Doctoral students spend their first year receiving training at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the School of Medicine in toxicology, cell biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, immunology, neurobiology, and physiology (students receive training in biostatistics and also have the opportunity to take epidemiology and other elective courses to gain additional skills, in the second year). Students gain initial research experience through research rotations in the laboratories of faculty in their first year. By the end of that time, students choose the faculty member with whom they would like to perform their doctoral dissertation research.
During the summer of their first year, students begin research in that laboratory and write a grant application where they propose the hypothesis, specific aims, background and experimental plan that will guide their doctoral research. Students take their departmental comprehensive oral examination after completion and acceptance of the grant application.
Once the comprehensive exam is successfully completed, the students take a School-wide Oral Comprehensive Exam after which they engage in their doctoral research on a full time basis. Throughout the doctoral program, seminars, journal clubs, and research retreats are an integral part of the training experience. Our students have presented their research at various national and international scientific conferences.
Toxicology students routinely receive awards at the annual Society of Toxicology meetings and other annual meetings for their poster and oral presentations. | 
