Integrative Developmental Biology

Integrative Developmental Biology (iDB) is an educational initiative organized by the Department of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School and carried out in collaboration with faculty throughout Harvard. iDB serves as a center for creating and offering courses in Developmental Biology, which often provide integration of basic scientific research with important areas of medicine and disease.

This initiative is aimed at fulfilling an intellectual challenge resulting from the genomic revolution that has swept biomedical disciplines in the past decade. These new developments present methodological, logistical and epistemological opportunities and challenges that traditional educational approaches can only partially fulfill. We feel it is essential to develop new ways of teaching biology that allow students to approach problems in a multidisciplinary fashion.
The iDB effort represents a new educational initiative that is meant to synergize with existing educational programs (like HILS and the Leder Medical Sciences Program). The iDB will involve traditional graduate and medical education but also has the ambition to serve as a template for a novel way of teaching. Traditional semester-length courses and abridged, 2-day courses called nanocourses will both be offered. The iDB will also offer a 2 week, intensive lab-based course that will expose participating students to Experimental Developmental Biology.

The iDB will strive to maintain Harvard University Medical School's reputation as a pioneer in Biomedical education, utilize existing intellectual capital, and build meaningful connections between all members of the Harvard community. If you have comments or suggestions, or would like to become more involved in the iDB initiative, please contact a member of our executive committee.