GRAND RAPIDS ? The Van Andel Institute on Monday marked its inaugural school year with an opening convocation held at Van Andel Institute?s Tomatis Auditorium. Keith Yamamoto, Ph.D., Executive Vice Dean, School of Medicine University of California San Francisco, delivered the keynote address.

In May, Van Andel Education Institute (VAEI) officials announced the acceptance of two of its first three students for the inaugural graduate school class with the goal of training Ph.D. scientists as leading scholars in cell, molecular and genetic biology relevant to human diseases.

?As we mark the opening convocation of the Van Andel Institute Graduate School, we recognize that the remarkable advances in genetics over the last decade have charted a new course in biomedical research and medical practice,? said Van Andel Institute Chairman & CEO David Van Andel in his opening remarks. ?In response, we will use a novel curriculum rooted in the practice of scientific research to educate our best and brightest in the technology and techniques associated with contemporary genetics.?

The students, Jeffrey Klomp, 26, Brent Vander Hart, 25, and Natalie Wolters, 24, will work closely with Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) investigators, who will serve as the school?s faculty. Courses will blend traditional disciplines into a novel, problem-based curriculum that closely represents the way scientists conduct research. Similar in design to existing programs at New York?s Rockefeller University and Watson School of Biological Sciences at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, initial plans call for the admission of two to four additional students each year for the next five to six years. Once the current VAI expansion is complete, the program would recruit eight to 10 students per year with ultimate capacity planned at about 45 students.

?We will meet all of the educational objectives of a traditional graduate school, but by following the path that scientists use,? explained VAI Graduate School Dean Steven Triezenberg, Ph.D. ?Rather than reading about research in a textbook or listening to a professor, students will be active participants in ongoing research focusing on the genetic and molecular components of cancer, Parkinson and other diseases.?

?One of the greatest differences between VAI Graduate School and a traditional academic institution is the focus on translational research,? said Klomp. ?I am very excited to know that the cancer and related research conducted at VAI Graduate School is tangible and directly benefits patients throughout the world.?

The convocation also included the participation of Matt Biersack, the first accepted participant in the concurrent graduate research and internal medicine residency training provided in cooperation between VAI Graduate School and the Grand Rapids Medical Education and Research Center (MERC). Biersack will begin his Ph.D. training in 2009.

Opening with a processional of students and faculty, the convocation featured a declaration opening the academic year, as well as an overview of the graduate school by Triezenberg, in addition to remarks by Van Andel and Yamamoto. The program concluded with a recessional and was followed by a reception in Van Andel Institute?s Cook-Hauenstein Hall.

?Today?s ceremony celebrates the vision and generosity of Jay and Betty Van Andel in a unique way since the graduate school combines the mission of the two institutions they founded: Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) and Van Andel Education Institute (VAEI),? said Triezenberg. ?We?re exploring and implementing what we think to be best practices in education ? as befits the mission of VAEI. Ph.D. education is inherently research education, and here that means solving research questions in molecular, cellular and genetic biology relevant to human diseases, as befits the mission of VARI.?

The VAI Graduate School doctoral program received an independent charter from the state of Michigan to confer advanced degrees and focuses research on the biology of various human diseases. The program is designed to provide students with a wider view of the connections between academia, biotech firms and the pharmaceutical industry. An emphasis on translational research, which stresses converting basic science into applicable therapies, means that students will be exposed not only to the perspective of the research scientist but will also gain insight into clinical practice and the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

?In founding the Institute, Jay and Betty Van Andel were establishing a legacy of high quality biomedical research and also preparing the next generations of leaders,? said VAEI Director Gordon Van Harn, Ph.D. ?The Van Andel Education Institute is committed to that educational goal and provides comprehensive training for all ages from its Science Academy for school-aged children to the Graduate School for college and university graduates.?

For more information, click on VAI.Org

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