Building upon the strengths, momentum and investment in regenerative medicine and stem cell research from the Keck School of Medicine of USC, the department is the home of a new doctoral degree in development, stem cells and regenerative medicine. This unique program incorporates a re-vamped curriculum that emphasizes hands-on training, critical thinking about the literature and extensive laboratory experience working with embryos and stem cells.

More than 20 PhD students from the Keck School of Medicine of USC participate in this program, with support and partnership from affiliated faculty at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC and USC’s Biochemistry Department.

The goal of the PhD program in Development, Stem Cells, and Regenerative Medicine (DSR) is to train the next generation of investigators in the history and practice of developmental and stem cell biology. The ultimate aims are to understand how the genomes of animals are translated into complex morphological forms, and to apply this basic knowledge to the emerging field of regenerative medicine. To facilitate the application of multidisciplinary approaches towards regenerative medicine, close and regular contact between participating faculty of different disciplines and students is a major theme of this PhD program.

Specific learning objectives to achieve these goals thus include:

• Understand how vertebrate embryos are assembled from fertilization through gastrulation and into later organ patterning.
• Understand how progenitor and stem cells are specified and maintained through the life of animals.
• Be familiar with the major signaling pathways that coordinate multicellularity.
• Understand differences between the development and regeneration of organs.
• Be familiar with clinical problems for which stem cells can provide novel regenerative therapies.
• Understand the pros and cons of different vertebrate model organisms.
• Understand concepts of pluripotency and self-renewal.

These program learning objectives define concrete intellectual milestones for students and guide faculty participants in helping students achieve these objectives. The ultimate goal of this program is to create future leaders in the fields of developmental biology and regenerative medicine who can use lessons learned from the embryo to improve human health.

The PhD program in Development, Stem Cells, and Regenerative Medicine (DSR) is part of the Programs in Biomedical and Biological Sciences (PIBBS).

For more information and application instructions, visit pibbs.usc.edu.