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ASSESSING READINESS TO OFFER NEW DEGREE PROGRAMS
MS IN BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Assessing Readiness to Offer New Degree Programs is a supplemental campus-based document that will
a) Inform the academic program development process and
b) Illustrate the unit’s readiness to offer the proposed degree program.
The proposing unit is expected to
a) Submit the assessing readiness document with the proposed program’s planning document and
b) Update the assessing readiness document as unit conditions change for submission with the
proposed program’s request to establish.
Part One: Assessing Need for the Program
Units should provide detailed information regarding linkages to the strategic plan and the impact of
the proposed program on other unit programs on the UNC-OP planning and establishing documents.
Need for the Program
 What is the external need for the proposed program? Project the current and future need for
graduates with this degree at the regional, state, and national levels.
The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University is proposing a master’s degree in biomedical
sciences. This will be an interdisciplinary program involving faculty from the Departments of Anatomy and Cell
Biology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Immunology, Pathology, Pharmacology and
Toxicology, Physiology and other biomedical scientists in the clinical departments. There is currently a
shortage of clinical scientists as documented in the 2006 report of the AAMC’s Task Force II on Clinical
Research titled, “Promoting Translational and Clinical Science: The Critical Role of Medical Schools and
Teaching Hospitals”. Many of the graduates of this program will continue their education by enrolling in
medical school. Some students will already be in medical school when they enroll in the MS program in
biomedical science. In both cases the graduates will be equipped with the research experience and training to
become clinical scientists. The need for additional biomedical scientists is documented in “Advancing the
Nations Health Needs” a 2005 publication (ISBN 0-309-09427-5) from the National Research Council. This
publication shows that most biomedical scientists receive their baccalaureate in another field and call for
programs the will interest students and help with their transition into the biomedical field. Our proposed
program should accomplish this as it is expected that some of the graduates will continue their training by
enrolling in doctoral programs in the biomedical sciences. Finally, some of the graduates of this program will
help to fill the predicted need for teachers of the basic medical sciences at the community college level. In the
next 10 years a large percentage of community college instructors will retire. The shortage of instructors
qualified to teach basic science to the many allied health students in community colleges is critical. In the
2004-2005 academic year a state wide advertisement for an anatomy and physiology instructor by Pitt
Community College yielded only one SACS qualified application. In 2005-2006 a national search for two
instructors (advertising in the Chronicle of Higher Education and the Human Anatomy and Physiology web
site) yielded 10 applications of which only 5 were qualified. When contacted for an interview two had already
accepted positions. Finally the interdisciplinary nature of this program will produce graduates that will fill a
growing need for biomedical scientists that can integrate molecular and systems biology as documented in
Molecular Interventions 4, 73-73 (2004).

What are the expected enrollment patterns for the proposed program over the next five years; what is
the enrollment target within five years of establishment? What evidence is there that the proposed
program and this unit can attract quality students?
It is expected that 8 – 10 students will enroll the first year and 10-15 will be enrolled in subsequent years. A
stable population of about 25 students anticipated. This is based on current capacity of research space,
research faculty, and research funding. At present 10 – 15 master’s students from other programs particularly
biology conduct their thesis research under the direction of the School of Medicine faculty. An informal survey
of these students indicated that about 50% would have enrolled in a MS program in biomedical sciences had
one been available. The graduate directors of the current doctoral programs report that they receive inquiries
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from students about master’s programs each year. The pool of potential students is large. The UNC web site
indicates that in the 2005-2006 academic year the number of graduates in the biological sciences were: ECU –
190; UNCCH – 368; NC State – 491; UNCW – 156; and UNCG - 77. Another informal survey of the 12-20
medical students who participate in the summer research program indicated that one or two of these would
pursue this master’s degree if offered. Based on the above data and our conversations with students as well
as applicants to medical school we are confident that we can meet these enrollment predictions.
The quality of the students in this program will be closely monitored. The students who are already enrolled in
medical school will typically be from the top quarter of the class. On the other hand, the students who are
trying to improve their credentials for acceptance into medical school or another advanced degree program will
have to be carefully screened to select ones who have the potential but were underachievers in their first years
in college.
Linkages to Strategic Plans
The mission of East Carolina University is to serve through education, research and creative activity, and
leadership and partnership. This MS degree in biomedical sciences meets all of these missions. It will provide
the education to graduate students who will go on to careers in biomedical research or increase their
credentials and thus their acceptability into more advanced degree programs such as the MD or PhD. This is
a research oriented program and thus will not only lead to the generation of new knowledge but will increase
the productivity of the faculty mentors. It will provide research experience and credentials to physicians thus
increasing the possibility that they will assume leadership roles in the academic community. The creation of a
MS degree program is called for on page 8 of the School of Medicine’s 2006-2009 strategic plan.
