About Us

ACB Faculty Photo 2023

What is Cell Biology

Cell Biology is the field of biology that focuses on understanding living processes at a cellular and molecular level. Many of the most exciting biological discoveries in the past twenty years have occurred in this field. While genetics tells you what is really important, cell biology tells you how it works. Discoveries in cell biology have identified some of the molecular pathways regulating gene expression, cell proliferation, cell death, and cell differentiation. The field of cell biology has made major contributions to the understanding of cancer, developmental biology, and aging. We have now established the fundamental framework of cell function. Our next challenge is to extend these insights obtained at the single-cell level to the organization of tissues, the function of complex systems, and most importantly, the cellular basis and therapy of human disease.

Academics

The Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology trains future physicians and researchers. As our students enter the professional ranks of tomorrow, they will contribute to the advancement of basic and clinical sciences. We are mentoring future educators in universities, medical schools, and in private practices around the world. We educate undergraduate, graduate, professional and post-graduate students in areas of anatomy, cell biology, embryology, molecular biology, cancer biology, and developmental biology. The educational goals of the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology are to prepare the students for clinical courses, teach them to analyze and synthesis complex ideas and concepts, introduce them to the impressive advances in medical sciences that are taking place, and demonstrate to them the values of caring and ethical professional interactions.

The teaching responsibilities of the department range from Gross Anatomy to cutting edge research in the molecular aspects of fundamental cellular processes. Departmental teaching is premised on the view that teaching should entail active participation of students through small discussion groups, carefully designed laboratory exercises, and lectures and labs where experts in the field guide students towards develop strong thinking skills. We, therefore, emphasize dissection in our Anatomy course, examination of microscopic details in Histology, and closely mentored research in Cell and Molecular Biology.