The Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences and Translational Medicine at Cedars-Sinai has been accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, an affirmation that the PhD-awarding educational effort meets the most rigorous standards of higher learning.
The program's first class of students is scheduled to earn their doctoral degrees in 2013.
"Achieving independent accreditation for our PhD program is a highly significant important milestone for our relatively new graduate education program," said Shlomo Melmed, MD, senior vice president of academic affairs, dean of the medical faculty and Helene A. and Philip E. Hixon Chair in Investigative Medicine. "This historic achievement reflects our commitment to medical innovation and training for more than a century. The addition of a formally accredited graduate education program at Cedars Sinai injects new vitality in our academic community, which continues to advance the frontiers of scientific scholarship and to result in world-class care for our patients."
The July decision by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges certifies the academic integrity of the independent Cedars-Sinai graduate program, and was based on an intense, five-year assessment of its every aspect. This recognition gives students access to federal student loans and qualifies Cedars-Sinai to apply for educational funding and grants as an accredited degree-granting institution.
The graduate program at Cedars-Sinai seeks to train scientists to develop laboratory discoveries for understanding disease pathogenesis and new patient therapies. Its students, supported by a diverse faculty of scientists and physicians, train in Cedars-Sinai laboratories where more than 900 research projects are under way in areas including molecular genetics, immunology, molecular and cellular oncology, cardiovascular biology, neurosciences ,regenerative medicine, metabolism and therapeutic trials. Students are currently involved in investigating an array of illnesses, including Alzheimer's, antibiotic-resistant infections, diabetes, cancer and diseases of the heart, lung and bowel.