Comparison to Similar Programs in Other Universities
 How common is this type of program nationally and what about the proposed program would enable it
to particularly stand out from the others? What would it take to become a nationally recognized
program in this area?
While many universities list master’s degree programs in biomedical sciences, a close examination
shows they are in fact programs in one of the biomedical disciplines and are not the interdisciplinary
program we are proposing. It is interesting that several schools which have an integrated doctoral
program have retained their master’s programs at the discipline level. A search of gradschools.com
shows that there are only 9 interdisciplinary master’s degree programs in biomedical sciences in the
southeast, mid-south, and mid-Atlantic United States. Eastern Virginia Medical School offers a
master’s degree in biomedical sciences which is a one year degree with only a library research
component. The master’s degree programs at Marshall University and Barry University in Miami
Shores Florida are non-research based and designed to prepare students for medical school by
enrolling them in medical school courses or medical school like courses. The University of Medicine
and Dentistry of New Jersey offers a master’s program with a focus of preparing students to work in
the pharmaceutical industry. The University of Missouri-Columbia, The University of South Florida, A.
T. Still University of Health Sciences in Kirksville, MO, the Medical University of South Carolina, and
the University of South Carolina offer integrated master’s degree programs much like the one we are
proposing to offer at the School of Medicine. In general the proposed program will not be very
different from other interdisciplinary programs in biomedical sciences. The one area in which it will
differ from other programs is in the integration of molecular and systems biology. This can be
accomplished because the faculty in our Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology has retained
strength in both areas. All programs of this type tend to be support programs, and thus do not receive
a great deal of recognition. However, by contributing to the research and publications of the mentors
in the program the students help elevate the reputation of the program and East Carolina University.
Accreditation Standards
 Are there accreditation standards or requirements that will affect this program? Is so, describe in detail
how the proposed program will meet those standards or requirements.
There are no accreditation standards.
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Part Two: Assessing Readiness of Current Faculty


Complete the Faculty Information Sheet (attached) for each individual who will serve as a core faculty
member, actively involved in delivering the proposed program.
Provide a summary of faculty readiness in the unit to include the cumulative totals of the following:
o Number of core faculty at each rank who will be actively engaged in this program.
25 Professors
12 Associate Professors
12 Assistant Professors
o
Number of core faculty with experience directing theses/dissertations: 44
o
Number of scholarly and professional activities related to proposed degree (with emphasis on
the past 5 years): over 1600
The above includes publications in refereed journals, abstracts, books chapters, and books.
o
Number of publications related to proposed degree: 461
The above includes only publications in refereed journals.
o
Number of grants & contracts submitted and awarded related to proposed degree: 97
The above includes only awarded grants and contracts. Several hundred were submitted in
the past five years.
o
Invited research presentations outside ECU: over 1000
o
Patents/disclosures/copyrights: 5
o
Participation in scholarly collaborations with other universities, laboratories, & centers
See part five. In general most successful researchers have external collaborations.
o
Service on related national/international boards or committees
One or more of the core faculty serve on the review boards of the following granting agencies:
National Institute of Health Study Section
American Heart Association
Philip Morris Foundation
Department of Defense
European Commission Combating Cancer
Scientific Foundation Ireland
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Part Three: Assessing Adequacy of Instructional/Research Facilities and Personnel to Support the
Program
Instructional and Research Facilities
 Describe existing space and specialized equipment to be devoted to the proposed program within the
context of the space and equipment currently assigned to the unit/s.
Each department participating in this program has faculty involved in research with the space and equipment
to conduct this research. The research space and equipment needed for this program is already in place and
utilized by active researchers to conduct their research and mentor doctoral students. Since this program will
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involve several departments the research facilities in each of the basic science departments as well as the
core facilities are described below.
The Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology currently has seven full-time faculty members who have
research laboratories that are equipped for cell biology research including, fluorescent ELISA plate
readers, absorbance ELISA plate readers, spin-vac DNA concentrator, Amaxa nucleofection device,
research microscopes, fluorimager systems, thermocyclers, spectrophotometers, luminometer, microfuges,
heating blocks, pH meters, sonicator, fume hoods, electrophoresis power supplies and gel systems,
electroblotting systems, waterbaths, incubators, balances, refrigerators and freezers. The other members
of the faculty have responsibilities primarily in teaching, without an active research program, but serve as
resource faculty for graduate students. Typically each faculty member has an office within the laboratory
space on the 7th floor of the Brody Medical Sciences Building. Additionally, there are several specialized
rooms within the department, dedicated to research; histology/immuno-histochemistry core lab,
radioisotope/biochemistry lab; electrophysiology lab; equipment room [with a darkroom, ultracentrifuges, 80 C freezers, Sorval centrifuges, scintillation counter, lyopholyzer, French press, etc.]; two tissue culture
labs; imaging suite; microscope room. The department also houses the Electron Microscopy Core Facility
for the Brody School of Medicine, a JEOL 1200EX with CCD camera, ultramicrotomes and associated
specialized equipment for sample preparation for transmission electron microscopy.
