HILS Home > Programs of Study > Biological Sciences in Public Health
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Programs and DisciplinesThe program in Biological Sciences in Public Health (BPH), established in 1993, trains students in individual fields of biological research with a focus on prevention and better treatment of diseases affecting large populations. Students in the BPH program obtain a broad interdisciplinary knowledge of both mechanistic and quantitative approaches to biomedical research. The program trains research scientists in the following areas: molecular and integrative physiology; nutritional biochemistry; cellular and organismal metabolism; cancer cell biology; gene regulation in human disease; gene-environment and cell-environment interactions; inflammation and stress response; immunology; infectious diseases involving protozoa, helminths, viruses and bacteria. All of these areas are studied with an emphasis on cellular and molecular biology and genetic approaches to disease mechanisms.
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Our research, whether basic or translational, is relevant to human health. Students apply cutting-edge technology to the solution of worldwide problems with a focus toward better treatment and prevention of human diseases. It has become increasingly evident that progress in disease prevention is optimally promoted by a close interaction between scientists from diverse disciplines, including genetics, cell biology, biochemistry, physiology, systems biology and epidemiology. To achieve that goal, the BPH program is rooted in the rich and diverse environment of the Harvard School of Public Health, dedicated to advancing the public’s health through learning, discovery, and communication. The field of public health is inherently multi-disciplinary and so, too, are the interests and expertise of the School’s faculty and students, which extend across the biological, quantitative, and social sciences. With our roots in biology, we are able to confront the most pressing diseases of our time (e.g., AIDS, malaria, obesity and diabetes, and cancer), gaining insights into their underlying mechanisms and uncovering therapeutic opportunities. Core quantitative disciplines like epidemiology and biostatistics are also fundamental to analyzing the broad impact of health problems, allowing us to look beyond individuals to entire populations. From advancing scientific discovery to training national and international leaders, the Harvard School of Public Health has been at the forefront of efforts to benefit the health of populations worldwide. Shaping new ideas in our field and communicating them effectively will continue to be priorities of the BPH program in the years ahead as we serve society’s changing health needs.
Program of Study and Academic Requirements
The program offers opportunities in a wide range of laboratory experiences and considerable interaction among the program components. Academic programs fulfill individual needs and goals through core and advanced courses, seminars, rotations in laboratories, and a qualifying examination. Rotations are an integral part; they allow students to investigate several types of research and laboratories before choosing a thesis laboratory by the end of their first year.
Although individual programs vary, generally students take a qualifying examination during their second year. After successful completion of the qualifying examination, the thesis advisor supervises the doctoral candidate's research and study, with an advisory committee periodically reviewing progress.
Typically, about four years of laboratory work are needed to complete the thesis research, which is defended before three examiners. Generally, students complete the degree in five to six years.
To qualify for admission, applicants must demonstrate strong enthusiasm and ability for the vigorous pursuit of scientific knowledge for optimal human health. Minimal requirements include a bachelor's degree and undergraduate preparation in calculus, physics, biology, and chemistry, both physical and organic.
Applicants wishing to do research in areas of metabolic dysregulation in complex disease (obesity, metabolic syndrome, cancer), health effects of environmental exposures (air pollution, lung infection, asthma), nutritional biochemistry (nutrient transport and metabolism), gene-environment interactions (epigenetics, inflammation, stress response), immunology and infectious diseases (host-pathogen interactions and protozoa, helminths, viruses or bacteria) usually apply to the Biological Sciences in Public Health (BPH) program.
The complex interplay of biological processes with environmental factors as they apply to chronic, multigenic, and multifactorial diseases is the focus of the Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases. Department faculty aim to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the intricate interaction between genetic determinants and their divergent responses to environmental signals to affect the health of human populations. Research focuses on several broad categories, including metabolism, stress response and inflammatory signaling. Areas of study include diseases such as diabetes and cancer, disease-risk conditions such as obesity, age-related (chronic) diseases, and the normal aging process. These are investigated both at the mechanistic level and in the context of population studies.
Immunology and Infectious Diseases
The Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases focuses on the biological, immunological, epidemiological, and ecological aspects of viral, bacterial, protozoan, and helminthic diseases of animals and humans and the vectors that transmit some of these infectious agents. Research emphasizes basic pathogenic mechanisms that may lead to better diagnostic tools, the development of vaccines and other immune interventions for prevention and control of infection and disease, and the identification of new targets for antiviral and antiparasite drugs. Laboratory-based research may be supplemented by field-based studies of epidemiological and ecological aspects of infectious disease transmission and control. Diseases of developing countries are emphasized, including HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and other parasitic diseases. Immunologic studies focus on genetic regulation of the immune response; molecular mechanisms of the regulation of class II genes; the function and regulation of T-cell-derived cytokines; and cytokines involved in the regulation of inflammation.
Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences
The concentration focuses on normal and pathological functions of organisms. It centers on the respiratory system because the system presents an immense, thin surface area to the environment, and thus is an important route of entry to the body as well as a site of damage from toxins and infections. Areas of study include molecular and cellular mediators and adhesion molecules involved in pulmonary inflammation; toxic mechanisms of inhaled air pollution particles; biomechanics of cells and tissues in normal and diseases lungs; smooth muscle and airway constriction in asthma; and environmental agents and risk of lung infection.
Current research covers a wide range of topics, including large prospective studies of dietary factors in relation to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and ophthalmologic disease; development of methods to assess nutritional status by an analysis of body tissue; the interaction of nutritional factors with genetic determinants of disease; the interaction of nutritional factors and infectious agents; nutritional influence on blood pressure; effects of nutrition programs on the mental and physical consequences of malnutrition; nutritional determinants of blood lipid factors; lipoprotein metabolism; molecular mechanisms of diabetes and obesity and regulation of the intra- and inter-cellular delivery of macromolecular nutrients; determinants of blood lipid factors, lipoprotein metabolism; molecular mechanisms of diabetes and obesity; regulation of the intra-and-inter-cellular delivery of macromolecular nutrients; and the molecular mechanisms leading to atherosclerosis and thrombosis.
Students considering graduate work in the Biological Sciences in Public Health Program should request an application from the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) Office of Admission and Financial Aid.
Students are encouraged to submit their application online via the online GSAS Harvard Integrated Life Sciences (HILS) admissions application. Please make it clear that you're interested in the Biological Sciences in Public Health (BPH) Program (admission code #8500); see GSAS Application Instructions and Information for more details, or contact the Graduate School Office of Admission and Financial Aid at:
Harvard University
1350 Massachusetts Avenue
Holyoke Center 350
Cambridge, MA 02138-3654
telephone: 617-495-5315, 617-495-5396
e-mail: admiss@fas.harvard.edu
The Office of Admissions and Financial Aid is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.
Director:
Marianne Wessling-Resnick, Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry.
Faculty:
A complete directory (searchable by research interest, name, and title) of faculty affiliated with the Biological Sciences in Public Health Program can be found at the HILS Faculty Directory's BPH listing.