutrophil extracellular traps promote fibrotic skin repair” Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023 @ 9:00am Virtual
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Jelte Kelchtermans, MD Thesis Title: “Ambient air pollution sensitivity in pediatric asthma” Monday, May 8th, 2023 @ 10:00am Virtual
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Austin Borja Human neuronal dynamics and state of consciousness Wednesday, May 10th, 2023 @ 10:00am Virtual
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Bryce Perler, MD The Roleof the Colon in the Effect of Diet on the Human Plasma and Gut Metabolome Wednesday, May 24th, 2023 @ 10:00am Virtual

2022 Thesis Defense Schedule

• MSTR Thesis Defense: Sandra P. Susanibar-Adaniya, MD “Sox2 T-cell receptor engineered therapy for cancer therapy. A detailed characterization of Sox2 CD8+ T-cell immunity in plasma cell disorders” Tuesday, January 11th, 2022 @ 10:00am Virtual
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Jessica Breton, MD Dietary inflammatory potential and food patterns in relation to gut microbiome among children with Crohn’s disease Thursday, March 17th, 2022 @ 1:00pm Virtual
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Sarah Gitto, PhD Overcoming Resistance to Standard of Care Treatments for Ovarian Cancer.” Monday, April 18th, 2022 @ 1:30pm Virtual
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Kobie Mensah-Brown Cerebral Organoids as a Platform for Neuromodulation Monday, April 25th, 2022 @ 4:30pm Virtual
• MSTR Thesis Defense: James ‘Jimmy’ Germi Use of electrophysiologic recordings and behavioral experiments to study the efficacy of therapeutic interventions for traumatic brain injury in rodent models Wednesday, May 4th, 2022 @ 3:00pm Virtual
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Heather Giannini, MD Transcriptomic Profiling in Sepsis: Interrogating Gene Expression for Mechanistic Discovery and Therapeutic Targets in Critical Illness Syndromes Thursday, June 23rd, 2022 @ 1:00pm Virtual
• MSRS Thesis Defense: Lisa Ann Varughese, PharmD CLINICAL IMPLEMENTATION OF DPYD AND UGT1A1 PHARMACOGENETIC TESTING AT PENN MEDICINE Tuesday, June 28th, 2022 @ 12:00pm Virtual

2021 Thesis Defense Schedule

• MSTR Thesis Defense: Jason Van Batavia, MD Integrating Basic Science, Translational Science, and Entrepreneurial Science to Further Our Understanding of and Evaluation of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Friday, February 12th, 2021 @ 2:00pm Zoom
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Jessica Kanter, MD Gonadoptropin stimulation alters human uterine natural killer cell abundance, gene expression, and function during implantation Monday, April 5th, 2021 @ 10:00am Bluejeans
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Senthil Selvaraj, MD A Crossover Trial of Exogenous versus Endogenous Ketosis to Suppress Myocardial Glucose Uptake on FDG-PET: KEETO-CROSS Thursday, April 29th, 2021 @ 2:00pm Zoom
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Alyssa Civantos Differential Bitter Taste Sensitivity in CRS patients Tuesday, May 4th, 2021 @ 12:00pm Zoom
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Joseph Durgin Enhancing CAR T Function with the Engineered Secretion of C. Perfringens Neuraminidase Wednesday, May 5th, 2021 @ 2:00pm Zoom
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Timothy Luongo, PhD Examining how NAD+ Contributes to Heart Failure and the Mechanisms for Maintaining the Mitochondrial NAD+ Pool Wednesday, May 5th, 2021 @ 3:30pm Zoom
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Lindsey A. George, MD Hemophilia: Molecular Mechanisms and Gene Therapy Thursday, May 6th, 2021 @ 10:00am Zoom
• MSTR Defense: Caroline Diorio, MD, FRCPC, FAAP Inflammatory manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Pediatric Patients Monday, May 10th, 2021 @ 10:00am Zoom
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Stacey D. Elkhatib Smidt, MD Sleep in Autism Spectrum Disorder Monday, May 10th, 2021 @ 11:00am Zoom
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Ben (Jiahe) Gu Optimization of a Silk Fibroin-Based Neural Tissue Construct for Transplantation Wednesday, May 26th, 2021 @ 1:30pm Zoom
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Subhajit Chakravorty, MD Drinking and sleep continuity disturbances: how are they related? Thursday, May 27th, 2021 @ 3:00pm Zoom
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Sarah Sheppard, MD, PhD “A Precision Medicine Approach to Complex Lymphatic Anomalies” Wednesday, June 30th, 2021 @ 7:00am Virtual
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Alain Benitez, MD “Implication of Early Life Antibiotic Use in the Pathogenesis of Functional Bowel Disorders: the role of the gut microbes and bile acids” Friday, July 30th, 2021 @ 11:00am Virtual
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Major Brian Farr, DVM “The Operational Requirements and Performance Degrading Factors of Explosive Detection Canines: Expert Perspectives” Wednesday, August 4th, 2021 @ 9:00am Virtual
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Amanda Ackermann, MD “Evaluation of Pancreatic Alpha and Beta Cell “Omics” to Improve the Study and Understanding of Diabetes” Thursday, September 16th, 2021 @ 1:00pm Virtual
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Misun Hwang, MD “Brain Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in Neonatal Brain Injury” Monday, September 20th, 2021 @ 1:00pm Virtual

2020 Thesis Defense Schedule

• MSTR Thesis Defense: Leah R. Zuroff, BA Inflammatory Mechanisms in the Aging MS Patient Wednesday, April 15th, 2020 @ 11:00am Bluejeans Web Conference
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Laura Adang, MD, PhD Neurologic Outcomes in AGS Wednesday, April 22nd, 2020 @ 2:00pm Bluejeans Web Conference
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Abhi Ramachandran “Cardiac Microtissue Platform with Dynamically Tunable Afterload Control” Tuesday, May 5th, 2020 @ 10:00am Bluejeans WebConference
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Carissa Livingston “Sunitinib-Induced Cardiotoxicity in an Engineered Cardiac Microtissue Model” Wednesday, May 6th, 2020 @ 1:30pm Bluejeans Web conference
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Kevin McNerney, MD “Invariant Natural Killer Cell Immunotherapy in Neuroblastoma” Wednesday, May 6th, 2020 @ 3:30pm Bluejeans Web Conference
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Alexandra Dreyfuss “A novel mouse model to study image-guided radiation-induced cardiac injury and identify clinically relevant predictors of toxicity” Thursday, May 7th, 2020 @ 9:30am Bluejeans Web conference
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Suzanne MacFarland, MD “Identification of Novel Genomic Drivers of Juvenile Polyposis Syndrome” Thursday, May 7th, 2020 @ 10:00am Bluejeans Web Conference
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Steve S. Cho, BS “Evaluation of Diagnostic Accuracy Following the Coadministration of Delta-Aminolevulinic-Acid and Second-Window Indocyanine-Green in Rodent and Human Glioblastomas” Thursday, May 7th, 2020 @ 11:00am Bluejeans WebConference
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Drew Goldberg, BA “A Comparative Analysis of the Cardioprotective Effects of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Extracellular Vesicles Versus Endothelial Progenitor Cells” Friday, May 8th, 2020 @ 8:00am Bluejeans WebConference
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Courtney Quinlan, DO The Genetics of Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea Friday, May 29th, 2020 @ 12:00pm Zoom WebConference
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Melanie Ruffner, MD, PhD “Innate and Adaptive Immune Mechanisms as Targets for Translational Therapy in Eosinophilic Esophagitis” Tuesday, June 2nd, 2020 @ 1:00pm Bluejeans Web Conference
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Elisia Clark, PhD “Tissue Engineered Nigrostriatal Pathway as a Testbed for Evaluating Axonal Pathophysiology in Parkinson’s Disease” Friday, June 12th, 2020 @ 1:30pm Blue Jeans Web Conference
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Laura Ferguson, MD MSTR Thesis Defense Tuesday, June 16th, 2020 @ 3:00pm Zoom WebConference
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Lauren N. Krumeich, MD “Pathologic Profiling of T-lymphocytes in Hepatocellular Carcinoma” Thursday, June 18th, 2020 @ 2:00pm Zoom WebConference
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Paige Meizlik, MD “The Thyroid Axis in Older Individuals with Persistent Subclinical Hypothyroidism” Friday, June 26th, 2020 @ 2:00pm Zoom WebConference
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Austin Pantel, MD “PET Imaging of Glutamine Metabolism with [18F] (2S,4R)4-Fluoroglutamine: Kinetic Analysis and Human Translation” Thursday, July 30th, 2020 @ 1:00pm Bluejeans

