Admissions

The Visual Sciences Training Program is an inter-departmental effort to provide integrated training in the visual sciences.  Students in the program can receive Ph.D. degrees from any of the participating basic science departments (Anatomy, Biomedical Engineering, Genetics, Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Neurosciences, Pathology, or Pharmacology), with research projects focused upon a wide array of problems in visual science.  Predoctoral students apply through the Biomedical Scientist Training Program (BSTP) (http://www.Case.edu/med/BSTP/index.html) in the fall or early winter for admission in the next academic year.  Applicants must have an undergraduate degree with a competitive GPA and are required to take the Graduate Record Examination, including one advanced subject examination.  Applicants must have a solid background in the sciences.  Applications received by February 1 will be given preference, although late applications will be considered on the basis of space available. 

Apply to the BSTP on-line (http://bstpserver.Case.edu/bstpweb/default.html)

Request an application form or download a PDF file of the BSTP application form (http://www.Case.edu/med/BSTP/BSTP_App.pdf)

If you submit an application to the CASE BSTP either online or by mail, please send an email with your name, address, email address, and GRE scores to Dr. Susann Brady-Kalnay (smb4@case.edu) so we can track the progress of your application through the admissions process.  In the subject line of the email, please put “VSTP application.”

CASE has an outstanding M.D.-Ph.D. program. Applicants interested in pursuing the combined degree can have are search focus in the visual sciences. Many of the participating faculty in the Visual Sciences Training Program have on-going research projects with significant clinical applications.  Applications must be initiated through the Medial Scientist Training Program (http://MSTP.Case.edu).

Questions regarding the Visual Sciences Training Program should be addressed to:

Visual Sciences Training Program
Dr. Susann Brady-Kalnay, Director
Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology
Case Western Reserve University
10900 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44106-4960
email: smb4@case.edu

Student Support 

Ph.D. students in the Visual Sciences Training Program are supported throughout their graduate training.  M.D.-Ph.D. students are supported during the Ph.D. component of their studies.  Current stipend support level is$23,000 per year plus tuition and fees and health insurance.  Students are supported by resources from a variety of sources including a National Eye Institute Institutional Training Grant, research grants to individual faculty members, and departmental funds.  Candidates for support by the VSTP Training Grant must be either U.S. citizens or permanent residents.  Other applicants may receive support from other sources on a funds available basis.  If you are not a citizen or permanent resident, email Dr. Susann Brady-Kalnay to inquire about potential training slots.

Course of Study 

At the core of our program is the philosophy that our trainees must develop the ability to pose biologically and clinically relevant questions without being restricted by either discipline or methodology.  We are successful in our efforts if you succeed in science through publications in high-quality journals and placement in competitive jobs in academics, government, and industry.  We do not award a degree in vision science; rather, trainees work toward the Ph.D. in any of the basic sciences.  Our belief is that the more general degree better positions our trainees for a career in the sciences.

Year 1  Predoctoral trainees start in July and complete the first of three laboratory rotations (8-12 weeks each) during the summer. Laboratory rotations provide research experience, the opportunity to author publications, and an all-important opportunity to decide upon the mentor to direct their thesis research. All students then take a two semester, two course series in Cell and Molecular Biology (12 credit hours) in the first academic year. These courses cover both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, and include basic genetics, macromolecular biosynthesis, regulation of gene expression, cell structure/function/growth, cell signaling, development, immune system, and the nervous system. The content of this course series was carefully selected and is continuously re-evaluated to ensure that it provides the trainee with a firm basis for research in contemporary biology. Students also take discipline-specific courses to fulfill requirements of the department in which they work toward the Ph.D. Completion of the second and third laboratory rotations occurs during the course of the first year of training.

Year 2  Students generally complete the didactic coursework and continue to fulfill the degree requirements of their respective departments.  In the second semester, all students take our newly designed course in the visual sciences, Biochemical and Molecular Aspects of Vision (PHARM 432).  During this year, trainees initiate research projects and develop a formal research proposal.  For most of the participating basic science departments, this research proposal forms the basis for the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination.  Students are required to develop the research proposal along the lines of an NIH grant application, describing experiments that could be completed within a two year period.  One week after submitting the proposal, the student defends it orally before the examination committee.

Years 3 and 4  The major component of the second half of the Visual Sciences Training Program is laboratory research based with program faculty.  Students complete a body of work, prepare a written dissertation consistent with University guidelines and orally defend the work before their Committee and other interested faculty.  In the biomedical training experience, there is no substitute for the direct interaction that occurs between mentor and student.  We also have a range of informal training programs for professional growth of trainees.

Informal Training Program  We recognize that didactic coursework is an absolute requirement for the trainee to obtain the foundation for research in the visual sciences.  However, the informal interactions that are possible within our visual sciences community may be the most critical component in the training of a successful vision scientist.  To be successful, modern science requires that our trainees collaborate and communicate.  The trainee must learn effective leadership, including the development of trust and effective lines of communication and the means to create professional alliances that will maximize scientific contributions.  These intangible skills are typically learned in the informal activities that enhance the richness of professional education. The informal programs represent the principal means of keeping the students, postdoctoral associates, and faculty engaged in a unified training effort.  Trainees actively participate and present in each of these forums.  A variety of journal clubs, research conferences, seminar programs, national and international meetings, and the Visual Sciences Research Center annual retreat provide numerous opportunities for trainees to broaden their understanding of vision science and to become proficient in presentation and discussion of research data.

M.D.-Ph.D.  The CASE MSTP program is nationally known for its pioneering curriculum that integrates basic and clinical sciences, providing superior M.D./Ph.D. training since 1956 for students aspiring to dual careers in academic medicine and biomedical research.  The CASE MSTP is entering its twentieth year of NIH support.  Our program has several distinctive features, including electivesduring the first two years that allows students to complete most Ph.D. coursework and laboratory rotations; personalized clinical instruction during the Ph.D. research years; and elective time for special research and clinical experiences in the final year.  Our program also emphasizes professional development, which is fostered through individual faculty mentoring and group activities like the monthly dinner seminars and the annual MSTP retreat.  MSTP Students are enrolled in the School of Graduate Studies until successful completion of the Ph.D. portion of the program.  In the first two years both graduate and preclinical medical school courses (including Clinical Science) are taken for graduate credit.  The student then embarks on Ph.D. dissertation research and passes a Ph.D. qualifying examination.  After successful defense of the Ph.D. dissertation, MSTP students are formally admitted into the third year class of the School of Medicine to complete their clinical training and qualify for the M.D. degree.  Approximately seven to eight years are required to complete both the Ph.D. and M.D. portions of the program.  MSTP students are encouraged to present their research at two annual CASE student-sponsored symposia.  The Annual Graduate Student Symposium hosted by members of the BSTP occurs each fall.  The Annual Medical Student Research Day is held each spring.  Both meetings are open to all students and faculty in the School of Medicine.  These symposia feature a nationally recognized keynote speaker and include oral presentations and posters by graduate and medical students. These venues provide an excellent opportunity for first year students to explore the diversity of our training environment.  The program sponsors travel to one nationally organized meeting per year for students who present abstracts.  Funding for travel expenses to additional meetings by MSTP students is the responsibility of the student's mentor.  The program strongly encourages, and provides financial support for, students to present their research at national meetings.   

CASE Visual Science Training Program Departmental links