Courses

This fall semester required for all first year students course covers aspects of molecular biology and genetics from prokaryotes to mammals; regulation of gene expression, molecular genetics of bacterial viruses, plasmids and transposable elements, as well as modern molecular genetic approaches to complex biological phenomena. Format: four to five hours of lecture and discussion per week. Course Director: Jonathan Dworkin.

This fall semester required for all first year students course covers basic biochemical and experimental principles, such as protein and nucleic acid structure and chemistry, thermodynamics and enzyme kinetics, and bioinformatics. Also included are biochemical processes common to all cells such as genome replication and repair, regulation of gene expression, cell cycle control, and cell membrane and receptor biochemistry. Course Director: Stavros Lomvardas.

Required for all first year students in spring semester, this course is an Introduction to eukaryotic cell biology and covers such topics as membrane trafficking, the mitochondria, the nucleus, viral biology, apoptosis as well as the cytoskeleton and its role in various cellular processes, including mitosis, cell migration, cell polarity and cell adhesion. Course Directors: Gregg Gundersen and Ai Yamamoto.

This course will focus on the practical aspects of using a microscope and of applying histological procedures to recognize cell types and tissue/organ organization. The aim is to assist students in acquiring basic knowledge for analyzing tissues & organs and diseases related to these tissues & organs for application in their graduate research. Each session will consist of didactic/lecture, microscope work and/or analysis of unknown samples. Student discussion and participation is necessary and assigned reading has to be done prior to class. Course Directors: Ann-Judith Silverman and Ronald Liem.

This course provides an in-depth analysis of several organ systems and diseases associated with each organ system. The course has four modules; each module describes the basic physiology, nutritional status and anatomy of the organ system, the genetics, cell and biochemical mechanisms and pathologies associated with the disease, as well as basic pharmacology and therapeutics to treat the disease. Course Directors: Ronald Liem and Steven Spitalnik.

Gross and microscopic study of lesions of the nervous system, with attention to functional derangement associated with them. Lectures, laboratory, conferences, and assigned readings. Course Director: Ronald Liem.

This spring semester course provides an introduction to the basic statistics commonly used in biomedical research laboratories. Students are provided with a statistical software package for use during the course. Exercises based on relevant experimental data sets use the software to reinforce the lecture material. Topics covered include the role of statistics in biomedical research, principles of statistical analysis, and selecting and applying the appropriate statistical tests. Course Directors: Arthur Palmer.

This spring semester course explores a variety of ethical and policy issues that arise during the conduct of basic and clinical scientific research. Course sessions include lectures, discussion periods, and analyses of case studies. Columbia requires that all graduate students share in the discussions of this course. You will hear from your faculty speaking honestly about problems that you may face. You will find the discussions interesting. Course Directors: Arthur Palmer and Jaime Rubin.