The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology currently has 9 full time faculty with research labs
equipped with the normal compliment of small equipment including the requisite equipment for nucleic acid
and protein isolation, purification and characterization including: microfuges, power supplies, western blot
apparatus, UV-visible spectrophotometers, standard thermocyclers. In addition a Bio-Rad i-cycler Real
Time PCR machine is maintained by the department. High speed centrifugation is located in a common
departmental area. Available centrifuges include: 6-untracentrifuges and 3-Sorval RC-2B centrifuges.
There are 4 departmental scintillation counters, 2- gamma counters and an Olympus IM 50 phase
contrast/fluorescence microscope with digital camera. Within the department several independent facilities
for cell culture containing, laminar flow hoods, inverted phase-contrast microscopes and liquid nitrogen
Dewars for cell storage are also maintained. -80o storage is abundant with 8 freezers maintained within
the department. The department houses the Phosphor-Imaging/Fluorescence Imaging (PhIFI) core facility.
Each faculty member has at least 900 sq ft of research laboratory space with a private office of 200 sq. ft.
in addition to departmental support space. Each faculty member has at least 1 office computer as well as
internet access to university computing facilities.
The Department of Microbiology & Immunology has thirteen tenured or tenure track, full-time faculty
members with research laboratories. Faculty research interests include cell biology, immunology, cancer
biology, virology, and microbial pathogenesis. The laboratories are housed in one half of the 5th floor of
the Brody Medical Sciences Building and on the first floor of the Biotechnology Building. All laboratories
are equipped with the standard instrumentation required for research in the faculty member’s field of
expertise. Individual faculty members typically have the following housed in their laboratories:
orbital environmental shaker, Sorvall superspeed centrifuge or equivalent, electrophoresis power supplies,
agarose gel boxes, electroporation apparatus, refrigerators, freezer, cooling and heating water baths,
spectrophotometer, Windows PC Computers and scanners, microwave oven, UV crosslinker, thermal
cyclers and microfuges.
Common facilities available in the department include standard ELISA plate readers and fluorescent
ELISA plate readers, darkroom, computer room with several PC computers connected to the university
network and a Unix workstation, cold room, warm room (37C), conference room, 3 ultracentrifuges and
appropriate rotors, biological safety hoods, autoclaves, CCD camera and transilluminator, X-ray developer,
HPLC and gas chromatographic equipment, liquid scintillation counter, thermal cyclers, and a BioRad
iCycler Real-Time PCR system. Also available are -80 C freezers, scintillation counter, lyophilzer, French
press, imaging instrumentation; and photo-microscope room.
The Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology currently has eight full-time faculty members with active
research programs. The laboratories are equipped to conduct research projects ranging in scope from the
use of whole animals to cell and molecular biology. Three laboratories are equipped for conducting
electrophysiological research including analysis of single ion channel activity. Major items of equipment
available for these purposes include recording chambers, vibrating tissue slicers, microscope equipped
with water immersion lenses, CCD cameras and monitors, amplifiers and computer interfaces for real time
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data acquisition and analysis. Four laboratories are conducting systems and integrative research studies
using freely moving animals for behavioral and cardiovascular research projects. Virtually all laboratories
are conducting research at the cellular and molecular level using a variety of molecular biological
techniques. Three laboratories are using cell culture facilities and two laboratories are conducting
immunohistochemical research projects. Items of equipment available in these laboratories include
research microscopes, spectrophotometers, centrifuges, scintillation counting, microfuges, electrophoresis
units and associated equipment for gel electrophoresis, transfer apparatus, thermocyclers, and general
laboratory equipment (e.g. pH meters, balances, refrigerators, etc). The department has an equipment
room that contains several -80˚ freezers and other specialized equipment such as ultracentrifuges that are
available to all faculty as well as a BioRad supply center that maintains stocks of reagents for use by
researchers at East Carolina University. In addition to individual laboratories that are well equipped to
conduct state-of-the-art research, the department maintains an image analysis facility that is available for
use currently contains both the Alpha Innotec Fluorochem SP and the BioRad Versadoc systems. The
department maintains a real-time RT-PCR machine that is available to all faculty and a shared cell culture
facility that is available to investigators within the Brody School of Medicine.
Each faculty member has an office of approximately 100 sq. ft. located near or within the laboratory space.
Additionally, the faculty offices, central offices and laboratories are well equipped with state of the art
information technology equipment that is maintained by the information technology staff. All of the faculty
members are on the graduate faculty.
The Department of Physiology currently has 10 full time faculty members all of whom have experience
directing thesis/dissertations. The Department of Physiology occupies approximately 18,000 square feet
of the Brody Medical Sciences building on the West Campus of East Carolina University. This space
includes office space, research and teaching laboratories, common equipment facilities and mechanical
and electrical shops. The Department has a walk-in refrigerator/freezer, 3 tissue culture facilities, and
shares an equipped dark room and near infrared imaging core facilities with the Department of
Pharmacology. In spring of 1998, the Warren Life Sciences Building opened adding 62,000 square feet of
research space, of which the Department occupies 1150 square feet. In 2002, when Dr. Dohm’s position
transferred to Physiology, an additional 1700 square feet of space on the 3rd floor of the Brody building
contiguous with the Diabetes Center, was assigned to the Department to facilitate his research. In
addition to conventional laboratory space, Drs. Ding and Van Scott occupy 900 square feet within the
animal quarters to support their research utilizing nonhuman primates and circadian patterns in mice.
Each of the faculty members that are active in research is assigned at least one laboratory. In addition, Dr.
Jones, a faculty member in the Department of Speech and Communication, and Dr. Cortright occupy
laboratories within the Department. However, 12,000 square feet of research space is being added in the
new Research and Education building of the Cardiovascular Center. The Center is expected to open in
late 2007, providing access of the cardiopulmonary group to an additional 6,000 square feet of new
laboratory space. Each lab generally is equipped with pipettes, eppendorf table top centrifuges,
electrophoresis power supplies and gel boxes, pH meters, electronic balances, and ultrapure water
generators. 9 labs have externally vented fume hoods, and there are an additional 5 biosafety cabinets
available for cell culture. 2 labs are extensively equipped electronically shielded, vibration protected
workstations for recording isolated action potentials and currents in single neurons and brain slice
preparations. 2 labs are equipped for acute and survival rodent surgery (micro-dissection instruments,
anesthesia delivery systems, ventilators, ekg and blood pressure monitors, water jacketed warming pads).
Other items of use available in the Department include Biorad qRT-PCR instruments (multiplex and single
well); UV and visible microplate readers; Beckman floor model low speed, high speed and refrigerated
ultracentrifuges; table top refrigerated ultracentrifuge; liquid scintillation counter; Maldi Mass Spectrometer;
Luminex system for multiplex ELISA; Axon Instruments GenePix 4100A protein and cDNA microarrays
reader; Toshiba Nemio 30 echocardiograph for ultrasonic imaging system (human, large and small
animals, including cardiac phenotyping of transgenic mice); radio telemetry systems for continuous, noninvasive monitoring of experimental animal behavior; several dissecting microscopes; 2 fluorescent
microscopes, each equipped with CCD cameras for image capture; 3 REVCO ultra-low freezers.
The Core Facilities are described below:
The Flow Cytometry-Confocal Microscopy Core Facility is a research support resource which is part of the
School of Medicine’s Shared Resources Program. Flow cytometry and confocal microscopy are powerful
techniques based on laser light excitation of fluorescent molecules. Flow cytometry is commonly used to
study various aspects of cell function, including apoptosis, cell cycle, and immunophenotype analysis. The
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facility has two bench top flow analyzers (Becton Dickinson FACScan), and a four-color cell sorter
(FACStar Plus) to isolate specific cell subsets from a complex mixture of cell types. In June 2005 a iCYS
slide-based scanning laser flow cytometer for the analysis of adherent cells was added. Confocal
microscopy is used primarily for cellular co-localization studies and three-dimensional reconstruction. A
new Zeiss 510 Laser-scanning Confocal Microscope was installed in May 2001, which is capable of threechannel fluorescence acquisition. New Zeiss PALM laser capture microdissection equipment was added
in July of 2007.
The Department of Comparative Medicine has two full time veterinarians and comprises approximately
70,000 sq ft of animal housing and support space in the Brody Medical Science and Warren Life Science
buildings. The animal care program and facilities are fully accredited by the Association for the
Assessment and Accreditation for Laboratory Animal Care, International (AAALAC, Intl).
The Electron Microscope Core Facility is equipped with a JEOL 1200EX transmission microscope
equipped with a MegaView III CCD camera. A separate sample preparation room is equipped with a Leica
UC-6rt ultramicrotome and associated specialized equipment for sample preparation for transmission
electron microscopy.
The Invitrogen Freezer Program, located in the Biotechnology Building, has in-stock inventory of a variety
of Invitrogen catalog items and offers rapid delivery of other items including DNA and RNA primers and
tissue culture media (typically within 2 days). Most items are discounted substantially from Invitrogen
catalog prices.
The Phosphor-Imaging/Fluorescence Imaging (PhIFI) core facility at the Brody School of Medicine/ECU
houses a fully equipped Amersham/ GE Healthcare Typhoon 9410 Imager for 2D imaging of
phosphorescent, chemiliumscent and fluorescent gel and array data. This core facility (Brody 5S-21) is
available for use by all research laboratories at ECU.

How will assignment of this space to the proposed program impact existing programs?
The impact should be small as most doctoral programs are small thus additional students could be added to
most didactic classes. In some laboratories that are especially productive additional research space from the
flex space pool will have to be assigned to accommodate the increased students in the laboratory.

Describe additional facilities or specialized equipment that would be needed over the next five years.
A small 15-25 student sized classroom will have to be found as classrooms of this size are at a premium in the
School of Medicine. A request for a classroom of this size will be make to the School of Medicine Space
Committee. It is possible that some new classroom space will result from the remodeling of the former Laupus
Library.
The research equipment needed is already in place and is being used to conduct research and train doctoral
students. If new equipment is needed it is expected that it will largely be funded by external grants. In some
cased specialized equipment need for a few experiments by a limited number of researchers/students will be
used off site. The Shared Resources Program in the School of Medicine Office of Research and Graduate
Studies has funds to help defray the expense of sending either the samples or the students to core facilities
off-site to complete the experiment.

Describe current holdings in library resources in the proposed program and projected library resources
needed to support the proposed program.
The holding in the library currently used for the doctoral programs at the Brody School of Medicine are
adequate to support the proposed master’s program. Both programs would benefit from greater access to on
line journals.

Describe the adequacy of unit computer resources. If additional resources are needed, give a brief
explanation and an estimate for the cost of acquisition. Include classroom, laboratory, and other
facilities that are not currently used in the capacity being requested. (Collaborate with ITCS to
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determine feasibility of adding these resources, particularly in the areas of mainframe computer usage,
networking requirements, statistical services, network connections, and student computer labs.)
Again the computer resources used for the doctoral programs at the Brody School of Medicine are adequate to
support the proposed master’s program.
Personnel
 What additional personnel would be needed to make the proposed program successful for growth and
development over a five-year period?
o Faculty
One faculty member (0.5 fte) would be required to act as director of the program, coordinate the seminar
program, and teach the introduction to research course.
o
o
o
Post-doc associates
Research technicians
Graduate assistants
Five research assistants are requested. While most of the students will be paying their own way or be
supported by external grant funds, it is anticipated that some support from the graduate school will be
necessary to make the program competitive.
o Other staff
One administrative assistant would be needed as support staff for the program director.

What will be needed to recruit such individuals and what is the recruitment market like?
It is likely that the faculty member will be an experienced teacher and mentor from our faculty. The
department from which this person is transferred will need to replace him/her which will require a start-up
package. The recruitment market in the biomedical sciences is still good. In general each advertised position
yields 30 – 60 applicants of which about 12 are very strong.
Part Four: Assessing Financial Resources to Support the Program

Describe existing financial resources to be devoted to the proposed program.
Initially the School of Medicine will fund the director of the program and support staff. It is anticipated that
funds generated by student enrollment in the program will cover these costs once the program is established.
External grants, see Part Five below, will be used to support some of the students as research assistants. The
School of Medicine generated $28,405.757.00 in 2007-2008 of which $6,420,354.00 was for research in the
basic science departments where the majority of the students will be mentored. The grant policy at the School
of Medicine requires that graduate student support be included in all grants in which student participation is
anticipated. Laboratory supplies/reagents for the students’ research project will also be primarily supported
from research grants awarded to the mentors. In some cases departmental resources, generated largely from
overhead recovery will be used to provide research supplies.

Describe what additional financial resources would be needed over the next five years and their
proposed sources of funding.
None other than those described in Part Three.

What new financial resources will come to the university based on the projected increase in
enrollment?
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A conservative estimate of 20 master’s students enrolled for 18 SCR/year yields 1.93 positions and generates
$143,469 in instructional salaries and a total of $207,897 from the formula funding model.

Will the program students contribute to the financing of the program through teaching, research, and
clinical practice?
By their involvement in the research of their mentors they will enhance the ability to obtain extramural grants.

What are your plans for the program if the financial resources anticipated for the program (enrollment,
external support, etc.) are 25% lower and 50% lower than expected?
