WELCOME

Welcome to the Department of Cell Biology. We provide a wealth of scientific resources for research and education to students, faculty, and clinicians throughout the state of Oklahoma. Our state-of-the-art microscopy laboratory is outfitted with the latest software for data analysis using both IBM and Macintosh computers. We have equipment to digitally generate photographic images, and we have core photographic and histologic personnel on staff to assist faculty and students in their research and teaching. Modern cellular, molecular, and biochemical equipment is located in the department's core facilities as well as in investigative laboratories.

Location

The Department of Cell Biology is part of the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. The College of Medicine is one of seven colleges that make up the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC), one of the largest comprehensive health sciences centers in the United States. Located in Oklahoma City, the OUHSC offers a wide range of clinical and research opportunities.

The Department of Cell Biology is located on the 5th and 7th floors of the Biomedical Sciences Building (BMSB). Laboratories are also located in the Biomedical Research Center and the Basic Sciences Education Building. Our total lab and office space is 17,835 square feet. We are less than one block from the Colleges of Pharmacy and Dentistry, the Basic Science Education Building (BSEB, home to Oklahoma's medical students), the Robert Bird Library, and three teaching hospitals. Our main office is on the 5th floor of the BMSB room 553.

Our Mission

The mission of the Department of Cell Biology is to teach professional and graduate students, to perform scientific research, and to provide service, as an integral part of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

Research

Cell Biology faculty members are engaged in fundamental biomedical research in many areas and use a variety of experimental approaches. Strong collaborative relationships exist within our department and with faculty in other departments. Core histology, photography, and microscopy facilities provide essential services to our faculty and students. Research is supported by grants from NIH, NSF, American Heart Association, The Foundation Fighting Blindness, Research to Prevent Blindness, the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology, the Presbyterian Health Foundation, and other sources.

Teaching

Cell Biology faculty teach histology, pharmacology, gross anatomy, and embryology to medical, dental, and allied health students, and neuroscience to medical students. We also teach in graduate courses offered through our department and the Oklahoma Center for Neuroscience (OCNS), and participate in the integrated graduate curriculum designed for all first year graduate students.

Our Service

Faculty members serve on program and other committees of state, national, and international associations; on scientific advisory boards for non-profit organizations; as officers for the Oklahoma Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience; and on the Oklahoma State Anatomical Board. Most are active in their local community as organizers and judges of symposia and science fairs, and as speakers at lay organizations. In addition to our own students, we serve as mentors to students participating in the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Program, the Honors Research Program, and the OCNS summer fellowship program. Finally, many of the faculty in the Department of Cell Biology serve as mentors for senior high school students from the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics.