Molecules to Medicine
Molecules to Medicine
Molecules to Medicine is a requirement for MS1 and MS2 students. Its objectives are to nurture scientific reasoning skills through critical analysis of journal articles and the underlying scientific method emphasizing rigor and reproducibility, to inspire students by reviewing landmark breakthroughs in biomedical investigation, and to improve presentation ability. Scientific topics are selected by the rising MS2s each year.
Course Director: Tonya Webb, PhD
M2M 2025-2026 Syllabus
Sessions optional for MS2 are noted with *
| Date | Presentation | Faculty Mentor |
|---|---|---|
| 8/21/2025 | Course Introduction | Achsah Keegan, PhDTonya Webb, PhD |
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Topic 1: Antidepressant |
Maged M. Harraz, MBBCh, MS, PhD |
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9/18/2025 |
Session 1A: Faculty Introduction |
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10/9/2025 |
Session 1B: Paper Discussion |
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Topic 2: mRNA Vaccines and Drug Delivery |
Matt Frieman, PhD |
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10/16/2025 |
Session 2A: Faculty Introduction |
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11/20/2025 |
Session 2B: Paper Discussion |
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Topic 3: Protein Engineering and Drug Discovery |
Wenbo Yu, PhD |
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12/4/2025 |
Session 3A: Faculty Introduction |
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12/11/2025 |
Session 3B: Paper Discussion |
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1/8/2026 |
Mentor Selection and Career Development Choices* |
Mary-Claire Roghmann, MD, MS |
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Topic 4: Gene Editing/CRISPR |
Alex Poulopoulos, PhD |
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1/15/2026 |
Session 4A: Faculty Introduction |
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1/29/2026 |
Session 4B: Paper Discussion |
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2/5/2026 |
Methodology/ Experimental Design and Approach |
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2/26/2026 |
Grant Writing 101 |
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3/5/2026 |
Grant Review Discussion (AHA, F31, BWF, K01/K99) |
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3/26/2026 |
Rigor and Reproducibility in Research* |
Kaylin Adipietro, PhD |
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4/2/2026 |
Center for Innovative Biomedical Resources Introduction and Tour* |
Nick Ambulous, PhD |
Clinical Case Studies
Clinical Case Studies
Clicinal Case Studies (CCS) is a requirement for GS2 and GS3 students. It aims to stimulate students to maintain clinical thinking skills during the graduate years and begin to integrate research and clinical training as part of a clinical case.
CCS meets monthly over Zoom. Each student is paired with a physician faculty member who is a clinician educator and an MS4 MD-PhD student to prepare a clinical unknown scenario, usually based on an actual patient seen by the faculty member, for presentation to their fellow students in a clinical pathological conference type exercise. At the end of the presentation, the MS4 MD-PhD student discusses potential research questions based on the case. Clinical areas are chosen based on Core Clinical Clerkships in the MD curriculum.
Course Director: Eric Lemmon, MD, MA
CCS 2025-2026 Syllabus
| Date | Area of Interest | Preceptor |
|---|---|---|
| 9/16/2025 | Introduction to CCS | Eric Lemmon, MD |
| 10/8/2025 | Gerontology | Brock Beamer, MD |
| 11/5/2025 | Cardiology | Peter Gaskin, MBBS |
| 12/3/2025 | Surgical Trauma Critical Care | Laura Buchanan, MD |
| 1/14/2026 | Renal | Donna Hanes, MD |
| 2/11/2026 | Endocrinology | Kashif Munir, MD |
| 3/11/2026 | Psychiatry | Charles Robinson, MD |
| 4/8/2026 | Neurology | Stephen Thompson, MD |
| 5/6/2026 | Rheumatology | Bernadette Siaton, MD |
Physician Scientist Seminar
Physician-Scientist Seminar
Physician Scientist Seminar meets for 1 hour each month during the academic year. MSTP students participate throughout all their years of training. Physician-scientists from our school and the local region (including our alumni) at various stages of their careers are invited to present an informal seminar in which they discuss their career path. Topics speakers discuss include but not limited to:
- How did they choose their clinical specialty (or why they chose not to practice clinically)?
- How did they choose their research interest?
- Why do they work in their current environment (e.g. industry, government)?
- How do their clinical experiences inform their research?
- What advice would they have for our students?
PSS 2025-2026 Syllabus
| Date | Speaker | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| 10/14/2025 | Raphael P.H. Meier, MD, PhD | Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, UMSOM |
| 11/13/2025 | John Farley, MD, MPH | Former Director of the Office of Infectious Diseases, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, FDA |
| 12/10/2025 | Mary-Claire Roghmann, MD, MPH*Topic: Funding opportunities: R, K, and F grants | Professor of Epidemiology & Public Health, Professor of Medicine Associate Dean for Physician-Scientist Training, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Advancement, UMSOM, Office of the Medical Scientist Training Program |
| 1/5/2026 | Jeremiah Hinson, MD, PhD | Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkings University School of Medicine |
| 2/23/2026 | Courtney Townsel, MD, MS | Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, UMSOM |
| 3/24/2026 | Zachary Roberts, MD, PhD*MSTP Alumnus | Executive Vice President of Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer at Allogene Therapeutics |
| 4/22/2026 | Rose Viscardi, MD | Professor Emeritus, Department of Pediatrics, UMSOM |