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The Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group is composed
of a broad group of faculty drawn from different departments
and schools of the University of Pennsylvania and its affiliated
institutions. The functions of the Graduate Group are to educate
graduate students in the areas of cell and molecular biology
and to award graduate degrees to students who meet the standards
of the program.
The Graduate Group shall be governed by an Executive Committee
and a Chairperson. In addition, there shall be Program Directors
responsible for each of six specialized Programs: Cell Growth
and Cancer, Cell Biology and Physiology, Developmental Biology,
Gene Therapy and Vaccines, Genetics and Gene Regulation, and
Microbiology, Virology and Parasitology.
Six Programs currently exist within the Cell and Molecular Biology
Graduate Group: Cell Growth and Cancer, Cell Biology and Physiology,
Developmental Biology, Gene Therapy and Vaccines, Genetics and
Gene Regulation, and Microbiology, Virology and Parasitology.
Programs exist within the Graduate Group to offer education
and training in specific areas of cell and molecular biology.
All students must affiliate with a Program and students may
switch between programs with the permission of the program chairs
involved. A switch between Programs after the beginning of the
second year might involve taking additional courses.
Each Program is responsible for the design and implementation
of a specialized curriculum appropriate to its specialized topic,
the academic advising and supervision of the students in its
Program, the supervision of preliminary exams, the organization
and supervision of thesis committees, and the organization of
program specific activities and events. In addition, each program
shall cooperate with the CAMB graduate group in the establishment
of a core curriculum, the integration of Program specific curricula
with the overall CAMB curriculum, as well as the recruiting
and supervision of students.
The organization of these activities may vary by Program, but
at a minimum, there must be Program Chair that is elected or
whose selection is ratified by the program faculty. The Program
Chair will be responsible for organizing program activities
and will represent the Program on the Executive Committee.
Establishment or disbandment of Programs shall require approval
by two-thirds of the membership of the Executive Committee and
must be ratified by more than half of the CAMB faculty members.
Changes in the composition of Program specific committees and
Program procedures shall be determined by each Program individually.
- Function of the Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall have the responsibility for
all Graduate Group-wide activities. These include admissions,
overall curriculum development, overseeing faculty membership,
interacting with the Biomedical Graduate Studies administration
and final authority in student-related matters.
- Composition of the Committee
The Executive Committee shall be composed of the Chair of
the Graduate Group, the Chairs or their designees from each
of the six Programs, two graduate student representatives,
and a representative from the MD/PhD program nominated by
the MD/PhD program director with consultation and approval
by the CAMB executive committee. Each Program Chair may
bring one member of their faculty to meetings as appropriate.
The Executive Committee shall meet monthly or more often
if necessary. Issues discussed by the Executive Committee
shall be decided by majority vote. Each program shall have
one vote, as shall the Chair of the Graduate Group. A quorum
shall consist of two-thirds of the Committee membership
including students. On matters pertaining to individual
students or faculty, the graduate student members of the
Committee shall be asked to absent themselves.
- The Graduate Group Chair
The Graduate Group Chair shall preside over the Executive
Committee, lead Graduate Group meetings, and serve as one
of the three representatives of CAMB to the Biomedical Graduate
Studies Advisory Committee. The Graduate Group Chair shall
either be one of the Program Directors currently serving
or a former Program Director who has just completed a term
in that capacity. Terms shall be for two years.
The following committees serve at the discretion of the Executive
Committee.
- Admissions Committee and Its Chair
The Chair of the Admissions Committee shall be chosen by
the Executive Committee and shall report to the Executive
Faculty at least once per year.
The Admissions Committee shall be composed of the Chair
and at least one faculty representative from each of the
six programs. Two additional members shall each be responsible
for all applications from under-represented minorities and
for international applications, respectively. Faculty appointments
are for two years. Committee members review new student
applications and develop recruitment strategies. Three members
will be designated as members of the BGS Admission Committee
with full voting rights. Presentation of favorable applicants
to the Biomedical Graduate Studies Admissions Committee
may be made by any member of the Admissions Committee.
- Curriculum Committee and Its Chair
The Chair of the Curriculum Committee shall be chosen by
the Executive Committee and shall report to the Executive
Faculty at least twice per year.
The Curriculum Committee Chair shall preside over a Committee
consisting of one faculty representative and one student
from each Program. Appointments are for two years, with
half being appointed each year. The Curriculum Committee
shall plan and coordinate courses. It is expected that courses
will be developed for individual Programs by the Programs
themselves and presented to the CAMB Curriculum Committee
for approval. The Chair of the Curriculum Committee shall
be a member of the Biomedical Graduate Studies Curriculum
Committee, as shall any two other faculty members.
- Events Committee and Its Chair
The Chair of this Committee shall be chosen by the Executive
Committee and shall report to the Executive Faculty at least
once per year.
