image of downtown Buffalo, medical campus and BNMC.

Integrate Science and Medicine.

Train for a Career as a Translational Scientist.

We help you integrate your clinical and basic-science talents early, establishing a firm foundation for your career as a physician-scientist. You'll learn interdisciplinary skills and acquire the comprehensive perspective translational research demands.

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Students working in surgical skills lab.

Experience Immersive Clinical Training

Your intensive training will prepare you to join teams that are advancing health care nationally and internationally.

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Explore Broad Research Possibilities

Diverse research opportunities form the heart of our program. Whether your calling is in the basic sciences, public health, engineering, or cancer sciences, we're sure you'll find your fit here.

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MD-PhD student given science presentation.

Connect Medicine to Research

You will train in both tracks concurrently throughout your MD-PhD program, cross-applying your insights into research and patient care.

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Faces & Voices

Dr. Parker has a smaller research group and this fit well with my personality. His enthusiasm for his work really led me to seek a position in his lab.

11/5/24

Clayton Brady
MD-PhD student

The opportunity to work with exceptional mentors in an innovative research environment and gain clinical experience within Buffalo’s diverse hospital system attracted me to UB’s MD-PhD program.

11/5/24

Elliot Kramer
MD-PhD student

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How It Works

Our program's structured curriculum and one-on-one advising give you the resources to succeed on your path to becoming a clinical translational scientist with an average program duration of seven to eight years.

First Two Years: MS 1 & 2

Clinical and didactic coursework alongside medical students
Laboratory Rotations
Bi-weekly MD-PhD Seminar

PhD Training: Avg 3-5 years

Advanced basic science coursework
PhD thesis research
Longitudinal clinical mentoring program
Bi-weekly MD-PhD Seminar

Final Two Years: MS 3 & 4

Clinical rotations and electives
Prepare for Residency or Post-Doc
Bi-weekly MD-PhD Seminar

By the Numbers

Average Years to Completion: 7.8
Current Students in Program: 30
Current F30 Awards: 8
Students from Out of State: 14

Current numbers as of Fall 2022.

Residency Placements

Internal Medicine: 11
Neurology: 3
Psychiatry: 3
Radiology: 3
OB-Gyn: 2
Surgery: 2
Other: 7

Classes of 2014-2021

PhD Program Options

Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Biochemistry
Biomedical Informatics
Genetics, Genomics & Bioinformatics
Microbiology & Immunology
Neuroscience
Oral Biology
Pathology & Anatomical Sciences
Pharmacology & Toxicology
Physiology & Biophysics
Structural Biology

School of Public Health and Health Professions

Epidemiology
Nutrition & Exercise Science

School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Biomedical Engineering
Chemical & Biological Engineering
Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

Cancer Prevention
Cancer Genetics, Genomics, and Development
Tumor Immunology
Cell Stress and Biophysical Oncology
Experimental Therapeutics

Research Areas

We’re sure you’ll discover your next home with us.

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Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine
2/2/22
This area of research has the potential to revolutionize modern medicine by providing the building blocks for tissue regeneration. Successful translation of stem cell breakthroughs into cell therapies requires interdisciplinary approaches that draw from biology, medicine and bioengineering.
Neurobiology of Disease
10/12/21
Researchers who study the neurobiology of disease focus on the neural systems, cells and molecules involved in neurological diseases including neurodegenerative, neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disease, as well as traumatic injury to the nervous system. This discipline seeks to understand the mechanisms of these diseases in order to develop new therapies.
Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience
10/12/21
The study of behavioral and cognitive neuroscience focuses on the neural mechanisms underlying behavior and cognition. This is a multimodal scientific discipline that uses animal and human techniques to study the neural substrates of behavior and cognition in health and disease.
Structural Biology and Protein Science
10/12/21
The study of structural biology and protein science aims to investigate biomedical processes and diseases from the perspective of biological macromolecules with a goal of understanding how protein sequence and structure relate to biological and biochemical function in important cellular processes.
Biochemistry, Cellular Biology and Molecular Biology
2/2/22
This research area explores the foundation of biological processes and normal and abnormal states at the cellular and subcellular level using biochemical, molecular and genetic techniques.
Biophysics
10/12/21
Our biophysics researchers blend the skills of physics, chemistry, math, structural biology and engineering to address health issues in the biomedical sciences. It is based on the premise that quantitative techniques provide unique and fundamental insights that advance scientific discovery.
School of Public Health and Health Professions
6/3/22
The Program in Epidemiology provides advanced theoretical and complex experiential training that allows you to independently lead and conduct all phases of an epidemiologic research project. You will learn to critically evaluate research and design, conduct, analyze, interpret and discuss original, independent epidemiologic research.
Biomedical Engineering
11/9/21
Researchers in this field use engineering problem-solving skills to develop new approaches and devices to improve human health.
Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
10/12/21
This area of research studies the cellular processes of neurons and glia at a molecular level to seek an understanding of the fundamental mechanisms that underlie communication in the nervous system. This broad field employs a multidisciplinary approach to study nervous system development and function.
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
6/3/22
When you join UB’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, you join an inclusive environment that supports big thinking, creative freedom, and vast possibilities for achievement.
Cancer Biology
8/1/23
The study of cancer biology includes the study of a variety of aspects of oncogenesis and cancer treatment, including the study of tumor formation, growth and metastasis, as well as the development of cancer therapeutics.
Genomics
9/11/23
This research area uses comprehensive and specialized studies that integrate genome-wide approaches and genetic models to answer important questions about development and human disease.
Computational Cell Biology, Anatomy and Pathology
10/12/21
Our faculty members who specialize in computational cell biology, anatomy and pathology employ a wide variety of genetic, cellular, molecular and state of the art computational imaging techniques to examine biological structures of cells, tissues and organisms in human biomedicine.
Physiology and Pathophysiology
10/12/21
Researchers in these disciplines study how cells, tissues and organs of the body communicate and work together to maintain the body’s functional capacities in health and disease, using state-of-the-art computational, genomic, proteomic, cell biological and physiological techniques. These research areas provide fundamental insights that form the foundations of health care (translational research).
Pharmacology and Addiction
10/12/21
This area of research includes the study of drug discovery, toxicology and endocrinology, and it also includes the interaction of drugs with targets, cells, tissues, as well as the metabolic and physiologic responses of the organism to these interactions.
Biomedical Informatics
10/12/21
This is the interdisciplinary field that studies and pursues the effective uses of biomedical data, information and knowledge for scientific inquiry, problem solving and decision making, motivated by efforts to improve human health.
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
6/3/22
Because Roswell Park is a dedicated cancer research hospital, you’ll have a wide spectrum of choices for your research focus, from the investigation of cancer mechanisms to translational/clinical research, with direct relevance to disease treatment.
Immunology and Inflammation
2/10/22
The study of immunology and inflammation involves the latest genetic, biochemical and imaging tools in conjunction with -omics approaches to investigate the function of the immune system, its regulation and the pathological consequences of dysregulation due to mutation, infectious or autoimmune disease, as well as aging.
Microbial Pathogenesis
2/10/22
Experts in microbial pathogenesis use cutting-edge techniques in cell biology, molecular biology, biochemistry and bioinformatics to study how bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi are able to engage with their host and cause disease. Researchers in this field study ways to identify novel targets for life-saving therapies.