Department of Biochemistry & Cell Biology

The Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology is one of 18 academic departments of Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine. Biochemistry and Cell Biology is also one of four partner departments in the Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) graduate program, which awards PhD degrees through the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies. Currently there are over 160 graduate students in the MCB program.

Biochemistry and Cell Biology's commitment to excellence in research, education, and service is an important part of our mission. Collegial and collaborative interactions among faculty, postdoctoral research associates and fellows, graduate students, Dartmouth undergraduate students and staff are integral to our culture. A general theme of our research is focused on defining molecular mechanisms that underlie fundamental cellular processes and yet our studies continue to provide key insights on aging, atherosclerosis, cancer, diabetes, neurotransmission, prion disease, kidney disease and a range of human health related issues.

April 2019
Congratulations to Corey Allard and Elaina Melton who received the 2018 E. Lucile Smith Award for Scientific Excellence in Biochemistry. This annual Award recognizes an outstanding graduate student and postdoctoral research associate for their demonstrated research accomplishments and contributions to our academic community.

Corey Allard is a Ph.D. candidate in Jamie Moseley’s Lab. His work focuses on the long-standing question of how cells are able to sense and control their own size. He has shown that the spatial positioning of different signaling molecules helps the cell to measure its own geometry from the inside. These same molecules can be rearranged to help reprogram cell size in response to stresses like starvation.

Elaina Melton, a postdoctoral research associate in TY Chang’s Lab, focuses on investigating the relationship between cholesterol metabolism and inflammation in mouse models of Atherosclerosis and Obesity. Elaina has accepted a Research Assistant Professor position in the Center for Molecular and Translational Medicine at Georgia State University.

This award honors the ground-breaking career of Dr. E. Lucile Smith, the first woman to attain the rank of Professor of Biochemistry at the Medical School and is given through the generosity of Dr. Smith's nephew Gray Parker, his wife Mary Kay, and the Booth-Bricker Fund.