You begin the program in July by attending a series of lunch presentations that introduce you to potential lab mentors.

Within a few weeks, you select the first of your three lab rotations where you’ll spend at least eight weeks participating in a research project. You have the opportunity to learn more about departmental labs via poster sessions throughout the summer and fall during Mayo Clinic’s Summer Research Symposium, Immunology Department Retreat, and Graduate Student Symposium. 

In October, you begin your second lab rotation; your third lab rotation starts in January. In the spring, you choose your thesis laboratory and thesis mentor from among your three lab rotations.

You take classes in conjunction with your lab rotations, the majority of which are completed during Year 1, which includes most biomedical science required courses, the comprehensive basic graduate immunology course, one to two journal club courses, and three advanced immunology tutorials.  

At the end of Year 1, all students are funded to travel and attend the week-long Advanced Course in Immunology sponsored by the American Association of Immunologists (AAI).

Starting in Year 2, your primary activity is working in the thesis laboratory focusing on acquiring preliminary data for your thesis research project. You’ll also complete remaining coursework, attend seminars and journal clubs, and present and discuss your preliminary research results at national conferences and campus poster sessions.

Near the end of Year 2, you’ll take the immunology written qualifying exam, preceded by the immunology oral exam. The immunology qualifying exams test your knowledge of biomedical science and basic immunology. The qualifying exams also evaluate your skills in critical thinking and experimental design in the key immunology research areas covered by the six advanced immunology tutorial courses.

Year 3 primarily consists of thesis research and participating in activities designed to help you learn how to organize, summarize, and critically discuss research results in a scientific manner. Scientific writing and critical thinking skills are developed as you work with your thesis mentors to plan and draft research papers. 

Near the beginning of Year 3, and after you’ve passed the written and oral qualifying exams, you and your lab mentor will select five to six faculty members to serve on your Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC). You’ll write a thesis proposal based on your preliminary data to share at your first TAC meeting, preceded by additional TAC meetings about every six months thereafter where you’ll presents slides and discuss your research progress.

Near the end of Year 3, you’ll present a 50-minute Work-In-Progress (WIP) seminar before the entire department, during which you’ll describe your thesis research background, proposed directions, and current results. Frequent oral presentations during classes prepare you to excel at these WIP presentations, which should be presented once each year. You’ll further learn to discuss your research ideas and results via poster and oral presentations throughout the year, both on campus and during national meetings.

During Year 3, you’re encouraged to write and submit an NIH predoctoral fellowship grant application, as well as participate in workshops and courses to learn about and practice grant writing.

Year 4 and subsequent years are used to complete your thesis research project. Generating research publications and presenting research abstracts at national meetings is the focus of these years. To stay abreast of the current literature, you’re encouraged to attend departmental seminars and journal club. You’re also encouraged to develop a detailed post-graduate career plan with advice from your mentor and TAC, which include a Career Development Internship.

Graduation generally occurs in Years 5 or 6. Initiating the graduation process requires approval by your TAC, who will instruct you to begin writing a scholarly dissertation that introduces, summarizes, and discusses your thesis research results.

After submitting your dissertation, your defense is scheduled. This consists of a 50-minute seminar before the department where you’ll describe your research results, followed by an oral defense. Both the dissertation and the defense must be approved by the TAC, at which time the Ph.D. degree is conferred.

Students who graduate at any time during the previous year are invited to return to Rochester, Minnesota, to participate in the annual Mayo Clinic doctoral student graduation ceremony and celebration each May.

• “Immunological Contributions to the Pathogenesis of Cerebral Malaria,” Cori Fain, Ph.D. (Advisor: Aaron Johnson, Ph.D.)
• “T Follicular Helper Cells in Regulation of Peanut Allergies,” Jyoti Lama, Ph.D. (Advisor: Hirohito Kita, M.D.) 
• “MHC Class I dependent and independent T cell responses to central nervous system insults: Studies in an experimental glioma and Theiler’s Virus systems,” Zachariah Tritz, Ph.D. (Advisor: Aaron Johnson, Ph.D.) 
• “Immune Response to Periprosthetic Joint Infection and Non-Infectious Arthroplasty Failure,” Cody Fisher, Ph.D., (Advisor: Robin Patel, M.D.) 
• “Age-Associated Immune Alteration in the Respiratory Track,” Yue Wu, Ph.D. (Advisor: Haidong Dong, M.D., Ph.D.) 
• “Evaluation of Oncolytic Vesiculovirus Efficacy and Escape in Multiple Cancer Models,” Chelsae Watters, Ph.D. (Advisor: Mitesh Borad, M.D.) 

• “Antigen-Specific CD8 T cell-Mediated Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) Modulation: Implications in Pathology and Therapy,” Roman Khadka, Ph.D. (Advisor: Aaron Johnson, Ph.D.) 
• “Identifying Multi-Omic, Molecular Subtypes of Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma and Follicular Lymphoma and Elucidating their Clinical and Biological Implications,” Jordan Krull, Ph.D. (Advisor: Anne Novak, Ph.D.) 

• “Regulation of CD8 T Cell Brain Infiltration by Local Antigen Presentation,” Emma Goddery, Ph.D. (Advisor: Aaron Johnson, Ph.D.)
• “Plasma-derived Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) as Glioma Biomarkers,” Luz M. Cumba Garcia, Ph.D. (Advisor: Ian Parney, M.D., Ph.D.)
• “Determining the Causes and Inflammatory Consequences of Cell-free Fetal DNA Release,” Nazanin Yeganeh Kazemi, M.D., Ph.D. (Advisor: Svetomir Markovic, M.D., Ph.D.)
• “Assessment of T Cell Priming and T Cell Intrinsic Factors Critical for Antitumor Cytotoxicity in the Context of Cancer Immunotherapy,” Whitney Barham, M.D., Ph.D. (Advisor: Haidong Dong, M.D., Ph.D.)
• “Systems Biology for Engineering Regenerative Immunotherapies in Precision Neuro-oncology,” Dileep Monie, M.D., Ph.D. (Advisor: Hu Li, M.D., Ph.D.)
• “The Role of ABCB7 in Lymphocyte Development and Homeostasis,” Michael Lehrke, Ph.D.(Advisor: Virginia Shapiro, Ph.D.)
• “Transcriptional Control of CD4+ T cell Activation,” Drew Wilfahrt, Ph.D. (Advisor: Virginia Shapiro, Ph.D.)

• “Immunological Mechanisms of Sensitization and Tolerance to Peanut,” James Krempski, Ph.D. (Advisor: Hirohito Kita, Ph.D.)
• “The Role of ST8Sia6 in Immune Cell Development and Inflammation,” Paul Belmonte, Ph.D. (Advisor: Virginia Shapiro, Ph.D.)
• “T cell Co-Potentiation: A Path to Neoantigen Discovery,” Laura Becher, Ph.D. (Advisor: Svetomir Markovic, M.D., Ph.D.)
• “The Role of TNFα in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Hematopoietic Dysfunction,” Bryce Manso, Ph.D. (Advisor: Kay Medina, Ph.D.)
• “Extracellular Vesicle-mediated Immunosuppression in Glioblastoma,” Benjamin Himes, M.D, Ph.D. (Advisor: Ian Parney, M.D., Ph.D.)

• "Viroimmunotherapy for the Treatment of Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma," Matthew Schuelke, Ph.D. (Mentor: Richard Vile, Ph.D.)
• "Regulation of T cell Maturation by NKAP," Barsha Das, Ph.D. (Mentor: Virginia Shapiro, Ph.D.)