Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Profile

History and Purpose
The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston (GSBS) celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2003. In 1963, the Fifty-eighth Legislature authorized the Regents of The University of Texas to establish the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston. The School was charged to “conduct graduate programs at the master’s and doctoral levels and postdoctoral programs in the sciences and related academic areas pertinent to medical education and research.”

Originally established as the academic arm of The University of Texas M D Anderson Cancer Institute, the GSBS has become an important academic bridge between several Texas Medical Center institutions. The GSBS conjoins the health science center and The University of Texas M D Anderson Cancer Center as well as The Texas A&M Institute of Biosciences and Technology.

From its beginning, the GSBS adopted an interdisciplinary approach to graduate education that provides broad-based training in the biomedical sciences as well as in-depth training in the area of a student’s thesis research. Following a minimal number of required courses, students may choose one from 17 formal Programs, or design a highly individualized degree plan of study toward a PhD, MD/PhD, or Masters of Science degree. This educational structure enables students to conduct their research in a traditional discipline or in newly developing inter- or multi-disciplinary areas. As a result of this flexible approach that provides both depth and breadth in training in the biomedical sciences, the School has attracted many outstanding faculty and students.

Instructional Programs
The GSBS offers students the opportunity to prepare for careers in the biomedical sciences with access to vast Texas Medical Center resources. Areas of concentration include the following: behavioral sciences, bioinformatics, biostatistics, biochemistry, cancer biology, cell biology, developmental biology, genetics, genetic counseling, immunology, medical physics, microbiology, molecular biology, neuroscience, oral biomaterials, pathology, pharmacology, physiology, radiation biology, regulatory biology, reproductive biology, toxicology and virology.
Currently there are 517 full-time faculty and additional adjunct faculty. This large and distinguished group includes the 1998 winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, a recipient of the 2000 Prince Mahidol Award, two Lasker Award winners, and numerous recipients of other honors, awards and professional recognition. Faculty from our participating institutions consistently receive more than $150 million in research support annually from the National Institutes of Health, which ranks in the top 1-2 percent of NIH funding in the world.
The 2003-2004 student body of 508 (degree seeking) includes approximately 1/3 of its population from Texas, 1/3 from other parts of the United States, and 1/3 who are international students, with an equal number of men and women.

Facilities
The GSBS didactic teaching and training activities are conducted in lecture rooms and laboratories in the com-
ponent UT institutions where faculty members hold their
primary academic appointments. In addition to the resources available with UT institutions, cooperative arrangements with Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, Texas Woman’s University and the University of Houston provide GSBS students opportunities for developing educational and research programs. In addition, UT M D Anderson’s Science Park – Research Division, located in Bastrop, Texas, is available to GSBS students.

Organization Chart