Should the anticipated enrollment not be achieved, part of the cost of the director’s salary will be provided by
School of Medicine funds and fewer graduate assistantships will be given.
Part Five: Assessing External Support and Collaboration

List active grants/contracts specifically related to the proposed program.
The School of Medicine has a grant policy that requires all research grants include support for graduate
students if graduate students participate in the research. This includes both master’s and doctoral students.
While none of the current or expected grants are directly related to the MS program, research grants awarded
to specific faculty will be used to support the program through the purchase of laboratory supplies, the
provision of travel funds, and in some cases the availability of student stipends. Below are many examples of
such grants listed by principle investigator and the annual dollar amount.
Dr. Cheryl B. Knudson, Anatomy and Cell biology, $231,737 from National Institutes of Health (NIH) for
Hyaluronan-Cell Interactions in Cartilage.
Dr. Warren Knudson, Anatomy and Cell biology, $275,579 from National Institutes of Health (NIH) for CD44
Mediated Catabolism of Hyaluronan by Chondrocytes.
Dr. Qun Lu, Anatomy and Cell biology, $60,563 from National Institutes of Health (NIH) for Delta-Catenin
Cleavage by Presenilin and Synaptic Remodeling.
Dr. Qun Lu, Anatomy and Cell biology, $189,525 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for Delta-Catein
and Cell-Cell Adhesion in Prostate Cancer.
Dr. Qun Lu, Anatomy and Cell biology, $320,625 from the Department of Defense (PC040569)
11/1/2004-10/30/2007 (PI, 20%) for Functions of -Catenin in Prostate Cancer
Dr. Qun Lu, Anatomy and Cell biology, Co--PI (PI: Dr. Mary Jane Thomassen) from the North Carolina
Biotechnology Center (2007) for Laser Capture Microdissection: Advanced Technology for Biomedical
Research
Dr. Yan-Hua Chen, Anatomy and Cell biology, from the American Heart Association $66,000 for Regulation of
Paracellular Ion Permeability by Phosphorylation.
Joseph M. Chalovich, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, $247,653 from the National Institutes of Health
(NIH) for Actin Based Regulation of Smooth Muscle Contraction.
Joseph M. Chalovich, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, $253,255 from the National Institutes of Health
(NIH) for Protein Exchange To Study Muscle Function and Disease.
Dr. Phillip Pekala, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, $100,000 from the American Diabetes Association for
The Regulation of Adipose Tissue Metabolism by the RNA Binding Protein HuR.
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Dr. Brett D. Keiper, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, $130,000 from the National Science Foundation for
Function of Tissue-Specific elF4E Isoforms in Caenorhabditis Elegans.
Dr. C. Jeffrey Smith, Microbiology and Immunology, $228,000 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for
Role of B. Fragilis Oxygen Stress Response in Infection.
Dr. Shaw M. Akula, Microbiology and Immunology, $142,500 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for
Analysis of Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Infection Using Roman Tweezers
Dr. Roy Martin Roop, Microbiology and Immunology, $325,109 from Brucella Stationary Phase Gene
Expression and Virulence.
Dr. Roy Martin Roop, Microbiology and Immunology, $311,275 from the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases (NIH) for Brucella Iron Metabolism In Host Macrophages.
Dr. James A. McCubrey, Microbiology and Immunology, $248,310 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
for Ras/Raf & P13K/Akt Induced Breast Cancer Drug Resistance.
Dr. Abdel A. Abdel-Rahman, Pharmacology and Toxicology, $330,485 from the National Institutes of Health
(NIH) for Mechanisms of Alcohol-Estrogen Hemodynamic Interaction.
Dr. Abdel A. Abdel-Rahman, Pharmacology and Toxicology, $27,688 from the National Institutes of Health
(NIH) for Mechanism of Ethanol-Clonidine Synergistic Sedation.
Dr. Rukiyah Van Dross, Pharmacology and Toxicology, $152,053 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
for Biofavoniod Apignein, Induces Phosphorylations of ph-53.
Dr. Brian A. McMillen, Pharmacology and Toxicology, $38,895 from DOV Pharmaceutical, Inc for Effect of
DOV Pharmaceutical Drugs on Ethanol Consumption by the mHEP Rat.
Dr. G. Lynis Dohm, Physiology, $291,270 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for Muscle Glucose
Metabolism in Diabetes and Obesity.
Dr. G. Lynis Dohm, Physiology, $228,950 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for Muscle Glucose
Metabolism in Diabetes and Exercise.
Dr. Jian M Ding, Physiology, $236,906 from for Dysregulation of Circadian Rhythm by HIV Protein Tat.
