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UF Health University of Florida
Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences College of Medicine
Students Overview

First Year Students

Welcome to the Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences at the UF College of Medicine.

The mission of the UF COM BMS PhD program is to cultivate the next generation of leading scientists. This program is dedicated to training highly skilled and independent biomedical researchers who will drive innovation and discovery. This is achieved by providing a rigorous curriculum, fostering an innovative and collaborative research environment, and equipping students with critical thinking, experimental design, and communication skills necessary to make significant contributions to scientific knowledge. The program also emphasizes cutting-edge research methodologies, ethical considerations, and effective translation of findings into impactful advancements in health and medicine.

The hallmark of the BMS Program is the strong cadre of faculty mentors across a wide breadth of fields and thus includes members from several different departments and colleges at UF. These faculty mentors coordinate their efforts for the common goal of providing outstanding training, career development and mentorship, where they are constantly striving to challenge our students and provide the opportunity for discovery. In summary, our faculty mentors are educators, research guides, and professional role models who are dedicated to fostering the next generation of researchers.

2025 Cohort Information/Important Dates

Fall Orientation:

1st Year Fall Courses

  • GMS 6001 Fundamentals of Biomedical Sciences (5 credits)
  • GMS 6003 First-year Mentoring Groups (1 credit)
  • GMS 6090 First-year Journal Club (1 credit)
  • GMS 6090 Research Rotations #1 & #2 (1 credit each)

GMS 6001 Fundamentals of Biomedical Sciences

Fundamentals of Biomedical Sciences is a one-semester course consisting of lectures, discussion groups, grand rounds, and team-based learning activities.  The course provides exposure to fundamentals of all of the disciplines represented by the advanced concentrations in the College of Medicine Interdisciplinary Program in Biomedical Science and is designed to prepare students for study in any one of the advanced concentrations and at the same time provide training which is sufficiently broad to accommodate a diversity of careers in virtually any branch of modern biomedical science. While the lectures provide a survey of the material, the discussions provide a more intimate, in-depth examination of individual topics. Discussion groups consist of approximately ten students and one discussion leader. Most discussions focus on a research article and provide in-depth discussion of a discipline through a rigorous examination of this literature. To ensure uniformity among all of the discussion groups, a coordinator for each discussion will identify the appropriate literature and major points to be covered by all of the discussion groups. Grand rounds consist of a presentation by a basic scientist and/or a clinician covering clinically important aspects of human disease related lecture or discussion material. Grand rounds are intended to enhance the significance of the other aspects of the course and provide insight into the relevance of basic research into current problems in public health.  Team-based learning (TBL) exercises are designed to evaluate scientific knowledge and develop skills in interpreting experimental data. Additional novel learning activities may appear on an experimental basis.

GMS 6003 First-Year Mentoring Groups

The first-year mentoring groups were created to support our first year students as they transition into graduate school. Within the Biomedical Sciences Program, the groups offer students with a “home base” until choosing a research mentor. The small groups are comprised of a graduate faculty member and one to two advanced graduate students. Each mentoring group will discuss a wide range of topics, including graduate school expectations, laboratory rotation selections, preparing for core course exams, and preparing for rotation practice talks. Students are encouraged to actively participate in group discussions and to feel comfortable asking questions and providing feedback. There is a schedule of weekly topics that will be provided to the group. The outline each week is prepared by an advanced student leader.

GMS 6090 First-Year Journal Club

Within the first year of the College of Medicine’s Biomedical Sciences (BMS) PhD Program, students are encouraged to explore different research areas in order to make informed decisions in committing to a specific dissertation research topic.   In this course, students have the flexibility to attend any concentration journal club of interest. Students are required to attend the journal club once per week of the Fall semester’s academic calendar. Students will need to reach out to the individual journal club course directors to be included on any communications since they are not officially registered for each individual course. Students are allowed to attend as many different journal clubs as they would like in the Fall semester and will be required to provide a written summary of the discussion to the First Year Journal Club course director.

GMS 6090 Research Rotations

Within the College of Medicine’s Biomedical Sciences (BMS) PhD Program, students undertake research rotations which are 6-weeks in length.  Students are required to complete at least two research rotations with two different faculty in the Fall of Year 1. There is an option for a third and fourth rotation in the Spring of Year 1, although a fourth rotation requires approval from the Assistant Dean of the BMS PhD program. Each rotation is 1 credit hour of GMS6090.

Rotation 1: September 8th – October 17th (6 weeks)

Break #1: October 20th – October 24th (1 week)

Rotation 2: October 27th – December 12th (6 weeks)

Break #2: December 12th – January 9th (1 week)

Rotation 3: January 12th – February 20th (6 weeks)

Break #3: February 23rd – February 27th (1 week)

Rotation 4: March 2nd – April 10th (6 weeks)

Please submit your rotation information here.