The NIH has elected to fund a new T-32 Training Program addressing Biomechanics
in Regenerative Medicine that was developed under the leadership of Michael Sacks,
PhD. The goal of this training program is to provide a solid foundation upon
which to build a productive and independent career in Biomechanics in Regenerative
Medicine (BiRM).
This goal will be accomplished via a highly coordinated and mentored interdisciplinary training program with a combination of required and elective courses, research activities, and specialized training opportunities. The BiRM Training Program incorporates faculty from the Departments of Bioengineering, Mechanical Engineering, Orthopedic Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Urology, and the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, as well as faculty from the Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Departments from Carnegie Mellon University. This combination of training faculty research interests and coursework will provide a rich educational experience and more numerous training opportunities for the students than could be obtained within the individual university departments.
Moreover, the breadth of research areas that span various physiological systems (cardiovascular, musculo-skeletal, and urological) allows for a unique opportunity to train students to become highly skilled problem solvers while avoiding over specialization.
Since the BiRM training program is not central to any one department, its structure permits the student a much wider choice of options with which to pursue a PhD in tissue bioengineering and regeneration. In the current departmental focus of graduate education, a PhD student in one department that wishes to perform thesis research in a laboratory in another department finds many departmental based administrative roadblocks in his/her path. The BiRM program eliminates these roadblocks and permits ever increasing educational options for the students and research collaborations. Coursework includes intensive life science and biomechanics which is utilized to provide the students with a thorough grounding in both areas. Skills acquired in these courses are combined in later courses and the trainees’ research.
For additional information, please contact Dr. Sacks [msacks@pitt.edu]