Program Goals and Marketable Skills

The goal of the Translational Science Ph.D. Program is to provide an in-depth, rigorous, and individualized multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional research education and training program in translational science that will prepare research scientists to integrate information from multiple domains and conduct independent and team-oriented research to improve human and global health.

Eight educational domains form the foundation for the Translational Science Ph.D. educational objectives:

• Translational Science:  Students will articulate what constitutes T1 and T2 translational science and the inter-relationships between the two broad tracks.   
• Responsible Conduct: Students will be knowledgeable about and be able to apply research ethics and work effectively with regulatory groups within their organization(s).
• Research Design and Analysis:  Students will formulate research questions and appropriately design experiments and studies to test hypotheses. They will develop specific analytic strategies based on the study design and assure that their studies are adequately powered to test the hypotheses.
• Team Science and Leadership:  Students will work effectively in and be able to lead interdisciplinary research teams to (a) identify health related problems and (b) design and conduct research to address the problems.
• Multi-level Cultural Proficiency: Students will be able to identify the different cultures that exist within and among (a) organizations and (b) communities (locally and globally). In recognizing these differences, students will learn to use cultural competence and work effectively to conduct research investigations in different settings.
• Scientific Communication: Students will demonstrate oral and written competency in their ability to communicate research clearly to other translational scientists via journal articles and scientific presentations. They will be able to effectively write abstracts and manuscripts, give oral presentations, and communicate the relevance of their scientific expertise. 
• Business of Translational Science: Students will become functionally informed about intellectual property licensing and the processes of developing products, drugs, or devices for human use. They will also learn to function within different legal, regulatory, and economic environments.
• Evidence Based Implementation and Policy: Students will be able to independently read and interpret the scientific literature in their content area. They will be able to systematically review a body of scientific literature to apply to policy implementation. They will be able to make data based decisions and inform policy and guideline development.

The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences is proud to partner with the Texas Higher Education Board in helping students develop and build on skills employers value and seek out in job candidates.

Doctor of Philosophy in Translational Science Marketable Skills

1. Read current literature, attend meetings or conferences, and talk with colleagues to keep abreast of methodological or conceptual developments.
2. Design and direct research studies related to translational science.
3. Write research proposals or grant applications for submission to external bodies.
4. Collect data through surveys or experimentation.
5. Create or use statistical models for the analysis of research data.
6. Prepare tables and graphs to present data or results.
7. Prepare articles for publication or presentation at professional conferences.

The Office of Career Development

UT Health San Antonio graduate students have access to the GSBS Office of Career Development (OCD). The OCD provides career and professional development training opportunities including individual meetings/career counseling, workshops & seminars. The OCD also works with the Graduate School’s Career Advisory Council and provides career exploration talks. The OCD provides graduate students a framework to discover next steps in their career along with resources to encourage and prepare graduate students for the future.