This program's mission is to provide students with:

  • Advanced knowledge in current concepts in molecular, cellular, and genetic processes that contribute to the development and treatment of cancer
  • Specialized training in experimental methodology used to study cancer in a laboratory setting
  • Required shadowing of clinical oncologists to help identify clinically-relevant research questions leading to projects with a potential impact on cancer patients

Learn about our program's curriculum

Curriculum Overview

The Graduate College requires the satisfactory completion of 72 semester hours in order to obtain a Ph.D.

Required Courses

For the first year, students take common courses with other Biomedical Science students.

Cancer is a term that encompasses over 210 different types of malignancies, each with a unique set of biological, etiological, and clinical features. Cancer researchers continue to widen their scope as more is learned, requiring a breadth of knowledge in many areas of research (e.g. cell biology, genetics, immunology, and cell metabolism) to understand the complexities of cancer etiology and treatment.

The Cancer Biology Program provides this knowledge through classroom and research training leading to a PhD degree, and preparing students for a variety of career paths in academic, clinical, and industry environments dealing with the study and/or treatment of cancer.

A campus visual from the Carver College of Medicine outdoor lawn space.

Ready to apply?

You can learn more about the application process and requirements here.

Events

ACB Seminar Series - Dr. Kevin Eliceiri  promotional image

ACB Seminar Series - Dr. Kevin Eliceiri

Wednesday, November 11, 2026 9:30am to 10:30am
Bowen Science Building

Dr. Kevin Eliceiri, Professor of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will present a seminar titled "Computational Imaging of Cellular Microenvironments."

REDCap MyCap Training

Wednesday, November 11, 2026 10:00am to 11:00am
Virtual

This is the fifth step in the REDCap training series. In this training, we will discuss using the MyCap mobile app for data collection. We will cover features such as:

Creating participants

Creating tasks and schedules

Active tasks and their unique data output

Direct messages and announcements

This training is a demo and not hands-on. After this training, you will have a basic understanding of the MyCap mobile app for REDCap.

Register by clicking the virtual event link above or by going here:  https:/...

Skills for Educators: Effective and Efficient Clinical Teaching

Thursday, November 12, 2026 8:30am to 11:30am
University of Iowa Health Care University Campus
Develop effective and efficient approaches to teaching in the context of patient care.