About CMM
General Information
The University of Ottawa Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine (CMM), is a large dynamic interdisciplinary department consisting of 30 faculty researchers and teaching staff, as well as 63 cross-appointed or adjunct members. CMM was formed from the combined resources of three former departments of the University of Ottawa: Physiology, Pharmacology and Anatomy & Neurobiology.
CMM is well placed to facilitate interaction of its members with clinicians and researchers involved in many aspects of human medicine. CMM is part of the Ottawa Health Sciences Centre, a medical complex which also includes the Ottawa Hospital (General Campus), Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), the Ottawa Regional Cancer Centre, (OHRI) Ottawa Health Research Institute (General Campus), the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute. In addition, through its cross-appointed and adjunct members, the Department has research affiliations with the (OHRI) Ottawa Health Research Institute, and University of Ottawa Heart Institute at the Ottawa Hospital (Civic Campus), the Royal Ottawa Hospital, the Canadian Red Cross, Health Canada, the National Research Council.
Postdoctoral Training
Openings exist for postdoctoral fellows to work on state of the art research projects in the study of normal and pathological cell function in a variety of physiological, pharmacological and anatomical/morphological systems. These include the nervous, gastrointestinal, endocrine, reproductive, renal and cardiovascular systems as well as neuromuscular function and mechanisms of induction and regulation of differentiation and pattern formation during development. The Department has a long tradition of training postdoctoral and clinical research fellows and currently has a large number of postdoctoral trainees. Excellent levels of stipend support are offered and these will be augmented if outside salary support is obtained by the candidate.
Graduate and Undergraduate Training Programs
The Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine offers graduate programs leading to the degrees of Master of Science (M.Sc.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). These programs (combination of graduate level courses, participation in student seminar series, supervised research culminating in the writing and defence of a thesis) provide training leading to graduate degrees in Neuroscience, Physiology, Pharmacology and Growth and Development. There is also an Honour's program which provides valuable training at both the experimental and theoretical levels and prepares students well for a career in research or future studies in medicine and related health sciences.
Departmental Research
Located on the second and third levels of the Roger Guindon Hall, CMM is a large department with approximately 3000 square metres of laboratory and common research facilities. The department is equipped with state of the art equipment and facilities for all aspects of molecular, cellular and in vivo studies and maintains an active and well-funded multi-disciplinary research program for the study of normal and pathological cell function in a variety of physiological systems. These include the nervous, gastrointestinal, endocrine, reproductive, renal and cardiovascular systems as well as skeletal muscle function and mechanisms of induction and the regulation of differentiation and pattern formation during development. Some particular areas of collaborative concentration of research activity within CMM include: neurotransmission, neurobiology, growth and development, digestive diseases, muscle-related research and renal function. In addition to specific Research Groups and themes, much of this research is now focussed within recently established Research Centres including the Centre for Neuromuscular Disease; Kidney Research Centre, and the Centre for Research in Biopharmaceuticals. These research Centres and foci offer exciting training opportunities for young scientists. This is further complimented by a strong interaction with clinical colleagues.
Research approaches currently in use include electrophysiology, investigations into various cell signalling mechanisms, gene transfer experiments and studies pertaining to the regulation of cell function by neurotransmitters or growth factors. The facilities include well equipped tissue culture space, histology labs for immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization and receptor autoradiography, biochemistry labs for routine separation, enzyme assay work and protein biochemistry. Electrophysiological laboratories are equipped for intracellular, patch-clamp and extracellular recordings of cultured cells, brain slices and whole animals. High-quality phase and fluorescence microscope facilities (including integrated video and fast CCD image capture for live, low light level fluorescence and digital confocal microscopy for 3-D image capture as well as transmission and scanning EM) are available on site and there is access to laser scanning confocal microscopy facilities for optical sectioning. Group access services for peptide synthesis, antibody production and oligonucleotide probe construction are also available.
Teaching Programs
Faculty Members are involved in teaching various aspects of human anatomy, basic and applied physiology and pharmacology to students at both the undergraduate (Medicine) and graduate levels of education. Undergraduate courses in both physiology and pharmacology are offered to students in the Faculty of Science. Courses dealing with a range of topics in human physiology and anatomy are also provided to Health Science students in both English and French.
CMM is a major contributor to the training of medical students in both English and French. The Faculty of Medicine offers a four-year program of integrated basic and clinical studies leading to the M.D. degree. Departmental members contribute significantly to the first stage (two years) of this program in which fourteen multidisciplinary blocks provide problem-based learning in the basic sciences, including gross anatomy, embryology, histology, biochemistry, physiology, microbiology, nutrition, genetics, pharmacology, pathology, immunology, epidemiology and the history of medicine. Emphasis is placed on self-learning; principles and facts are assimilated in a multidisciplinary fashion, within the context of clinical problems. Faculty are also actively involved in the training of medical residents. CMM is committed to innovative education strategies and programs to meet current needs in biomedical education and to integrate new computer-based technologies that enhance both teaching and learning. Technology and globalization are reshaping the delivery of education and CMM is creating a highly interactive, technology-based milieu that will take advantage of these new opportunities to deliver the very best basic and advanced education in the Biomedical Sciences.