2019 Thesis Defense Schedule

• MTR Thesis Defense: Jeffrey Thompson, MD Development of circulating tumor biomarkers for the management of non-small cell lung cancer Wednesday, January 16th, 2019 @ 2:30pm 9025 Maloney Building,HUP, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Anthony R. Martin, BSE Nanofibrous Acellular Hyaluronic Acid Scaffold with Embedded TGF-β3 and SDF-1α for Articular Cartilage Repair: Translation into a Large Animal Model Wednesday, April 3rd, 2019 @ 1:00pm 316 Stemmler Building, 3450 Hamilton Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Neil N. Patel, BA, BS The Role of Solitary Chemosensory Cells in Promoting Type-2 Inflammation of the Upper Airway Tuesday, April 9th, 2019 @ 2:30pm 8030 Maloney Building, HUP, 3400 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA 19104
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Robert Schwab, BA Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Therapy for Atherosclerosis Monday, April 15th, 2019 @ 9:00am Room 8-146, Smilow Center for Translational Research, 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Alex Morrison, BA Agonistic CD40 combines with immune checkpoint blockade to reverse T cell exhaustion and induce long term cures in murine pancreatic adenocarcinoma Monday, April 22nd, 2019 @ 1:00pm SCTR 12-146 AB, Smilow Center for Translational Research, 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Elliot Stein, BA “Development of a percutaneous electrolytic ablation device and observation of tissue death in vitro with real-time magnetic resonance imaging” Wednesday, April 24th, 2019 @ 1:30pm 506EW Jordan Medical Education Center, 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Chris Corbett, BA Assessment of a Novel Folate Receptor Alpha-Targeted Dye for Intraoperative Molecular Imaging in Lung Cancer Thursday, April 25th, 2019 @ 2:00pm 8031 Maloney Building, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Nicolas Seranio, BS Elucidation of the role of circulating tumor cells in the management of bladder cancer Monday, April 29th, 2019 @ 11:30am 8030 Maloney Building, HUP, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Yohannes Ghenbot, BS Learning Active Sensing Strategies Using a Sensory Brain Machine Interface Tuesday, April 30th, 2019 @ 2:30pm 9025 Maloney Building, HUP, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Laura Vella, MD, PhD Cell States in the Thoracic Duct: Circulatory Intermediates of T Follicular Helper Cells between Lymph Nodes and Blood Monday, May 6th, 2019 @ 1:00pm 9025 Maloney Building, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Alexandra Marquez, MD Brain resuscitative oxygen strategies in pediatric cardiac arrest Monday, May 6th, 2019 @ 1:30pm 8030 Maloney Building, HUP, 3400 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA 19104
• MSTR Thesis Defense: John D. Arena, BA Tau Phenotyping of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Recapitulates Aging-Related Pathologies Tuesday, May 14th, 2019 @ 12:30pm 8030 Maloney Building, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Julia D’Souza, BSE Development of Antivascular Ultrasound (AVUS) Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Rat Model Tuesday, May 14th, 2019 @ 1:30pm 8031 Maloney Building, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Victoria Gershuni, MD, MS “The interaction between fat, fiber, and the intestinal microbiome is communicated to host via bile acid signaling” Thursday, May 30th, 2019 @ 9:30am BRB 253, Biomedical Research Building, 421 Curie Blvd. Philadelphia, PA 19104
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Rosaline Zhang, BA Bone-Selective MRI as a Non-Radiative Alternative to CT for Craniofacial Imaging Friday, May 31st, 2019 @ 8:00am 8030 Maloney Building,HUP, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Anupam Kumar, MD Use of noninvasive imaging techniques for assessment of cardiovascular hemodynamics and risk of death or readmission in heart failure Tuesday, June 11th, 2019 @ 8:00am 9025 Maloney Building, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104
• MSTR Thesis Defense: David Coughlin, MD Molecular Endotypes of Lewy Body Disorders Tuesday, June 11th, 2019 @ 3:00pm 9025 Maloney Building, HUP, 3600 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Hilary Faust, MD Role of Mitochondrial DNA in the Pathogenesis of Organ Failure in Critical Illness Friday, June 21st, 2019 @ 9:00am 8030 Maloney Building, HUP, 3600 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Constantine Mavroudis, MD “Advanced Neuromonitoring in a Swine Model of Cardiopulmonary Bypass and Deep Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest” Thursday, September 26th, 2019 @ 1:00pm 8031 Maloney Building, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Brian Jenssen, MD, MSHP “Parent eReferral to Tobacco Quitline: A Pragmatic Randomized Trial in Pediatric Primary Care” Thursday, November 7th, 2019 @ 10:30am 10-110 Roberts Center for Pediatric Research
• MSTR Thesis Defense: Eliot Peyster, MD “Computational Histologic Analysis for the Diagnosis of Heart Transplant Rejection” Friday, November 22nd, 2019 @ 1:30pm SCTR 1-102, Smilow Center for Translational Research, 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104

