Education and Training

PMI members organize courses and provide research training in muscle, cell motility, and the cytoskeleton through graduate programs in the School of Medicine, the School of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

All PMI graduate students are enrolled in one of the following programs: Biology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Bioengineering, Cell and Molecular Biology, Neuroscience, Physics. For more information about specific graduate programs, send us an email that includes your name, address, and research interests. For more information about post-doctoral opportunities, send us your name, address, statement of research interests, and your current curriculum vitae. Also, please see the Biomedical Postdoctoral Program website for more detailed information about the training and education opportunities available at The University of Pennsylvania: http://www.med.upenn.edu/postdoc

NIH-Supported Training Program in Muscle Biology and Muscle Disease

The PMI has a vibrant training program in Muscle Biology and Muscle Disease, supported in part by a T32 award from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). Members of the Penn community are known world-wide for excellence in muscle research, and this program facilitates collaborative training opportunities for predoctoral students and postdoctoral fellows. Our training program enables trainees to work in laboratories directed by principal investigators who are leaders in the study of the cell biology, genetics, physiology, and/or pathology of muscle. Although the range of interests and expertise of the trainers on this grant is broad, the training is focused on elucidating the mechanisms of muscle function and disease. The program is designed to take advantage of the highly collaborative nature of the faculty, thus providing the trainees with the opportunity to integrate molecular and clinical aspects of muscle biology into their research. This training diversity provides an unparalleled training environment in the area of muscle biology. Participating faculty include:

• Rita J. Balice-Gordon, Ph.D., Neuroscience, School of Medicine
• Elisabeth R. Barton, Ph.D., Anatomy and Cell Biology, Dental School
• Stephen M. Baylor, M.D., Physiology, School of Medicine
• Dennis E. Discher, Ph.D., Chemical & Biomolecular, Mechanical, and BioEngineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science
• Roberto Dominguez, Ph.D., Physiology, School of Medicine
• Jonathan A. Epstein, M.D., Cell & Developmental Biology, School of Medicine
• Clara Franzini-Armstrong, Ph.D., Cell & Developmental Biology, School of Medicine
• Yale E. Goldman, M.D., Ph.D., Physiology, School of Medicine
• Erika L.F. Holzbaur, Ph.D., Physiology, School of Medicine
• Anna Kashina, Ph.D., Animal Biology/Biochemistry, School of Veterinary Medicine
• Tejvir Khurana, M.D., Ph.D., Physiology, School of Medicine
• Todd Lamitina, Ph.D., Physiology, School of Medicine
• Jon M. Lindstrom, Ph.D., Neuroscience, School of Medicine
• E. Michael Ostap, Ph.D., Physiology, School of Medicine
• Michael S. Parmacek, M.D., Medicine, School of Medicine
• Celeste Simon, Ph.D., Cell & Developmental Biology, School of Medicine
• Hansell H. Stedman, M.D., Surgery, School of Medicine
• H. Lee Sweeney, Ph.D., Physiology, School of Medicine

Interested candidates should contact:

Dr. E. Michael Ostap, Ph.D.
Director, Pennsylvania Muscle Institute
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Email: ostap@mail.med.upenn.edu