Our Mission

The Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine is one of the first cross-departmental graduate programs at The University of Iowa. It was founded by John Menninger in 1974, and funded by a National Research Service Award Training Program in Molecular Medicine from 1975-1992. This initial Program did not admit students or grant degrees. Instead, after their first year of graduate study, students from various departments were chosen and awarded stipends based on merit. Similarly to today, the students and faculty met for a weekly seminar, designed to inform trainees about the variety of research that was of interest to cell and molecular biologists, to give trainees practice in presenting their research to a critical audience, and to provide a social connection for trainees who were working in various departments. In 1992, the Molecular Biology Graduate Program was formalized into a degree-granting PhD program, and in 2017, the program changed its name to Molecular Medicine to reflect a expanded focus on translational science.

Today, the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine still fosters the interdisciplinary efforts of a diverse group of investigators—both faculty and students—with common interests in molecular and cellular biology. Currently the program faculty represent the departments of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Dows Institute for Dental Research, Internal Medicine, Microbiology, Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Neurology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, Otolaryngology, Pathology, Pediatrics, Pharmacology,  Psychiatry, Radiation Oncology, and Surgery. The program actively recruits new students with diverse research interests.

Molecular Medicine Events

Biology Seminar: "Fish School: what zebrafish can teach us about hearing damage from cisplatin chemotherapy and noise trauma" promotional image

Biology Seminar: "Fish School: what zebrafish can teach us about hearing damage from cisplatin chemotherapy and noise trauma"

Friday, December 13, 2024 3:30pm
Biology Building East
Lavinia Sheets, PhD, an Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, will be giving a seminar at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13, in Kollros Auditorium (Room 101), Biology Building East.

Women In Micro & Immuno Coffee Hour

Monday, January 13, 11:00am to Monday, December 8, 2025 12:00pm
Carver Biomedical Research Building
Join us for the Women in Micro & Immuno Coffee Hour. It is the monthly coffee hour on the second Monday of the month from 11 a.m. to noon in 1289 CBRB. Enjoy coffee, pastries and contribute to the discussion! This is open to ALL — students, staff, postdocs, and faculty interested in promoting women in science. Speakers change monthly. Contact: jessica-tucker@uiowa.edu for details.

Women In Micro & Immuno Coffee Hour

Monday, February 17, 2025 11:00am to Monday, January 12, 2026 12:00pm
Carver Biomedical Research Building
Join us for the Women in Micro & Immuno Coffee Hour. It is the monthly coffee hour on the second Monday of the month from 11 a.m. to noon in 1289 CBRB. Enjoy coffee, pastries and contribute to the discussion! This is open to ALL — students, staff, postdocs, and faculty interested in promoting women in science. Speakers change monthly. Contact: jessica-tucker@uiowa.edu for details.

Women In Micro & Immuno Coffee Hour

Monday, March 10, 2025 11:00am to Monday, February 2, 2026 11:00am
Carver Biomedical Research Building
Join us for the Women in Micro & Immuno Coffee Hour. It is the monthly coffee hour on the second Monday of the month from 11 a.m. to noon in 1289 CBRB. Enjoy coffee, pastries and contribute to the discussion! This is open to ALL — students, staff, postdocs, and faculty interested in promoting women in science. Speakers change monthly. Contact: jessica-tucker@uiowa.edu for details.

Women In Micro & Immuno Coffee Hour

Monday, April 14, 2025 11:00am to Monday, March 9, 2026 12:00pm
Carver Biomedical Research Building
Join us for the Women in Micro & Immuno Coffee Hour. It is the monthly coffee hour on the second Monday of the month from 11 a.m. to noon in 1289 CBRB. Enjoy coffee, pastries and contribute to the discussion! This is open to ALL — students, staff, postdocs, and faculty interested in promoting women in science. Speakers change monthly. Contact: jessica-tucker@uiowa.edu for details.

Women In Micro & Immuno Coffee Hour

Monday, May 12, 2025 11:00am to Monday, April 6, 2026 12:00pm
Carver Biomedical Research Building
Join us for the Women in Micro & Immuno Coffee Hour. It is the monthly coffee hour on the second Monday of the month from 11 a.m. to noon in 1289 CBRB. Enjoy coffee, pastries and contribute to the discussion! This is open to ALL — students, staff, postdocs, and faculty interested in promoting women in science. Speakers change monthly. Contact: jessica-tucker@uiowa.edu for details.

Women In Micro & Immuno Coffee Hour

Monday, June 9, 2025 11:00am to Monday, May 4, 2026 12:00pm
Carver Biomedical Research Building
Join us for the Women in Micro & Immuno Coffee Hour. It is the monthly coffee hour on the second Monday of the month from 11 a.m. to noon in 1289 CBRB. Enjoy coffee, pastries and contribute to the discussion! This is open to ALL — students, staff, postdocs, and faculty interested in promoting women in science. Speakers change monthly. Contact: jessica-tucker@uiowa.edu for details.