2018 Thesis Defense Schedule

• MTR Thesis Defense: Catherine Norise “Post-Stroke and Neurodegenerative Aphasias: Noninvasive Neuromodulation Technologies and Predictive CSF Analytes” Thursday, February 22nd, 2018 @ 2:00pm 8029 Maloney Building, HUP, 3600 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
• MTR Thesis Defense: Caroline Gluck, MD “Identification of Novel Pathways in Chronic Kidney Disease Progression through Epigenome Wide Changes in Human Kidney Tubules” Monday, March 5th, 2018 @ 2:30pm 9025 Maloney Building, HUP, ITMAT Classroom
• MTR Thesis Defense: Ramani Balu, MD, PhD Friday, March 9th, 2018 @ 10:00am 8030 Maloney Building, HUP, 3600 Spruce Street, Philadlephia, PA 19104
• MTR Thesis Defense: Ari M. Wes  ”Novel Considerations in Craniomaxillofacial Distraction” Friday, April 27th, 2018 @ 3:00pm 8030 Maloney Building (8th Floor), 3600 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
• MTR Thesis Defense: Thomas F. Tropea, MD  “Biomarkers as predictors of cognitive decline in Parkinsons Disease” Tuesday, May 1st, 2018 @ 12:00pm Room 505, Jordan Medical Education Center, 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104
• MTR Thesis Defense: Nishat Shahabuddin “Autophagy in response to Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and LtxA” Wednesday, May 2nd, 2018 @ 10:00am Levy Building, 3rd Floor Conference Room, Penn Dental School, 4010 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104
• MTR Thesis Defense: Arka Mallela “Finding the Stealth Pathology of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury” Thursday, May 3rd, 2018 @ 12:00pm 9025 Maloney Building (9th Floor), 3600 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
• MTR Thesis Defense: Nina A. Ran “Single B Cell Receptor Profiling to Investigate Tolerance Checkpoints in Pemphigus Vulgaris” Tuesday, May 8th, 2018 @ 9:00am 9025 Maloney Building (9th Floor), 3600 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
• MTR Thesis Defense: Chantae Sullivan-Pyke, MD “Gonadotropin Stimulation has Differential Effects on Oocyte and Embryo Development: Evidence from a Mouse Model” Wednesday, July 25th, 2018 @ 12:00pm BRB 253, Biomedical Research Building, 421 Curie Blvd. Philadelphia, PA 19104
• MTR Thesis Defense: Deepthi Alapati, MD In utero gene editing for monogenic lung disease Wednesday, November 14th, 2018 @ 10:00am 11 – 100, Smilow Center for Translational Research, 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104

