The MBRS-RISE M.S. to Ph.D. Program is a collaboration of Cal State LA with UCLA, the University of California at Irvine (UC Irvine), the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego) and the University of Southern California (USC). The program vertically integrates the M.S. at Cal State LA in chemistry, biochemistry, biology and microbiology and psychology with the graduate programs at the Ph.D. institutions.
MBRS-RISE M.S. to Ph.D. trains each year a group of 20 minority students pursuing the M.S. degree at Cal State LA, and involves them in a program designed to enhance their academic achievement; integrate them into the broader Southern California biomedical research community while still in their M.S. program; expose them to a broad range of biomedical sciences and scientists; enhance their transfer rate to Ph.D. programs; and establish the foundation for their successful research careers in the biomedical sciences. The key here is the active participation by the four Ph.D. institutions, throughout the two years the student would be in the program.
Although there are four partner Ph.D. institutions (UCLA, UC Irvine, UC San Diego and USC), Program graduates are not limited to these in their choice of institutions for pursuit of the Ph.D.
MBRS-RISE MS-to-PhD Program Administration
Dr. Carlos G. Gutierrez
Program Director
CSWB 221C
(323) 343-2356
e-mail: Carlos Gutierrez
Dr. Krishna Foster
Associate Program Director
CSWB 222E
(323) 343-2309
Fax: 323-343-6490
e-mail: Krishna Foster
Dr. Linda Tunstad
Associate Program Director
(323) 343-2307
Fax: 323-343-6490
e-mail: Linda Tunstad
Dr. Jamil Momand
Graduate MBRS-RISE Coordinator
Phone: 323-343-2361
Fax: 323-343-6490
E-mail: Jamil Momand
Lisa Bautista
MBRS-RISE Program Coordinator
Biological Sciences 160
(323) 343-2395
Fax (323) 343-6411
e-mail: Lisa Bautista
Karla Carias
MBRS-RISE Program Assistant
Biological Sciences 160
(323) 343-2395
Fax (323) 343-6411
e-mail: Karla Carias
Financial Support
The MBRS-RISE M.S. to Ph.D. is part of the Minority Biomedical Research Support Program sponsored by a generous grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A salary of up to $17,000 per year and full time tuition is provided for students in the M.S. component. Additional funds are available for research supplies and for travel to present research results at professional meetings.
Research Participation
The MBRS-RISE M.S.-to-Ph.D. Program is a rigorous research-based two-year preparation for gradute work at the Ph.D. level. Research participation by our MBRS-RISE M.S. to Ph.D. students is year round, on the Cal State LA campus and at the University of Southern California, UCLA, UC Irvine, UC San Diego or another university or research institution. Cal State LA MBRS-RISE students have historically been productive in the lab, and the quantity and quality of their research work are impressive. Tangible results of their participation in quality research programs are the nearly 500 refereed journal publications and some 2,000 meeting presentation abstracts wherein they are co-authors. We intend that each MBRS-RISE M.S. to Ph.D. student will couple high academic performance in M.S course work with productive research laboratory experience as preparation for the Ph.D. program at one of the four collaborating Ph.D. schools, or another university of the student's choice.
Research Training Faculty
Twenty-five laboratories under the direction of the training faculty are available for the conduct of research. A list of these research principal investigators and a brief description of their research interests is given at Research Training Faculty. These faculty members are among the best teacher-scholars at the University. If you are looking for a research group to join, make appointments to talk to several faculty members before you choose a laboratory. You should also talk to some of the students in each research group you are interested in joining.