Developmental Origins of Health & Disease
What was our childhood environment like? Did we grow up near a highway? Were we exposed to strife and disease? What about the lives of our caregivers? Or our great-grandparents, who went through war and famine? Our adult bodies keep the score. They reflect what’s happened to us, to our parents, even to our distant ancestors.
In USC’s new Developmental Origins of Health & Disease program, a joint endeavor with Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA), our researchers look to the past to help predict future health outcomes. With the knowledge that nature is only part of the story, and that environment activates our DNA, our faculty investigate what turns on genes and how these changes are passed down — not just from parent to child, but also grandparent to grandchild. Researchers examine everything from the complex in utero environment to the role of childhood nutrition in those predisposed to diabetes to the harmful effects of early exposure to toxins.
Students in the program will study alongside our researchers using the latest cutting-edge molecular genetic techniques, A.I., data analysis, and other contemporary methods to answer fundamentally important questions about how and when disease arises. The alliance between the program and CHLA will also give students close contact with the more human aspects of research, like the role of bedside manner in treatment and the importance of how a patient talks about their symptoms. And with its social and economic disparities, oil legacy, and air and sea pollution, Los Angeles is an advantageous place to ask and answer questions about the role environment plays on the developing human body.
DOOHD Program Learning Objectives
- A detailed understanding of the molecular mechanisms that can affect lifelong health and disease
- Learn to evaluate and critique primary scientific literature
- A detailed understanding of how complex, inter-related environmental and social factors can affect health across generations
- Describe the basic principles and methods of epidemiology and demonstrate their broad applicability to developmental origins of health & disease
- Develop practices and protocols to prevent or cure non-communicable diseases
- Analyze human development and reproduction within the context of social, environmental, legal, and structural forces to understand health and disease from a bio-social-ecological perspective
- Articulate principles of environmental justice, social justice, and reproductive justice
- Identify and develop arguments for policies that promote health equity.
- Encourage students to think critically, gather relevant data, work in teams, manage research projects, analyze data, and report findings to solve challenging interdisciplinary developmental origins of health & disease problems.
- The students will work side-by-side with USC and CHLA faculty to study and understand the complex topics through reading, hands-on lab research, lab meetings, and data presentations.
- Learn to use structured methods for organizing and analyzing raw data and interpret and effectively communicate the results to health professionals and the public.
Course Plan
| CORE COURSES: | UNITS | |
|---|---|---|
| BISC 550A | Developmental Origins of Health & Disease | 4 |
| BISC 550B | Developmental Origins of Health & Disease | 4 |
| BISC 552 | Bioethics, Health Policy and Human Development | 2 |
| BISC 555 | Epidemiology of Developmental Origins of Disease | 1 |
| BISC 556 | Developmental Nutrition and Lifelong Health | 1 |
| BISC 557 | Emerging Technologies for the Study of Health and Disease | 2 |
| BISC 559 | DOOHD Seminar Series | 2 |
| RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS (12 UNITS) | UNITS | |
| BISC 558A | Capstone Research Project | 2 |
| BISC 558B | Capstone Research Project | 2 |
| BISC 558C | Capstone Research Project | 8 |
| WRITING AND COMMUNICATION REQUIREMENT (2 UNITS) | UNITS | |
| JOUR 510 | Special Assignment Reporting | 2 |
Program Description & Degree Requirements
A minimum grade point average of 3.0 must be earned on all coursework applied toward the Master of Science in the DOOHD program. This average must also be achieved on all 400-level and above course work attempted at USC and CHLA beyond the bachelor’s degree and through an accumulation of no more than 10 units beyond the minimum needed for the specific degree program. Transfer units count as credit (CR) toward the master’s degree and are not computed in the grade point average.
The Master of Science in Developmental Origins of Health & Disease is subject to the following requirements: (1) a total of at least 32 units is required, selected from the courses below; (2) courses outside the lists presented below require approval from the program advisor; (3) at least 22 units must be taken at the 500- or 600-level and no courses below the 400-level; (4) 2-8 units of BISC 490X (Directed Research), may be counted toward the DOOHD; (5) 2 units of BISC 559 (seminar class) may be counted toward the DOOHD; (6) units to be transferred (maximum 4 with adviser approval) must have been taken prior to taking classes at USC or CHLA.
Molecular, cellular, developmental biology, and epidemiology are the foundations of the joint USC-CHLA Master’s program. Students complete 32 credits of graduate level courses and gain hands-on experience in the lab and clinical setting. After completing required course credits, students may choose the remaining credits from a wide range of elective courses to fulfill the degree program.
Students have the opportunity for interdisciplinary studies jointly hosted by a major research university and children’s hospital taught by world-renowned faculty. The DOOHD program provides outstanding preparation for future work in academic, medical and bioscience industry settings.
Students will be provided with:
- An excellent educational and research experience.
- An opportunity to interact with faculty on a broad range of cutting-edge research topics in Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOOHD).
- Hands-on training to learn techniques for conducting research in the lab of a DOOHD faculty member.
- Exposure to the national and international Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine research community through seminars and symposia.
How to Apply
Submit your application and supporting documents to the link below. For questions, please contact Dr. Rusty Lansford (lansford@usc.edu).
Financial aid
Students admitted into the MS in Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine program must apply for financial aid through the main USC Financial Aid Office, which offers low-interest student loans and administers the federal work-study program. Students can apply for several competitive university and external fellowships and awards through the USC Graduate School.