Women In Micro & Immuno Coffee Hour

Monday, July 14, 2025 11:00am to Monday, June 8, 2026 12:00pm
Carver Biomedical Research Building
Join us for the Women in Micro & Immuno Coffee Hour. It is the monthly coffee hour on the second Monday of the month from 11 a.m. to noon in 1289 CBRB. Enjoy coffee, pastries and contribute to the discussion! This is open to ALL — students, staff, postdocs, and faculty interested in promoting women in science. Speakers change monthly. Contact: jessica-tucker@uiowa.edu for details.

Women In Micro & Immuno Coffee Hour

Monday, August 11, 2025 11:00am to Monday, July 6, 2026 12:00pm
Carver Biomedical Research Building
Join us for the Women in Micro & Immuno Coffee Hour. It is the monthly coffee hour on the second Monday of the month from 11 a.m. to noon in 1289 CBRB. Enjoy coffee, pastries and contribute to the discussion! This is open to ALL — students, staff, postdocs, and faculty interested in promoting women in science. Speakers change monthly. Contact: jessica-tucker@uiowa.edu for details.

Women In Micro & Immuno Coffee Hour

Monday, September 8, 2025 11:00am to Monday, August 3, 2026 12:00pm
Carver Biomedical Research Building
Join us for the Women in Micro & Immuno Coffee Hour. It is the monthly coffee hour on the second Monday of the month from 11 a.m. to noon in 1289 CBRB. Enjoy coffee, pastries and contribute to the discussion! This is open to ALL — students, staff, postdocs, and faculty interested in promoting women in science. Speakers change monthly. Contact: jessica-tucker@uiowa.edu for details.
Iowa mascot in lab coat looking at microscope

# 24

Ranking in research among public institutions

a person in a science lab

$ 295 Million

External medical research funding for FY2023

science lab

# 44

Overall ranking by the 2024 U.S. News & World Report

Molecular Medicine News

Abel Lab

Sleep research led by Ted Abel featured in Fall 2024 issue of Medicine Iowa

Friday, November 15, 2024
BSURP 2025

BSURP 2025 Application Portal Opens 11/1

Thursday, October 31, 2024
Ayushi Iowa Innovation Leadership Fellowship

Program student, Ayushi Sood receives 2024 Iowa Innovation Leadership Fellowship

Thursday, October 10, 2024

Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs Events

CS Colloquium - Misinformation and Hate Speech on WhatsApp - Insights from a Large-scale Data Donation Study promotional image

CS Colloquium - Misinformation and Hate Speech on WhatsApp - Insights from a Large-scale Data Donation Study

Friday, December 13, 2024 3:30pm to 4:30pm
MacLean Hall
Kiran Garimella (Rutgers) on "Misinformation and Hate speech on WhatsApp - Insights from a large-scale data donation study."
Biology Seminar: "Fish School: what zebrafish can teach us about hearing damage from cisplatin chemotherapy and noise trauma" promotional image

Biology Seminar: "Fish School: what zebrafish can teach us about hearing damage from cisplatin chemotherapy and noise trauma"

Friday, December 13, 2024 3:30pm
Biology Building East
Lavinia Sheets, PhD, an Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, will be giving a seminar at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13, in Kollros Auditorium (Room 101), Biology Building East.

Big Ten Neuroscience Seminar

Monday, December 16, 2024 11:00am to 12:00pm
Virtual
The 2024-2025 Big Ten Neuroscience Seminar Series is organized by our colleagues at Penn State University and will feature virtual seminars from a different Big Ten neuro program on the 4th Monday of each month (November, December, May dates are adjusted for holidays.) The links will be shared in the Neuroscience this week email. Contact iowa-neuroscience-institute@uiowa.edu if you do not receive this email and would like to attend a seminar.

Neuroscience & Pharmacology Seminar - Sarah Ayash, PhD

Tuesday, December 17, 2024 10:30am to 11:30am
Medical Education Research Facility
"Neural Basis of Resilience to Social Stress" Presented by Sarah Ayash, PhD Postdoctoral Research Fellow Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research Mainz, Germany
ACB Seminar Series - Sam Wuebker & Jing Wang  promotional image

ACB Seminar Series - Sam Wuebker & Jing Wang

Wednesday, December 18, 2024 9:30am to 10:30am
Bowen Science Building
Samantha Wuebker, a Cell and Developmental Biology Student in the Van Otterloo Lab will present a seminar titled "Loss of MEMO1 Leads to Amelogenesis Imperfecta." Jing Wang, a Visiting Scholar in the Liu Lab will present a seminar titled "Ovalbumin-Induced Ferret Model of Asthma Shares Distal Airway Epithelial Remodeling in Humans."
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