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     Clinical and Translational Sciences Track:   This track is intended for DDS/PhD students, or post-DDS or post-MD clinicians including
     those in residency programs.  During the 4 years of this PhD training program  in clinical and translational  research, Scholars will complete
     a “foundation year” comprising the 1-year Advanced Training in Clinical Research (ATCR) program followed by 2-three month long
     rotations in laboratories engaged in clinical research. Four elective courses, OCS seminars and journal club will be combined with a
     period of concentrated and focused research  in one of 3 areas of emphasis: 

1. molecular translational research
2. epidemiology & clinical trials
3. advanced clinical dentistry

    Our goal is to provide enough flexibility through a slate of elective courses to permit Scholars working closely with their mentors to tailor their
    programmatic needs towards their chosen area of emphasis in clinical research. The milestones for the program is summarized below.

     Curriculum in Year 1: Students will complete the requirements for Advanced Training in Clinical Research (ATCR).  The ATCR Program is
     a four academic quarter program for Scholars who desire rigorous training in the methods of clinical research.  The first quarter (Summer) is the
     CRW followed by the Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters to provide in-depth methodological instruction and an opportunity for Scholars to conduct
    their research. The    ATCR Program has been designed to provide, in a single year, the essential skills for a career as an independent clinical
    researcher thus providing a solid foundation in clinical investigation methods needed to move on to the Scholars laboratory rotations and clinical
    research projects. All doctoral students will take the ATCR in their first year prior to entry into one of the specialist streams of the doctoral program.
    This phase of the program has three objectives: 1) to learn the methods required to perform both observational and experimental clinical research;
    2) to plan and implement one or more clinical research projects; 3) to analyze, interpret, and present a set of clinical research data.

 Year 2 Rotations: Laboratory rotations are a key feature of the Program during the second year. Students spend one quarter (three months)
    in the laboratories of each of two different members of the OCS faculty or in one of the General Clinical Research Centers.  These rotations  must be
    in different disciplines and each must be with a different lab director. During the course of the laboratory rotation the student attends the laboratory group
     meetings, talks with the people in the lab to get a sense of what life in that laboratory is like, and carries out a small research project. The laboratory
     research is intended to provide exposure to the type of work going on in the laboratory and is not intended to generate publishable results (although that
    does happen). The rotations not only provide students with an opportunity to learn about several areas, and to become acquainted with a variety of techniques,
    but also to introduce them to different approaches to scientific problems. This helps to broaden their horizons before they choose a laboratory for their
    thesis research. It also helps students to feel at home in a number of different laboratories, facilitating subsequent interactions.

 Years 2 through 4: During the final 3 months of year 2 through to completion of the dissertation (minimum of 9 quarters) the Scholar will complete
    a body of research suitable for a dissertation.  The focus of the research will be clinical research utilizing research developed during one of the core
     clinical research rotations.

    Research Mentor and Monitoring Progress:

    Selection of Research Mentor. Trainees may select a research mentor after completing two rotation periods, usually near the end of the second year.
    The mentor choice will be made by agreement of the trainee, the mentor, and the Graduate Advisory Committee. Trainees may opt to take a fourth
    rotation before selecting a mentor, and initial mentor choices are revocable. Changes can be made in consultation with the Graduate Advisory Committee.

    Evaluation of Students. The Student Status Committee will evaluate students annually based on two criteria. The first is academic performance in formal
    course work, and the second is capability in laboratory work as judged by performance in laboratory rotations.  The mentor will provide a written
    evaluation of the student’s performance after each rotation, and the students will present short talks on their projects at a rotation seminar meeting
    during the quarter following each rotation.

    Student Status Committee.  This committee reviews the progress of all PhD students annually. The committee solicits a written evaluation of each
    student from the student’s academic advisor and research supervisor, interviews each student, and makes recommendations to the trainee and the mentor(s).

    Qualifying Examination: This is an oral examination, designed to test the student's ability to define major biological problems, to design research
    approaches aimed at solving these problems, and to critically evaluate research literature. The four examination committee members are officially
    appointed by the Graduate Division on the recommendation of the Graduate Advisor. In practice, the student's thesis advisor, and the chairperson
    of the Qualifying Examination Committee participate in choosing the committee members (based in part on their expertise in the areas of the research
    proposal); the chairperson makes the final selections. The student submits one research proposal to the committee members for approval one month prior
    to the date of the examination. This proposal is on the subject of the student's proposed thesis research and is intended to pose a question and to propose
    experiments to address this question. It is required to be brief (no more than five typewritten pages) but complete in terms of background, methodology
    and interpretation of possible results. The examination covers not only the direct subject matter of the proposal but also other related areas of cell biology,
    genetics, and related material with which a student should be conversant.  At the end of the examination (which typically lasts from 2 to 3 hours), an
    evaluation of performance is made, with one of the following recommendations: (a) pass; (b) unsatisfactory, with reexamination no sooner than three months
    and no later than six months after the first exam; (c) failure. These recommendations are made by the Committee; the dissertation advisor is not a member
    of the committee, cannot attend the examination, and does not take part in the deliberations. Failure of a second examination ordinarily results in a recommendation
    to the Graduate Division for dismissal.

     Dissertation Research Requirements:  As noted above under Advancement to Candidacy, in consultation with their dissertation advisor, students will
     select a dissertation advisory committee and submit the names to the Graduate Division, after approval by the Graduate Advisory Committee. This committee,
    which will eventually serve as the dissertation reading committee, will consist of the dissertation advisor and at least two other members of the mentor faculty
    group (who may or may not have been part of the qualifying exam committee). Each student will submit an annual written progress report that will form the
     basis of an annual meeting with the dissertation advisory committee to report on progress and assess future directions. The obligation to schedule these
    meetings lies with the student. At least four weeks before the deadline for submitting the dissertation committee report to the Graduate Division, the
    student should submit a final draft of the dissertation. The committee will respond within two weeks as to whether the dissertation is acceptable in that form,
    should be specifically modified, or should be rejected. The student is responsible for making modifications in time to meet the appropriate deadline. The
    dissertation will be accepted only if the committee readers are in unanimous agreement. Before graduating from the program, each recipient of the
    PhD degree is required to present a seminar dealing with his or her dissertation research work, and this seminar is open to the entire university community.

     Final Examination: The dissertation seminar serves as the final examination.

    Sample Program:  Below is the sample program for an emphasis in molecular and translational research.  Similar programs with different elective
    options are available for the other emphasis areas in epidemiology and climical trials and advanced general dentistry. 

    
                                     Year 1

                                     Year 2

                                  Year 3

                         Year 4

  Time to degree:  We anticipate that a highly motivated scholar will complete the program in 4 years but some candidates may require an additional
     year for completion.

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