Admission to Candidacy Exam
Only students who have successfully completed Fundamental Immunology & Microbiology and at least one module of Advanced Topics in Immunology are eligible to take the ACE. Students are strongly encouraged to read successful NIH grant applications as preparation for the ACE and to take advantage of the Advanced Topics in Immunology modules to practice developing specific aims and experimental designs.
Advanced Topics in Immunology
Course Director: Julie Magarian Blander, PhD
This course is for students who have completed the Fundamental Immunology course. The intent is to acquaint participants with the latest developments in the field of immunobiology and microbial pathogenesis, and to provide guidance for honing skills in scientific discussion and critical thinking. Over the years IMP has developed a portfolio of six-week mini-courses on a variety of front-line topics. Under the motto of learning from each other, each academic year faculty and students choose up to four topics from the repertory or design new ones. While faculty will recruit lecturers from within their own ranks, our sister programs and experts from neighboring institutions, students will actively participate in the course organization and run the discussion sessions following each of the didactic lectures given by the faculty member. Selected topics will be studied in great depth, covering historical perspectives, underlying principles, current status, significance for contemporary immunology and prospects for translational application. Moreover, attempts will be made to connect immunological specialization with general principles of biology and biochemistry.
Electives
Students are encouraged to take at least one of the following courses as electives:
- Molecular Genetics bootcamp
- Biochemistry & Structural Biology bootcamp
- Microbial Pathogenesis (offered at Rockefeller)
- Journal Club: This is not a registered course. However, students are highly encouraged to participate in one journal club held on campus. Options include the IMP student-run journal club or journal clubs associated with rotation labs.
Fundamental Immunology and Microbiology
Course Director: Ming Li, PhD
Quarters I and II of this course provide a comprehensive overview of basic immunology beginning with the innate immune responses, followed by a study of the main aspects of acquired immunity. Specific interactions of target cells and T cells that are regulated by the MHC molecule and peptide antigens on the target cell and the antigen specific T cell receptor are studied. The generation and molecular structure of B and T cell antigen receptors, and signaling through immune receptors are covered in detail. Additionally, the development of antigen specific T and B cells and specific roles for some cytokines/lymphokines are also explored. Quarters III and IV of the course cover in more depth T and B cell-mediated immunity and topics of clinical relevance, such as microbial immunity, allergy, autoimmunity, tumor immunology, congenital and acquired immunodeficiencies, transplantation immunology, and immunotherapy. All the topics are studied through lectures and in-depth review of selected articles.
Course Syllabus: 2023-2024_fim_syllabus.pdf
Immunology Research in Progress
Course Director: Alexander Gitlin, PhD
This course is designed to provide all IMP students with the opportunity to present their thesis research to a critical audience composed of their peers, postdoctoral trainees, and faculty. The experience gained is invaluable for developing into an independent scientist.
Introduction to Biostatistics
Course Directors: Paul Christos, DrPH and Anjali Rajadhyaksha, PhD
This course is an introduction to the fundamental statistical issues in the design of biological/clinical and translational research studies. Its primary emphasis is on understanding the design and analytic methods of biological/medical research from a statistical perspective. Lectures and homework assignments will focus on the following: exploratory data analysis; basic concepts of statistical analysis; construction of hypothesis tests and confidence intervals; the application of statistical methods for analyzing data; the application of statistical models to relate a response variable to explanatory or descriptive (covariate) variables; and an introduction to meta-analysis.
Microbial Pathogenesis
This course provides an overview of bacterial, protozoan, and metazoan pathogens, and the diverse mechanisms by which they elicit disease in humans. Select topics will also be presented on the evolution and diversity of cellular and genetic systems in human pathogens. The course includes a discussion of pathogen immune evasion strategies and will therefore assume Fundamental Immunology as a pre-requisite or concurrent course.
