Graduate Training Program

Training Philosophy

The Graduate Program in Infectious Diseases and Experimental Pathology offers research training leading to the degrees of Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy. The primary objectives of the training program are to cultivate problem-solving abilities, independent thought, and those attitudes essential for conducting research. The goal is to produce graduates who are capable of functioning successfully as independent investigators in academic, governmental or industrial research positions.

Areas of Graduate Training

Graduate training is available in a number of areas based upon the expertise of departmental faculty. These areas include basic and applied research in the areas of bacterial, parasitic, and viral diseases and pathobiology. Specific areas include:

  • Immunology and molecular biology of livestock diseases in the tropics and subtropics, with emphasis on hemoparasites.
  • Molecular aspects of viral infections, with emphasis on herpesviruses, poxviruses, and lentiviruses.
  • Pathogenic mechanisms of disease, including pulmonary pathology.
  • Microbe-host interactions.
  • Epidemiology and control of infectious diseases of livestock, wildlife, and pets.
  • Diseases of wildlife and exotic animals.
  • Molecular and biochemical analysis of the immune system.
  • Comparative and experimental pathology.

The following faculty members serve as mentors in the training of graduate students:

            Dr. Jeffrey Abbott
            Dr. David R. Allred
            Dr. Anthony F. Barbet
            Dr. Daniel R. Brown
            Dr. Mary B. Brown
            Dr. William L. Castleman
            Dr. John B. Dame
            Dr. E. Paul J.Gibbs
            Dr. Maureen T. Long
            Dr. Ayalew Mergia
            Dr. Barbara Sheppard
            Dr. Marilyn G. Spalding
            Dr. Janet Yamamoto

Graduate Courses

A list of available courses can be obtained from the U.F. Graduate Catalog. Graduate students will take advantage of courses offered both within this department and in other departments and colleges across campus, as appropriate to the student’s course of study. Graduate training may be combined with a clinical residency in Anatomical Pathology or Laboratory Animal Medicine.

General Facilities

The facilities of the Graduate Program include laboratory and clinical facilities in the Veterinary Academic Research Building, the Veterinary Medical Center, the J. Hillis Miller Health Sciences Center, and the Biotechnology Center at Progress Park in Alachua. Laboratories are equipped for research in cellular and molecular biology, immunology, and membrane biochemistry. An infectious diseases isolation facility for large domestic animals is located at the Progress Park and is one of only a few such Biosafety Level 2 facilities available in the United States. The Veterinary Academic Research Building includes two Biosafety Level 3 laboratories. The U.F. Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research operates a number of core facilities to support biotechnology research, provides technical training, and sponsors workshops and seminars to enhance the research environment. The Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathology has a number of common-use facilities, and instruments for specialized applications, which would also be available for graduate student use. The Health Science Center Libraries carry on-line and print subscriptions to an extensive array of publications in the health, biomedical, and biological sciences. A branch library containing journals of particular importance to veterinary medicine is housed within the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Financial Aid

Financial aid for the first year of graduate study is available in the form of stipends and part-time or full-time assistantships, on a competitive basis, for well-qualified graduate students. As a rule, support of students by their faculty mentors will be expected in second and subsequent years, although some students may obtain financial aid from extra-departmental sources. Teaching and research assistantships include payment of tuition in most circumstances, although the student is responsible for payment of certain per credit hour service fees.

Cost of Living

Limited on-campus dormitory housing is available for single and married students. Off-campus housing is plentiful, with apartments ranging in cost from a low of $425 (studio) to a high of $1300 (large, luxury 3 bedroom). See links to the left for more information.

Applications

Applications are accepted against a single annual deadline of 01 February, for admission to the following Fall semester. Applications are welcomed from individuals with or without a veterinary degree. Applicants should have a strong undergraduate background in the biological sciences, chemistry, and mathematics. Minimum requirements are an undergraduate GPA of 3.2 or higher (or equivalent), a minimum GRE score of 1000, and three letters of recommendation. Foreign applicants must have a minimum TOEFL score of 550 (paper-based), 213 (computer-based), or 79 (internet-based).

Electronic application for admission to graduate study in Veterinary Medical Sciences is the preferred method of submitting an application. If your web browser cannot handle forms, materials for a paper application may be downloaded and printed from the electronic application page. Please note that a new required section of the application is a one-page essay in which the prospective student shall express their: (1) research interests; (2) future goals and desired career path; (3) specific departmental faculty whose programs best fit your research interests and why; and (4) interest in the IDEP program in particular. This essay replaces the short "statement of research interests" that is currently a part of the application. This more detailed information will both help us to better determine your fit with the department and individual faculty, and with the overarching environment within the IDEP graduate program.

Correspondence and Information


Dr. Maureen Long , Graduate Coordinator
Graduate Program in Infectious Diseases and Experimental Pathology
Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathology
College of Veterinary Medicine
P.O. Box 110880
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-0880
Telephone (352) 392-2239 ext. 4026
FAX (352) 392-9704
e-mail: longm@vetmed.ufl.edu