What We Do
The Office, overseen by an Associate Dean, is dedicated to the goal of training a diverse workforce of biomedical scientists, scholars, and teachers. This goal is realized through the support of various PhD programs and subprograms affiliated with the biomedical sciences, and the support of postdoctoral students training in laboratories of Carver College of Medicine (CCOM) biomedical faculty. The OGPS works closely with the Graduate College of the University of Iowa to achieve its mission.
As the hub of the various biomedical science graduate programs, OGPS strives to cultivate a sense of community with shared activities and resources among all our scholars, pre- and post-doctoral.
There are approximately 300 graduate (PhD) and 200 postdoctoral students enrolled in various programs that are under the auspices of OGPS. These students comprise the workforce that drives biomedical science in CCOM, and our faculty is critically dependent on these students to perform research. The quality and quantity of these students are crucial to the success of the research mission of CCOM.
A Summary:
- These 13 programs and subprograms matriculate about 60 new students each year.
- Time-to-degree is around 5.5 years; completion rates are around 80 percent.
- Students are typically funded during their first year (rotations) by the institution (CCOM, Graduate College), and thereafter by the mentor and/or training grants.
- Current stipend ($34,500 for 2024-2025) is competitive with peer institutions and programs. Altogether, the graduate student financial package includes stipend, tuition, fees, and health care/fringe, and the value of the package is approximately $54,000. This is highly competitive nationally, especially taking into account the very low cost of living in the Iowa City area.
The Programs
There are 13 graduate programs under the auspices of OGPS.
Biomedical Science Program (BSP): The BSP is a first-year umbrella program, organized to matriculate approximately 25 students/year, provide a common didactic curriculum, and provide 3 laboratory rotations after which students affiliate with a subprogram. The BSP feeds into 7 Subprograms:
- Cancer Biology
- Cell & Developmental Biology
- Experimental Pathology
- Free Radical & Radiation Biology
- Molecular Medicine
- Molecular Physiology & Biophysics
- Pharmacology
Two departmentally based PhD programs:
Four interdisciplinary PhD programs. Most of the students in these programs are in CCOM labs.
Postdoctoral Program
CCOM faculty relies extensively on ~200 postdoctoral scholars for their research mission.
- Postdocs are more independent, publish more than graduate students and often win external funding.
- Paid according to the recommended NIH scale; current annual salary is $61,008. Postdocs are supported by their mentor and/or training grants.
- 5-year cap on longevity (per NIH regulations).
Mission Statement
OGPS is dedicated to the goal of training a diverse workforce of biomedical scientists, scholars, and teachers.
A Ceremonial Welcome
For the past three years, the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine has welcomed our new PhD students in the fall with a Lab Coat Ceremony held at the end of Orientation Week, this year on Friday afternoon, August 23. At this event, students receive a personalized lab coat, symbolizing their entry into the biomedical research workforce. This is similar to white coat ceremonies often held in medical or other health professional programs. In our annual event, we emphasize how the coat symbolizes scientific responsibility and belonging to an elite community of scholars at the University of Iowa.
CCOM Dean Patricia Winokur (above) greeted the students with a history of the lab coat. Drs. Kim and Thorne (below) assist a new Human Toxicology student with her coat.
