Additional Activities, Cancer

Formal Cancer training within the Molecular Pathology Graduate Program is enhanced by interlinking specialized courses in Cancer Molecular Biology and Cancer Pathology with Clinical Conferences and a weekly seminar sponsored by the UCSD Cancer Center (Cancer Center Series) that discuss cancer with a focus on treatment.

Students in the Cancer Training Program also attend the annual Salk Institute meeting on Oncogenes when it occurs in San Diego (alternating years). This international meeting, which is jointly sponsored by the European Molecular Biology Laboratories (EMBL) and the Salk Institute, brings together diverse and outstanding science in the area of oncogene mechanisms. The meeting immerses students within the world of oncogenes, their impact on normal cell division, differentiation, apoptosis, metastasis, and angiogenesis. Students present their own work in poster sessions. The short talks and poster sessions provide excellent models for students to learn how to present data concisely and logically. The meeting alternates locations between The Salk Institute and Heidelburg, Germany. A second meeting that occurs semi-annually in San Diego, is the Meeting on Protein Phosphorylation and Cell Signaling. Subjects covered in this meeting include, but are not restricted to, receptors, signaling in hematopoietic cells, regulation of protein:protein interactions, signaling in neuronal cells, the role of lipids in signaling, structures of signaling proteins, signaling in model organisms, protein phosphatases, adhesion and cell motility, and regulation of protein degradation. This meeting is also composed of speakers and poster sessions, and alternates between the Salk Institute and The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. All applicants not selected as speakers participate in the poster sessions. Information regarding these meetings can be found at the Salk Institute Meetings Website, the EMBL Meetings Website, and the Cold Spring Harbor Meetings Website.

Seminar series also focus on the biochemical and genetic mechanisms of cellular processes involved in human disease, many of which are directly related to cancer. The Molecular Pathology Seminar Series is a monthly forum where program faculty from UCSD and institutional affiliates present their lastest laboratory results. Following the talk, students can chat with the seminar speeker over pizza, cookies, chips, and cheeze. The Burnham Institute Seminar Series is a weekly multidisciplinary research series that brings in nationally- and internationally-recognized speakers focused on questions in molecular and cellular biology related to human disease. At UCSD, the Cellular and Molecular Medicine Seminar Series maintains a somewhat broader focus on cellular and molecular biology. The Pathology Minisymposium Series focuses specifically on molecular mechanisms of human disease that can be studied and treated using small animal models. Finally, both the Salk Institute and Scripp's Research Institute hold their own outstanding seminar series that are open to all students (Salk Seminars, Scripps Seminars).

The Molecular Pathology Graduate Program also holds an Annual Spring Research Symposium at Scripps Institute of Oceanography, where students present their work, discuss their ideas and hypotheses, and engage in some friendly scientific debate.

Training for Careers in Biomedical Research

Additional Activities, Cancer

Training for Careers in
Biomedical Research