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About The GSBS

Learn more about how MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School equips the researchers of tomorrow with the education and training to turn discovery into life-saving solutions.  

Welcome to MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, casually known as the GSBS, and thank you for looking at our website. It is great to help lead this unique school, which was formed by a partnership between two powerhouse institutions: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center – the nation’s leading cancer hospital – and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) – Texas’ resource for health care education, innovation, scientific discovery, and excellence in patient care.

The GSBS offers students the opportunity to study a large spectrum of diseases that impact humanity. From Parkinson’s to Alzheimer’s to coronavirus and cancer, our school, with the help of world-renowned faculty, is ready to equip the researchers of tomorrow with the education and training to turn discovery into life-saving solutions.

Now, more than ever, the world needs dedicated, enthusiastic, young scientists to tackle the medical challenges of an ever-changing world. We provide cutting edge research training in discipline-specific graduate programs that award MS, PhD and MD/PhD degrees. This occurs in the middle of the world’s largest medical center through a partnership that gives students and faculty access to unprecedented resources to help any student become an outstanding research scientist.

We are dedicated to our students’ successes. Check out the highlights in our news section and program webpages, and we are honored that you are considering our school for your education.

So please continue to explore our website, and if you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to us via our admissions team (GSBS.Admissions@uth.tmc.edu) or at Talk2GSBS@uth.tmc.edu

  • Vision Statement

    To create a collaborative and innovative academic environment that inspires and lays the foundation for new generations of biomedical scientists to realize their potential, commit to success and make discoveries that have major impact on treatment of diseases worldwide.

  • Mission Statement

    Our mission is to maintain an innovative and diverse environment that provides an unprecedented breadth of opportunities for outstanding graduate students to train with leading biomedical scientists at MD Anderson and UTHealth Houston. The combined strengths of these institutions provide students with access to basic and translational scientific programs that are at the cutting edge of the fight to treat all major diseases. The curriculum is designed to provide students with a rigorous exposure to critical thinking strategies, area specific scientific skills, and career development initiatives. The curriculum, together with an emphasis on research training and scientific productivity, is designed to position our students for an outstanding and successful career in the biomedical sciences.

  • Eighteen Characteristics of Texas Doctoral Programs

    The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) began in December, 2009, to require all public universities and health-related institutions with doctoral programs to collect and publish specified information on their web sites regarding certain Characteristics of Doctoral Programs approved by the Board. The required information for the graduate school is provided here.

  • Accreditation

    • The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate, masters, doctoral, and professional degrees. Degree-granting institutions also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).
    • .The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404.697.4500 for questions about the accreditation of MDACC.
    • Our Specialized M.S. Program in Genetic Counseling is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling, located at 18000 W. 105th Street, Olathe, KS 66061.  Telephone: 913.895.4629; Fax: 913.895.4652; Website: www.gceducation.org
    • Our Specialized M.S. Program in Medical Physics is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs, inc., located at One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740.  Telephone: 301.209.3346; Fax: 301.209.0862; Website: www.campep.org
  • History

    In 1962 there was a movement, led by then MD Anderson Hospital President, R. Lee Clark, M.D., to establish The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Houston.  At that time there were 13 predoctoral students studying with scientists at MD Anderson who were enrolled through The University of Texas at Austin.  Six MD Anderson scientists were special members, and four students were special associates, in the Graduate School Faculty at Austin.

    The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston was established on June 11, 1963, and activated by the Board of Regents of the University of Texas on September 28, 1963.

    After a two-year national search to recruit an outstanding scientist as Dean of the new school, Paul A. Weiss, Ph.D. was chosen.  At the time of his GSBS appointment he was 66 and had just retired from the Rockefeller Institute.  The Rockefeller graduate program, where the curriculum was interdisciplinary, was the prototype for Dr. Weiss' plan for the curriculum.

    The University of Texas Medical School at Houston was established in 1970, and, like the GSBS, was under the administration of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.  The assimilation of the basic science faculty at the Medical School into the Graduate School Faculty went smoothly.  Before that time, most Graduate Faculty had their primary appointments at MD Anderson, with a few at the Dental Branch and the School of Public Health.  In 1972 The University of Texas System established The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston to be the administrative entity for all UT schools in Houston.

    In 2017, the Graduate School adopted a new name—The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences— to celebrate the enduring and strong partnership of our parent institutions, MD Anderson and UTHealth, and their shared commitment to the school’s talented and passionate students and faculty.

    In 2022, the GSBS adopted a new name and logo to correspond with the updates made at our parent institution, UTHealth Houston. The school’s new full name is: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

    GSBS Deans

    • Sharon Dent, Ph.D. (Interim) (2022 - present)
    • Michelle Craig Barton, Ph.D. (2012 - 2020)
    • Michael R. Blackburn, Ph.D. (2012 - 2022)
    • George M. Stancel, Ph.D. (1999 - 2012)
    • Paul E. Darlington, Ph.D. (Interim) (1997-1999)
    • R. W. Butcher, Ph.D. (1979-1996)
    • Roger R. Hewitt, Ph.D. (Acting) (1977-1979)
    • Margery W. Shaw, M.D., J.D. (Acting) (1976-1977)
    • Alfred G. Knudson, M.D., Ph.D. (1970-1976)
    • Sumter S. Arnim, D.D.S., Ph.D. (1966-1970)
    • Paul A. Weiss, Ph.D. (1965-1966)