The Chair of the Events Committee shall appoint students
and faculty chosen from interested volunteers. The Events
Committee is responsible for organizing the annual Graduate
Group Symposium and other social or scientific events.
- Guidelines for Faculty Membership
Candidates applying for membership in CAMB must have a faculty
appointment at the University of Pennsylvania. All candidates
must demonstrate, commensurate with their experience, a
strong commitment to and competence PhD graduate training
and graduate teaching. All faculty must have an independent
laboratory and clearly demonstrated expertise and productivity
in Cell and Molecular Biology as judged, for example, by
multiple first or last authored publications in highly respected
peer-reviewed journals within the field. Faculty applying
for membership three or more years after their initial appointment
must demonstrate the presence of an active and independent,
high quality research program appropriate for the training
of graduate students. This can be accomplished, for example,
through a distinguished record of publications in the field
of Cell and Molecular biology, a history of outside funding,
and participation in graduate teaching or graduate group
activities.
- Admission of New Faculty
The following procedures shall be followed for admission
to the Graduate Group:
Faculty who wish to join the Graduate Group in Cell and
Molecular Biology must submit the following documentation
to the Chair of CAMB:
• A current curriculum vitae, including grant support
and training record.
• A paragraph (approximately 200 words) describing
the faculty's research and two bibliographic reference citations.
• For newly appointed (within two years) and adjunct
faculty (faculty with primary appointments outside the University
of Pennsylvania), written confirmation that the faculty
member currently holds an appointment in a department at
the University of Pennsylvania.
• A letter of understanding that specifies the Program
with which the applicant wishes to affiliate and states
the faculty member's willingness to serve on administrative
or examination committees, attend thesis defenses, attend
Graduate Group and Program seminars, attend general meetings
of the Graduate Group, develop and teach graduate level
courses, host seminar speakers, serve as a facilitator for
BGS bioethics training at least once every three years,
and pay the fee for the annual CAMB Symposium, as well as
attend at least one Symposium every three years.
These submissions will be reviewed by the Program Chair
and then submitted to the Executive Committee for its approval.
The Executive Committee will only accept faculty who are
likely to be suitable mentors for graduate students and
are willing to contribute to graduate group activities.
It is encouraged that the prospective CAMB member contact
the relevant Program Chair before formally submitting an
application
The Graduate Group Chair will forward the names of accepted
applicants to the Director of Biomedical Graduate Studies
twice per year: May 15 and November 15. The Biomedical Graduate
Studies Office will confirm the applicant's University appointment
and send a letter of confirmation of Graduate Group membership.
Once admitted to a specific program, a faculty member may
supervise a rotation or dissertation for any student in
the Graduate Group, regardless of the Program that the student
has selected. Supervision of graduate students is contingent
on demonstrating the capability of supporting a student,
should he/she do a thesis in that laboratory. Membership
in a Program requires participation in Program-specific
and CAMB-wide activities (see Renewing Membership, below).
- Renewing Membership in the Graduate Group
Each new appointment and reappointment to the Graduate Group
is for a three-year term. The term may be renewed for another
three years by the Executive Committee. In order to qualify
for renewal of membership, an individual must meet the service
requirements outlined below and maintain a strong independent
research program suitable for the training of graduate students.
Each Graduate Group member must complete an average of 50
service hours per year over a three-year period. Graduate
Group and Program chairs, training grant principle investigators,
and course directors are exempt from the teaching and administrative
service requirements.
• Teaching/Academic Committee Service: A minimum of
15 of the 50 hours must be devoted to teaching and/or service
on academic committees. Teaching is defined to include directing
courses, preparing and giving lectures, other course preparation
and in-class time, grading, and the like. Academic committee
service includes participation in preliminary exam and thesis
committees. This service category does not include supervision
of a rotation or dissertation student.
• Administrative Committee Service/Supervision of
Students in the Lab: The remaining hours per year must be
performed in areas such as serving on administrative committees
and supervising rotations and dissertations.
• Bioethics Training: Each faculty member must participate
in a bioethics training program at least once during each
three-year term. This requirement may be met by serving
as a discussion leader of a BGS Bioethics Workshop; other
options for participation include attending other relevant
BGS-approved University bioethics courses or symposia.
Documentation for the evaluation will be provided by annual
surveys submitted by each faculty member to the CAMB office
and by written confirmation of faculty teaching contributions
generated by the Curriculum Committee. Failure to provide
the necessary information in a timely manner could be construed
as a failure to meet the service requirements of the graduate
group.
The Executive Committee, advised by recommendations of the
Program Chairs, shall make decisions regarding membership.
A faculty member whose membership is not renewed may appeal
the decision to his or her Program Chair. The Executive
Committee will vote again on reappointment after this meeting.
In accordance with BGS policy, each graduate group shall
be reviewed every six years.
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