stemness

Hi all, I'm deciding between the following programs and would appreciate any insights people can provide!! WashU St. Louis Biology and Biomedical Sciences PhD - Developmental, Regenerative, and Stem Cell Biology (DRSCB) Mount Sinai (ISMMS) Biomedical Sciences PhD - Development, Regeneration, and Stem Cells (DRS) I have a strong interest in studying stem-cell derived cell therapies. I'm definitely more into translational science than basic research. While it seems that WashU is generally more basic science oriented, both institutions have multiple faculty I would be interested in working with. For more context, the fields I want to explore in rotations include immunology/oncology, neurobiology, and maybe kidney/heart regenerative medicine. Here is my pro con list so far WashU Pro: Flexible umbrella program with the option to work with >600 faculty Overall laid back atmosphere Most DSRCB labs are on the med campus and have well maintained facilities St Louis is inexpensive to live in - stipend goes a LONG way (many students indicated buying condos/houses) Students are very friendly Drivable to see my family/hometown WashU Con St Louis is a pretty small city Most students I met at visit weekend are doing basic developmental research, not translational Mount Sinai Pro Institution is very translational research oriented (also connected to hospital and use a lot of primary samples) Stipend to go to conferences and present work A LOT of core facilities Classes are more aligned with my exact research interests Lots to do in New York New AI/ML MTA which would be really cool to collab with in biomedical research Mount Sinai Cons Middle of NYC might be too congested for me Housing option feels like college dorms (4-6 roommates) Stipend will not go as far in NYC, will be harder to afford travel etc TLDR: I LOVE the science and faculty at Sinai, but don't think I'll love living in NYC on a PhD student budget. I like WashU and could be happy there but am not quite as animated about the science. Please feel free offer any insights or words of advice! No matter how small

I work currently work in the field of immuno-oncology and I can chime in that MD Anderson is very well known in the field. Investigators there consistently present at top conferences. It seems you care about how translational the research is, and both MD Anderson and Ohio State are pretty strong in that aspect. It helps if the institution you attend has the same research goals as you do. If you were looking strictly at the research funding/reputation, those two definitely edge out Utah. University of Utah is certainly has less name recognition, but if your gut is telling you to go there, you might want to explore if it matches all your priorities the best. At the end of the day, thats what really matters. Best of luck! You will do great things and wonderful research wherever you go,