Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Ph.D.

Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Head: Dr. Keith Fowke
Campus Address/General Office: 543 Basic Medical Sciences Building, 745 Bannatyne Avenue
Telephone: 204-789-3444
Fax: 204-789-3926
Email Address: angela.nelson@umanitoba.ca
Website: umanitoba.ca/medicine/medicine/department-medical-microbiology-and-infectious-diseases
Academic Staff: Please refer to the Medical Microbiology website for academic staff information.

Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Program Information

The Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases offers programs of study leading to the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees with research and academic experience suitable for a career in Basic Microbiology or Infectious Diseases.

Admission Information

Admission to the Faculty of Graduate Studies

Application and Admission Procedures are found in the Academic Guide.

Admission requirements for doctoral students are found in the Doctor of Philosophy General Regulations section of the Guide.

Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Ph.D. Admission Requirements

Admission requirements are those of the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

Application Information

Students should complete and submit their online application with supporting documentation by the date indicated on the Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Ph.D. program of study page.

Degree Requirements

Where admission to the Ph.D. is directly from a Master’s Degree, a minimum of 6 credit hours at the 7000 level or higher plus a thesis is required. Any further coursework beyond the minimum 6 credit hours at the 7000 level must be at the 3000 level or above.

Where students have completed the minimum of 12 credit hours of 7000 level coursework required to transfer to the Ph.D., 6 additional credit hours of 7000 level or higher coursework plus a thesis are required.

If the candidate has not already taken a course during their prior Master’s degree studies that is equivalent to MMIC 7050 Microbial Pathogenicity (as determined by the department Head, or designate), then this course must normally be taken as part of the Ph.D. program of study.

Expected Time to Graduate: 5 - 6 years

Progression Chart

Plan of Study Grid
Year 1		Hours
GRAD 7300	Research Integrity Tutorial	0
GRAD 7500	Academic Integrity Tutorial	0
MMIC 7050	Microbial Pathogenicity ¹	0-6
Courses at the 7000 level or above		6
	Hours	6-12
Years 2-5
GRAD 8010	Doctoral Candidacy Examination ²	0
GRAD 8000	Doctoral Thesis	0
GRAD 8020	Doctoral Re-registration	0
	Hours	0
	Total Hours	6-12

¹: If not already completed during prior Master’s degree studies.
²: The candidacy exam will be taken by all Ph.D. students no later than 12 months prior to their expected graduation date and preferably much earlier given possible time constraints due to overlaps with thesis writing.

Registration Information

Students should familiarize themselves with the Faculty of Graduate Studies ‘GRAD’ courses applicable to their program. If you have questions about which GRAD course(s) to register in, please consult your home department/unit.

Prior to registration, all new and returning students must meet with their advisor to determine their program of study. Students should register themselves by signing up for the Aurora Student service on the University of Manitoba website. If difficulties are incurred students may contact the Graduate Studies Committee Office Assistant as per the information below.

All course additions and withdrawals (registration revisions) must be approved in the same manner.

Not all courses are offered each year.

Regulations

Students must meet the requirements as outlined in both Supplementary Regulation and BFAR documents as approved by Senate.

Supplementary Regulations

Individual units may require specific requirements above and beyond those of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, and students should consult unit supplementary regulations for these specific regulations.

Bona Fide Academic Requirements (BFAR)

Bona Fide Academic Requirements (BFAR) represent the core academic requirements a graduate student must acquire in order to gain, and demonstrate acquisition of, essential knowledge and skills.

All students must successfully complete:

GRAD 7300 prior to applying to any ethics boards which are appropriate to the student’s research or within the student’s first year, whichever comes first; and
GRAD 7500 within the first term of registration;

unless these courses have been completed previously, as per Mandatory Academic Integrity Course and Mandatory Research Integrity Online Course.

Students must also meet additional BFAR requirements that may be specified for their program.

General Regulations

All students must:

maintain a minimum degree grade point average of 3.0 with no grade below C+,
meet the minimum and not exceed the maximum course requirements, and
meet the minimum and not exceed the maximum time requirements (in terms of time in program and lapse or expiration of credit of courses).

Courses

Medical Microbiology

MMIC 6010 Biological Safety 3 cr

Critical Analysis of biological safety in the research, diagnostic and hospital environment; assessment of the underlying causes of laboratory acquired infections and the administrative, engineering and personal protective control measures available; analysis of current and new bio-containment technologies, risk assessment tools, the need for scientific based decision making and the public perception versus real risk.

MMIC 7012 Fundamental Virology 3 cr

This is an introductory graduate-level course with a focus on virus gene organization, the different levels of regulated viral gene expressions, and their different replication mechanisms, covering experimental design and advanced knowledge and information on various ways in which viruses replicate in hosts and interact with cellular machinery to cause disease.

MMIC 7040 Clinical Bacteriology 6 cr

Scientific basis of routine laboratory methods used in the diagnosis of bacterial infection: specimen handling techniques; laboratory organization.

MMIC 7050 Microbial Pathogenicity 6 cr

Comparative structure of virulent and avirulent bacteria, biochemical basis of virulence; host defenses.

MMIC 7140 Clinical Parasitology 3 cr

The course will consist of a series of lectures on the epidemiology, molecular pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnosis (clinical and laboratory), treatment and prevention of human disease; each class is followed by a laboratory period in which the student obtains some practical experience.

MMIC 7160 Molecular Basis of Infection and Antibiotic Action 3 cr

Historical development, mechanism of action, principles of antimicrobial susceptibility testing and molecular and genetic basis for antibiotic resistance transfer as well as pathogenesis of infectious diseases. Prerequisite courses include Microbial Physiology or Biochemistry and at least an introductory course in Genetics and the consent of instructor.

MMIC 7170 Molecular Biology of Animal Viruses 3 cr

Lecture and conference course. Recent advances in molecular aspects of virus structure, replication, genetics, and spectrum of virus-host cell interaction.

PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisites: MMIC 7010 or consent of instructor.

MMIC 7190 Readings in Infectious Diseases 3 cr

The student will conduct an appropriate in depth literature search on three aspects of a mutually agreed topic and present the "state of the science" and a critical review of it, to the instructor. This will be done as a series of interactive sessions.

MMIC 7210 Clinical Virology 3 cr

Each group of viruses will be presented in a lecture dealing with the General Virology and taxonomy, epidemiology, clinical aspects of the diseases, laboratory diagnosis, treatment options, anti-virals’ classes with their mechanisms of action as well as susceptibility testing (where applicable), and prevention (including infection control measures, chemo- and immunoprophylaxis (where applicable). The course consists of lecture and optional laboratory component (non-mandatory rotation for Graduate students only at CPL, Virus Detection and Serology sections).

MMIC 7220 The Ecology of Infectious Diseases 6 cr

Explores the study of infectious diseases in a global context from the perspective of biomedical, clinical, heath systems/services and social, cultural and environmental determinants of health and disease. The course features didactic, self-directed reading and interactive small group sessions.

Academic Calendar