Finding Your Lab, Research Advisor, and Mentors

Three laboratory or research rotations are required for all Ph.D. students in this program, and each rotation is typically eight to ten weeks in duration. The first rotation occurs in the fall semester, while the second and third rotations are during the spring semester, which begins mid‐January. In some cases, a student may wish to do a rotation in the summer preceding the fall semester. Planning such a summer rotation should be coordinated with the Program Coordinator and Director, and would begin on July 1. A student also may do a fourth rotation during the summer following the spring semester of the first year if needed. The Program Director may waive one rotation for students with substantive prior research experience who are ready to choose their lab(s). After each rotation, the faculty mentor must provide a Rotation Evaluation (Faculty) and the student will provide a Rotation Evaluation (Student); both forms will be sent to the TBS Program Coordinator who will then submit them to the Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs. These forms will be sent no later than 5 days after the listed rotation end date.

Rotations begin and end as follows:

Choice of Research Advisor and Mentor Development Core Committee

Research Mentor

At the completion of your first year of graduate study, each student chooses a primary research mentor.

• Student July start date: They need to have a mentor in place by June the following year.
• Student September start date: they need to have a mentor in place by August of the following year.
• Students may choose any faculty member within the School of Medicine and Dentistry as their primary research mentor so long as the student has
  1. Completed a successful rotation in the chosen faculty member’s lab,
  2. There is a translational science research program.
  3. The mentor has a funding mechanism to support the student.
• The Program Director will make the final determination as to:
  1. Whether the research program and mentor meet the requirements of the program.
  2. Official decisions will be made no earlier than May 1st.*

The newly selected mentor and the student will inform the Program Director and Coordinator of the match by submitting a Mentoring Responsibility and Designation Form.