Dr. Christopher J. Wingard, Physiology, $247,851 from Phillip Morris Research Management Group for
Adenosine Signaling and Vascular Endothelial Dysfunction Following Fine Airborne Particulate Matter
Exposures.
Dr. Michael R. Van Scott, Physiology, $125,000 from BioGen Idec, Inc for BioGen Idec Sponsored Research
Agreement.
Dr. Ken Soderstrom, Pharmacology, $1,116,250 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for
Cannabinoid-Altered Vocal Development.
Dr. Chris Wingard, $,250,000 from the National Institutes of Health for Multiwalled carbon nanotubes and
impact on haemostatsis and cardiovascular chemic/reperfusion injury.
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
Describe existing collaborative efforts related to the proposed program with community or state
agencies, other institutions of higher education, federal laboratories or agencies, national centers, or
other external organizations.
Many of the mentors in this program have established collaborations with other investigators both in the US
and abroad.
Dr. Cheryl Knudson, Anatomy and Cell Biology
Enrique Brandan, Ph.D., Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
Arlene Gwon, M.D., Advanced Medical Optics, Inc. (AMO), Santa Ana, CA
Suniti Misra, Ph.D., Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
Dr. Warren Knudson, Anatomy and Cell Biology
Yoshihiro Nishida, M.D., Nagoya University School of Medicine, Nagoya Japan.
Richard Bucala, Ph.D., Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
Shibnath Ghatak, Ph.D., Medical University of South Carolina
Tom Schmid, Ph.D., Rush University School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
Akira Asari, Ph.D., Seikagaku Corp. Japan
Stephen Perrett, MBA, Ph.D., Eurand Corp. Italy;
Dr. Ann O. Sperry, Anatomy and Cell Biology
Dr. Allan Wolkoff, Marion Bessin Liver Research Center and Department of Anatomy and Structural,
Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
Dr. Clarke Millette, Cell Biology and Developmental Biology and Anatomy, University of South Carolina,
School of Medicine, Columbia, SC
Dr. David M. Terrian, Anatomy and Cell Biology
Dr. James Mohler, Chair, Department of Urologic Oncology, Co-Leader, Prostate Program, Professor
of Oncology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY
Dr. Peter J. Parker, Head, Protein Phosphorylatioin Laboratory, Imperial Cancer Research Fund,
Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3PX
Dr. Gianpolo Perletti, Dipartimento di Biologia Strutturale e Funzionale, Universita degli studi,
ell'Insubria, Busto A. Italy
Dr. Massimo Libra, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
Dr. Rytis Prekeris, Department of Cellular and Developmental Biology, School of Medicine, University
of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Fitzsimons campus, Aurora, CO
Dr. Mark W. Mayhew, Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Dr. Joseph Cory, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dr. Alan Sartorelli Dept. Pharmacology, Yale Univ. Medical School
Dr. Paul Talalay Dept. Pharmacology, Johns Hopkins Medical School
Dr. Joseph Chalovich, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dr. Bernhard Brenner, Medical School of Hannover, Hannover, Germany
Dr. Gabriele Pfitzer, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Dr. Peter Knight, University of Leeds, Leeds, England
Dr. Gerard Marriott, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
Dr. P. Bryant Chase, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL
Dr. Brett Keiper, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dr. Susan Strome, Dept. of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405-3700
Dr. Jennifer Schisa, Dept. of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859
Dr. Robert Rhoads, Dept of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, LSU Health Sciences Center
Shreveport, LA 71130
Dr. Phillip Pekala, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
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Dr. Jack Keene, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
Dr. Bentley Cheatham, Ribonomics, Inc., RTP, NC
Dr. Nava Bashan, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
Dr. Ulus Atasoy, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
Dr. James McCubrey, Microbiology & Immunology
Dr. Michael Andreeff, MD Anderson, Houston, Texas
Dr. Massimo Libra, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
Dr. Alberto Martelli, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
Dr. Jorg Basecke, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
Dr. Martin McMahon, UCSF, San Francisco, CA
Dr Sissy Jhiang, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Dr. Jeffrey Sailsbury, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Dr. Everett C. Pesci, Microbiology & Immunology
Dr. Deborah Hogan, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Dartmouth Medical School Hanover,
NH
Dr. Steve Davis, Department of Dermatology & Cutaneous Surgery, School of Medicine, Univ. of
Miami, Miami, FL
Dr. Abdul Hamood, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Texas Tech University Health,
Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX
Dr. Mike Vasil, Department of Microbiology, Colorado Health Sciences Center
Dr. Ted Bertrand, Microbiology & Immunology
Dr. Dale Ludwig, ImClone Systems, Inc. NY, NY
