David Geffen School of Medicine
6506 Gonda Center
Box 957088
Los Angeles, CA 90095-7088
Human Genetics
310-794-5423
Department e-mail
The goal of the graduate program is to train the next generation of leaders in human genetics. This broad and rapidly evolving field of research incorporates multiple areas of modern experimental biology (including but not limited to molecular and behavioral genetics, epigenetics, biochemistry, cell and developmental biology, imaging, and large-scale omics approaches such as genomics, transcriptomics, and functional genomics) and of computational biology (including bioinformatics and biostatistics). In their research, students tackle Mendelian diseases and genetically complex traits of key relevance to human health.
A wide variety of courses is offered to equip future independent researchers with fundamental knowledge about state-of-the-art methods for generating experimental data on a genome-wide scale and computational and statistical approaches to draw from the data sound conclusions of biological and medical significance. In addition, courses on medical and ethical issues provide students with a societal perspective on human genetics.
Graduate students are expected to demonstrate integrity, creativity, critical thinking, perseverance, motivation, and determination to work hard; effective and appropriate oral and written communication skills needed for scientific presentation of the data including content, organization, logical flow, grammar, vocabulary, and proper citations; and the ability to design, revise, create, and implement experimental protocols and computational programs. They learn topics including transfer of biological information in a living organism, how genotype affects phenotype (subsuming environment), genetic variation in population, principles of research in genetics and genomics; and themes including evolution of thought in genetics and genomics history, how genetic informs disease and vice versa, genomics and integrating current tools in genomics research (statistical analysis, big data, and bioinformatics), and analysis in genetics and genomics.
An MD/PhD program is also offered.