Spring 2022 Microbial Pathogenesis- Rockefeller University
Infectious diseases continue to be a leading cause of human morbidity and mortality worldwide as well as an important cause of economic loss and the ‘poverty trap’ in developing countries. Microbial Pathogenesis focuses on the molecular mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions and pathogenesis of representative bacterial, fungal, and protozoan diseases. Topics include malaria, trypanosomiasis, toxoplasmosis, selected gram-negative and gram-positive bacterial infections, pathogenic mycobacteria, opportunistic mycoses, the evolution of pathogenicity, and the impact of the host microbiota during microbial pathogenesis, and the development of antimicrobials and vaccines. The course is taught by Rockefeller and Cornell faculty and selected guest speakers. Each class includes a lecture followed by an in-depth discussion of assigned papers with the lecturer. The discussion can be continued at lunch with the speaker.
Each class includes a lecture, followed by one or two (depending on the number of students) 20- minute presentations by students on a paper suggested by the speaker in which they outline follow-up experiments. Lunch with the speaker follows for a set of interested students. Course requirements include attendance, participation in the discussions, individual presentations, and a three-page research proposal at the end of the course.
Course Directors: Luciano Marraffini and Jeremy Rock
Drs. Marraffini and Rock will offer Microbial Pathogenesis in Spring 2022.
Stay tuned for the Microbial Pathogenesis course syllabus.
Dates: March 4– June 17, 2022
Day/Time: Fridays from 10 am -12:00 pm
Location: Carson Auditorium
Quantitative Understanding in Biology
This course will prepare students to apply quantitative techniques to the analysis of experimental data and the modeling of biological systems. To emphasize both practical and theoretical skills, the material will be presented whenever possible in a hands-on workshop style, and the completion of several projects by the students will be required. Topics include: practical aspects of data formatting and management; communication of quantitative concepts (verbal, graphical and mathematical); a review of statistics, with emphasis on the selection of appropriate statistical tests; the use of modern software packages; the interpretation of results; the formulation, evaluation and analysis of mathematical models of biological function, with an emphasis on linear and non-linear regression, determination of model parameters; and the critical comparison of alternative models with regard to over-parameterization. The formal components will introduce (and demystify) ordinary and partial differential equations and basic principles of non-linear dynamics, in order to enable quantitative modeling in biological arenas such as neural function, enzyme kinetics, cardiac dynamics and signaling pathways. Additional special topics will also be presented (e.g., control theory, machine learning, information theory, and image analysis) and their application will be illustrated with ongoing research in the laboratories of participating faculty.
2021 Quantitative Biology (Qbio) Course Registration
Non-PBS students may now satisfy the Quantitative Biology course requirement by taking IDPT 9001 01, Applied Quantitative Techniques for Biological Sciences. PBS students should register for PBSB 5005 01, Quantitative Understanding in Bio 1.
If any non-PBS student including students in the Tri-Institutional programs wishes to enroll, please email Dr. Lucy Skrabanek to request permission to enroll.
Applied Quantitative Techniques for the Biological Sciences
There is a new course this Fall substituting the traditional Quant Bio course. The new course is entitled Applied Quantitative Techniques for the Biological Sciences. This course will be delivered to students of all programs including Neuro, Pharmacology, IMP, and BCMB.
Dates: August 23, 2021- October 22, 2021
Day(s)/Time: Tuesday and Thursday, 5:30pm – 7:00pm
Syllabus: 
2021_applied_quantitative_techniques_for_biologicial_sciences_syllabus.pdf
If you are interested in enrolling in the course please contact: Chun-Jun Guo
Responsible Conduct of Research
The RCR course is open to all members of the Tri-Institutional (Tri-I) and WCMC Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC) communities. Successful completion of the course is required for all trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars receiving support through NIH or NSF Institutional Research Training Grants, Individual Fellowship Awards, Career Development Awards (Institutional and Individual), Research Education Grants, Dissertation Research Grants, or other grant programs with a training component that requires instruction in responsible conduct of research as noted in the Funding Opportunity Announcement. The responsible conduct of research is the practice of scientific investigation with integrity. Training in this area is an essential component of research training; awareness and application of established professional norms and ethical principles is required in the performance of all activities related to scientific research. Weill Cornell Medical College is committed to fostering an environment that promotes the practice of scientific investigation with integrity. This course is intended to help fulfill that commitment.
Seminars in Immunology
This course exposes all graduate students in the program to cutting-edge research by national and international leaders in all fields of immunology, including natural immunity, B and T cell biology, immunity to infectious agents, and tumors.