Dr. Tucker LeBien, University of Minnesota Cancer Center, University of Minnesota
Dr Irwin Bernstein, University of Washington, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA
Dr. Richard Franklin, Microbiology & Immunology
Dr. Paul Dent, Dept. Pathology, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, VA
Dr. R. Martin Roop, Microbiology & Immunology
University of Mississippi Medical Center, Outside reviewer for doctoral research proposal:
Wenming Zhu, doctoral student
Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, External examiner for doctoral dissertation
defense
Simge Baloglu, Ph.D., 2001, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology
University of Kentucky Medical Center, Guest lecturer – Department of Microbiology and Immunology,
Graduate Bacterial Pathogenesis
University of Guelph, External examiner for doctoral dissertation defense, Jun Ren, Ph.D., 2003,
Department of Pathobiology
Dr. Isabelle Lemasson, Microbiology & Immunology
Dr Paul Laybourn (Professor), Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State
University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1870
Dr Jean-Michel Mesnard, C.N.R.S (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) Laboratoires
Infections Rétrovirales et Signalisation Cellulaire Institut de Biologie, 34960 Montpellier Cedex 2,
France
Dr. James E. Gibson
Work with the Center for Marine Science, UNC Wilmington
Dr. Ken Soderstrom, Pharmacology & Toxicology
Dr, Maurice Elphick, Ph.D., Queen’s College, University of London
Dr. Vincenzo Di Marzo, Ph.D., Endocannabinoid Research Group, Puozolli, Italy
Timothy DeVoogd, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, Cornell University
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09-01-05
Dr. Rukiya Van Dross, Pharmacology & Toxicology
Dr. Jill Pelling, Department of Pathology (Professor), Northwestern University
Dr. Susan Fischer (Professor), M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Dr. Aron Lichtman (Associate Professor), Department of Pharmacology, Virginia Commonwealth
University
Dr. Michael Van Scott, Physiology
Dr. Bob Fick, Stanford University and DNAX
Marilyn Khery, Biogen Idec
Richard Chapman, Schering Plough
Jim Fedan, West Virginia University, and NIOSH
Dr. Jian Ding, Physiology
Dr.M. Wang, Sizhuan University, Cheng Du
Dr. Chris Wingard, Physiology
Dr. George Christ, Wake Forest University
Dr. Joel Linden, University of Virginia
Dr. Bob Devlin, US EPA
Dr. Bob Lust, Physiology
Dr. Jakob Vinten-Johanssen, Emory University
Dr. W. Yang, Fuwai Cardiovascular Hospital, Beijing
Dr. Laxmansa Katwa
Dr. Joe Janicki, University of South Carolina
Dr. Jitka Virag
Dr. Todd McDevitt, Georgia Tech
Dr. Lorita M Rebellato, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Dr. Paul Terasaki, Terasaki Foundation, Los Angeles California.
Dr. Angelo Arnold, Sentara Medical center, Norfolk , Virginia.
Dr. Kathryn M. Verbanak, Surgery
Dr. Lorraine Tafra, Director, Breast Center, Anne Arundel Medical Center
Dr. Tim Fleming, Washington University School of Medicine
Dr. Paul Levine and Dr. Heather Young, George Washington University
Dr. Michael Mitas, Medical University of South Carolina

How do you plan to use external funding to support the proposed program? To what agencies or
programs would proposals be submitted and with what timeframe?
External research grants will be used to support students in this program by providing assistantships as well
as the funds for supplies to conduct the required research. The mentors for this master’s students are already
involved in the doctoral program and will continue to submit grants to the National Institute of Health, the
National Science Foundation, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the American
Diabetes Association, and many pharmaceutical firms. In 2007-2008, 51 grants for $28,097,255.00 were
submitted by faculty that will participate in this program.
o
What indications are that the proposed program addresses significant problems of stated
interest to funding agencies?
Success in obtaining grants is an indication that there is interest by the funding agencies.
o
How well does the proposed program align with state and national initiatives as stated by the
indicated governmental agencies?
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In addition to moving the research agenda forward, it is anticipated that the graduates of this program will
eventually enter the work in the areas of medicine, biomedical research, or health education which are areas
of manpower shortages.
o
How well does the proposed program align with state and national initiatives as stated by the
indicated foundations or other non-governmental sources?
The areas of research are closely tied to several foundations, for example cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
o
What kind of university investments will be needed to leverage external support and over what
time period?
The same support that is necessary for the doctoral program will be necessary. Funds to hire competent
faculty with sufficient startup packages to establish a competitive research programs will be required. It is
anticipated that adding the master’s program will help these faculty without additional cost to the University
since these are the same faculty involved in the doctoral programs.
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