Interdisciplinary Programs

Collaborating to Shape Biomedical Science Education

At the U-M Medical School, graduate students benefit from programs that cross traditional departmental boundaries, creating rich interdisciplinary learning opportunities.

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U-M Medical School Interdisciplinary Programs

Collaboration is a hallmark of all 14 PhD programs at the University of Michigan Medical School, offering students unlimited opportunities to engage with peers and faculty across diverse domains. 

In particular, the following graduate programs unite faculty scientists from multiple U-M departments to prepare students for careers in transformative areas of research.

Programs Driving Transformative Research

Cancer Biology

We are dedicated to training the next generation of cancer researchers through a rigorous and dynamic graduate education.

Cellular & Molecular Biology

Our students are immersed in a collaborative and innovative research environment during their training experience.

Immunology

Students have the opportunity to pursue their unique research interests in a flexible and interdisciplinary environment.

Neuroscience

Our difference is rooted in our interdisciplinary and interdepartmental approach, with more than 150 affiliated faculty members.

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Featured News & Stories

See Interdisciplinary Program News
Six-photo collage of students and alumni in graduation, outdoor, service, and University of Michigan settings, including people posing in regalia, hiking landscapes, a fire truck, and in front of the Michigan Stadium gate with the large maize “M.”
Medical School News

Get ready to welcome new medical students at White Coat Ceremony on July 26

The University of Michigan Medical School will welcome 183 medical students as part of the 2026 entering class.
Lori J. Pierce, M.D.
Medical School News

Medical School’s Lori J. Pierce, MD, named Distinguished University Professor

Medical School professor Lori J. Pierce, M.D., is one of six U-M faculty members recognized for their outstanding teaching and service with one of the university’s most prestigious honors: the Distinguished University Professorship. Each professorship bears a name determined by the appointed professor in consultation with their dean. Pierce is the Allen S. Lichter Distinguished University Professor of Radiation Oncology.
Residents working in the simulation center with text detailing that the U-M Medical School has 20+ top residency programs in this year's Doximity rankings.
News Release

U-M boasts 15 top 10 residency programs in latest Doximity Residency Navigator rankings

U-M boasts 15 top 10 residency programs in latest Doximity Residency Navigator rankings
2026 Michigan Medicine Learning Health System Summit
Medical School News

Michigan Medicine to host inaugural Learning Health System Summit on Oct. 9

The Michigan Medicine Learning Health System Summit on Oct. 9 will bring together leaders, clinicians, researchers, educators, staff, and learners from across the organization to explore what it will take to fully realize the vision.
Renuka Tipirneni, MD, MSc
Medical School News

Renuka Tipirneni, MD, MSc, picked for prestigious health policy fellowship

A general internal medicine physician who has devoted her career to studying how health policy decisions affect patients like hers nationwide will spend the next year advising policymakers in Washington, D.C. directly, through a prestigious national fellowship. Renuka Tipirneni, M.D., M.Sc., an Associate Professor at the University of Michigan Medical School, was selected by the National Academy of Medicine and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as one of eight RWJF Health Policy Fellows for 2026-2027.
Lab Swap donations
Medical School News

Swap and shop events help laboratories donate and find valuable supplies

The Medical School is helping researchers save money and reduce waste by connecting laboratories with surplus supplies to those that can put them to immediate use. At three Lab Swap events held in the spring, more than 100 participants donated and “shopped” for valuable laboratory supplies at Medical Science Research Building 2, North Campus Research Complex, and A. Alfred Taubman Biomedical Science Research Building. The events rehomed more than 3,500 pounds of lab supplies, with a value of nearly $115,000.