2017 Thesis Defense Schedule

• MTR Thesis Defense: Greg Nadolski, MD “Near Infrared Fluorescence Imaging of Matrix-Metalloprotease-2 Activity as a Biomarker of Vascular Remodeling in Hemodialysis Access “ Wednesday, February 22nd, 2017 @ 1:00pm 8030 Maloney, ITMAT Classroom, 3600 Spruce Street, Phildadelphia, PA 19104
• MTR Thesis Defense: George W. Fryhofer IV, AB “Post-Injury Biomechanics of Achilles Tendon Vary by Sex and Hormone Status” Tuesday, February 28th, 2017 @ 1:30pm 8030 Maloney Building, ITMAT Classroom, HUP
• MTR Thesis Defense: Harry J. Han, BS “The Role of ACVR1 in Pediatric Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Gliomas: Insights from the Bone” Monday, April 24th, 2017 @ 3:30pm 8031 Maloney Bldg, 3600 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
• MTR Thesis Defense: Delu Song, MD, PHD “Retinal analysis in mice and patients treated with systemic iron: a potential risk for age-related macular degeneration” Wednesday, April 26th, 2017 @ 1:00pm 8030 Maloney Builidng, HUP
• MTR Thesis Defense: Jennie Lin, MD “Transcriptome-Wide Analyses of Human Cellular Models of Inflammation” Wednesday, June 14th, 2017 @ 2:30pm 9025 Maloney Building, HUP
• MTR Thesis Defense: Amanda Muir, MD “Influence of age and eosinophilic esophagitis on esophageal distensibility in a pediatric cohort” Thursday, July 13th, 2017 @ 9:00am 9025 Maloney Building, HUP

2016 Thesis Defense Schedule

• Christina Twyman – Saint Victor, MD “Overcoming Resistance to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Metastatic Cancer”
  Mentor: Andy Minn, MD, PhD
  Friday, April 29 @ 2:30 PM
  8030 Maloney Building, ITMAT Classroom
• Elizabeth Bhoj, MD, PhD “Sequencing and Functional Characterization for Gene Discovery in Craniofacial Syndromes”
  Mentor:  Hakon Hakonarson, MD, PhD
  Monday, May 2 @ 10 AM
  8030 Maloney Building, ITMAT Classroom
• Stephen Hunt, MD, PhD “Characterization of Treatment Effects and Immunobiology of Anti-Vascular Ultrasound”
  Mentor:  Chandra Sehgal, PhD
  Monday, May 2 @ 2 PM8030 Maloney Building, ITMAT Classroom
• Ann C. Gaffey, MD “Injectable shear-thinning hydrogels to deliver endothelial progenitor cells to improve cardiac function following ischemic injury”
  Mentor: Pavan Atluri, MD
  Thursday, May 5 @ 10 AM
  BRB 251, Biomedical Research Building
• Marisa Mizus, MD “Development, Optimization, and Validation of a Novel Urine Assay for Extracellular Vesicles”
  Mentor: Emile R. Mohler III, MD
  Thursday, May 5 @ 3 PM
  8030 Maloney Building, ITMAT Classroom
• Samantha Schon, MD “Histone Modifications in Normal and Abnormal Sperm”Mentor:  Shelley Berger, PhD
  Wednesday, May 25 @ 2:30 PM
  8030 Maloney Building, ITMAT Classroom
• Stephanie Chen, MD “Glutamate Imaging in Refractory Epilepsy”
  Mentor: Kate Davis, MD, MSTR
  Wednesday, June 15 @ 2 PM
  8030 Maloney Building, ITMAT Classroom
• Chijioke Egbujo, MD “The olfactory circuit as a translational probe for altered olfactory circuit in schizophrenia.”
  Mentor:  Chang-Gyu Hahn, MD, PhD
  Thursday, June 16 @ 1:30 PM
  8030 Maloney Building, ITMAT Classroom
• Christopher M. Cielo, DO “Obstructive sleep apnea in children with craniofacial conditions”
  Primary Mentor: Carole Marcus, MBBCh, Co-Mentor: Richard Schwab, MD
  Tuesday, October 25 @ 11:30 am
  8030 Maloney Building, ITMAT Classroom
• Mariana Cooke, MD-PhD “Detection and characterization of genetic drivers in circulating tumor cells and in single cancer cells”
  Research Mentor: Jay F. Dorsey, MD-PhD
  December 16th, 2016 @ 1:00 pm
  8030 Maloney Building, ITMAT Classroom

Deadlines and dates may differ from other programs and schools. This is particularly of note for elective courses. Dates are subject to change and vary from the Penn Academic Calendar: http://www.upenn.edu/almanac/3yearcal.html

The important dates below are scheduled by ITMAT Education Programs. Some deadlines and other dates may be different in other programs and schools. This is particularly of note for elective course dates. Dates are subject to change and vary from the Penn Academic Calendar: http://www.upenn.edu/almanac/3yearcal.html