Graduate Program

Overview | History | Current Students | Curriculum | Admission Requirements

Overview Of Our Graduate Program 

Curious about...

• How tumors are able to grow by attracting new blood vessels?
• How blood vessels are damaged by aging, stress, and our diets?
• How damaged capillaries in the retina of diabetic patients cause blindness?
• How blood vessels form in a growing embryo?
• How cells in our blood vessels communicate with each other?

These are just a few of the questions that you could explore while doing research in The Vascular Biology Center at Augusta University.

The Vascular Biology Center’s Graduate Program at Augusta University is unique among institutions in the United States in that our program is the only one to have a formal center dedicated to vascular biology research.  Our research is focused on obtaining a detailed understanding of the function of blood vessels at the molecular, cellular, whole organ, and whole organism levels to better diagnose, treat, and prevent vascular diseases.

Training is not restricted to one discipline, but encompasses the broad fundamentals of vascular biology together with several associated fields. Advanced coursework (beyond the core curriculum) includes:

• Courses that emphasize cutting-edge development in the field of Cardiovascular Research. 
• Programs such as a Student Observership of a cardiovascular physician's clinical practice.  

You are also eligible for support by the:

• NIH Predoctoral Training Grant in Integrative Cardiovascular Biology administered through the VBC. 
• American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship.