MoDTS

MoDTS: Mechanisms of Disease and Translational Science Track

or as it is affectionately known: MoD  (although it's tempting to pronounce it like "mod," we like to pronounce each letter individually)

It is a "med into grad" initiative sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (the same funders of the wonderful 7 week Summer Scholars in Biology and Biomedical Research experience before my first year at WashU).  

The goal of the track is to introduce us graduate students to the clinical research environment... the place where biomedical scientists hope their bench research can help patients.  We are working to bridge the gap between lab work and clinical trials, translating basic science discoveries into bettering patient outcomes.  That is a goal that is fairly big-picture in nature.  

So this summer we will be very busy students-- learning the basics and laying the ground work for futures in translational research. 

The organizers will pair us with a 'clinical immersion mentor.'  That mentor will be a physician at UTSouthwestern who is currently working on a clinical trial of some sort. We will spend 4 weeks shadowing, attending research group meetings, learning about the institution's review process for acceptance of clinical trials, and helping out where we can.  

We will also take classes including pathology, physiology, and biomedical statistics.  



http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/education/graduate-school/programs/phd-degrees/specialized--supplemental-phd/mechanisms-of-disease/index.html