Biomedical Sciences Program Grown, Prospered Under Immunologist’s Leadership

By Peggy Reisser

When Elizabeth Fitzpatrick, PhD, became the program director of the Integrated Biomedical Sciences program in the College of Graduate Health Sciences in 2016, the graduate program had five basic science tracks – Microbiology, Immunology, and Biochemistry; Neuroscience; Cancer Developmental Biology; Cell Biology and Physiology (now Molecular and Translational Physiology); and Molecular and Systems Pharmacology (now Pharmacology, Addiction Science and Toxicology).

As she turned over the reins of the program to new leadership last November, the program now has seven tracks and serves approximately 112 students. Two new tracks – Genetics, Genomics, and Informatics, and Regenerative and Rehabilitation Sciences – were added under her watch. “We brought in new disciplines to expand our appeal to students,” she said.

Operating in partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the program recruits students, so they can join a faculty member’s lab at UTHSC or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, she said. This gives them exposure to a wide range of research areas, all with the potential of making a difference in people’s lives.

The program also expanded its partnerships with international institutions, welcoming its first cohort of students from China in 2017, as part of a partnership established with Harbin Medical University.

The pandemic halted recruitment of international students. However, numbers are rising again. Dr. Fitzpatrick said international students now make up approximately 35% of the students in the program.

“We have a very diverse program in our student body, as well as in the fields a student can experience,” she said.

“A lot of our students come from the Mid-South region, although we get students from as far away as Michigan, New York, California,” she said.

“We are attracting people who are interested in biomedical sciences,” Dr. Fitzpatrick said. “They are interested in a wide variety of careers after graduating, some of them just want to go straight into industry. Some of them want to go into government and work in FDA labs or NIH labs. Others want to pursue the postdoctoral fellowships and follow a traditional academic route. A lot of them come into the program with an open mind and are interested in exploring a variety of career opportunities.”

Other careers for graduates of the program include scientific writing, working with patent lawyers, regulatory agencies, traditional lab research, and grants management. “There's really a variety of careers that someone can pursue,” she said.

Dr. Fitzpatrick is an associate professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Biochemistry, and the assistant director of the Regional Biocontainment Laboratory on the Memphis campus. An immunologist, she decided to leave her position at the helm of the Integrated Biomedical Sciences program to devote more time to her own research.

She’s proud not only of how the program has grown, but of how so many students have grown with it.

“It’s been nice to see the program get larger,” she said. “I think there is a greater awareness of the importance of graduate students to the faculty members’ labs at UTHSC and St. Jude.”

“Really, the most rewarding thing is just watching the students progress through the program,” Dr. Fitzpatrick said. “You know, seeing them come in and they're not quite sure what they want to do or they're nervous about getting into a lab, exams, and everything. Seeing them grow in confidence and become great presenters and do great science, and just become more confident in their laboratory skills, their speaking, and their writing skills has been really gratifying.”