The explosive expansion of information in the biomedical sciences is one of the truly awesome achievements of the past decade. Not only has this given us an understanding of disease mechanisms that has lead to numerous clinical applications, but it has also created a large demand for professionals who are well-trained in the biology of human disease.

However, the complex nature of biomedical science requires that individuals in this exciting area have not only excellent training in a specific area of research, but also sufficient breadth of understanding of the integrated nature of human diseases. Both are now essential for these professionals to maintain the flexibility to move from problem to problem and direct research groups throughout their career. The overall strategy of the IBGP to provide breadth of understanding of human disease mechanisms coupled with in-depth research training will position our graduates for success in a wide range of career opportunities.

Medical Schools and Teaching Hospitals

Many of our graduates will probably seek employment as researchers and/or educators within the 125 accredited American medical schools. This alone is a large job market, but there are also more than 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, that employ, in a variety of capacities, professionals trained in the biology of human disease.

Another source of employment opportunities for our graduates is the large number of departments in non-medical universities and colleges that hire faculty with expertise in this area to teach and conduct research in relevant disciplines. These include biology, biochemistry, physiology, cell biology, molecular biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and microbiology.

https://ns2.faseb.org/careerweb/

Many public and private research institutes have programs that focus on specific problems of human diseases, and these will provide another realm of career opportunities for our graduates.

http://recruit.sciencemag.org/

https://applications.chiportal.com/working/jobs/index.cfm?cid=7

Billions of dollars each year are spent on research and development by the pharmaceutical industry. Supporting this effort requires a large number of individuals in areas in which our diverse graduate faculty can provide excellent training. For a sampling of this vast array of career opportunities, see the following web sites:

http://recruit.sciencemag.org/

http://recruit.sciencemag.org/feature/profile/profile.shtml

A large component of the rapidly growing biotechnology industry is oriented towards various aspects of human diseases, and many people are employed as bench researchers in these companies. However, there are numerous other outstanding career opportunities in biotechnology companies for professionals with a strong grounding in the biology of human diseases. Considerable information about employment in this dynamic area can be obtained from the following web sites:

http://recruit.sciencemag.org/feature/profile/profile.shtml

http://www.bio.org/siteguide.html

Biological Research Supply Companies

There are numerous companies that supply investigators with materials for their research. Collectively, these companies comprise a large job market for scientists trained in the research methods involved in studying the biology of human disease. Some of these companies can be accessed through the following web sites:

http://dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Business_to_Business/Biomedicine/

http://www.mcb.ucdavis.edu/

http://www.expasy.ch/alinks.html#Biotech

Government

Several government agencies employ professionals with expertise in biomedical science in a host of different areas including researchers in basic, translational and clinical sciences, educators and administrators. The wide range of career opportunities in some of these agencies can be seen on the following web sites: National Institutes of Health -look under employment opportunities; the National Science Foundation; the Center for Disease Control; and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

After reviewing the above information and web links, if you find that you are interested in one or more of these types of careers, I hope that you will closely review the Integrated Biomedical Science Graduate Program. I am confident that you will find that it is specifically designed to meet the needs of successful professionals who will be working in all of these areas that are directly related to the biology of human disease.