Biomedical Sciences, Research Master's Program
The Biomedical Sciences Research Master’s Program at Eastern Virginia Medical School provides students with laboratory experience and a strong foundation of biomedical science knowledge.
Key advantages of this program:
- Broad-based interdisciplinary curriculum
- Personalized program of study
- Close interaction with the faculty
Research focus areas include:
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular Biology
- Diabetes
- Infectious Disease
- Neuroscience
- Reproductive Biology
Research Master's student Jessica Burket and Dr. Amy Tang, her co-mentor
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Jess completed her Research Master’s degree in 2013. She entered the program with a background in behavioral sciences, and was seeking coursework and hands-on laboratory experiences in basic biomedical sciences. The program introduced Jess to rigorous, well-taught courses in biochemistry and molecular biology, which led her to think about translational applications of her coursework to problems in schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders and PTSD. Jess selected two mentors, Dr. Stephen I. Deutsch from the Department of Psychiatry, and Dr. Amy H. Tang, from the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Cell Biology, who could effectively “marry” her passionate interests in clinical problems in Psychiatry with the latest tools, techniques and knowledge of molecular and cell biology. For her thesis, Jess characterized mouse models of autism and showed that targeting a specific glutamate receptor improved their social behavior. She is continuing to study the signal transduction pathway that may be activated by glutamate in these models. Her Master’s degree program has been an interesting and exciting journey that resulted in several publications and presentations at major scientific meetings. She owes much to the graduate program in Biomedical Sciences at EVMS and she is most grateful!