Professional Science Master's in Biomedical Sciences

Preparing for Professions in Health Care and Biomedical Sciences

This multidisciplinary program utilizes one-on-one advising to customize curriculum and identify an individualized capstone internship in order to complement and expand on each student’s academic and life experiences and to prepare them for their future careers.

• Degree Requirements
• Admission Criteria and Application Information

• 2023 Virtual Information Sessions, PSM in Biomedical Sciences

  We hold periodic information sessions for the PSM in Biomedical Sciences—check here for dates and check back for regular updates if no upcoming dates are listed. All sessions are listed in Mountain Time.

  Tue Jan 10 at 5-6pm
  Thu Jan 19 at 6-7pm
  Tue Jan 24 at 6-7pm
  Tue Feb 7 at 6-7pm
  Mon Feb 20 at 6-7pm
  Thu Mar 2 at 6-7pm
  Tue Mar 14 at 6-7pm
  Wed Mar 29 at 6-7pm
  Tue Apr 11 at 6-7pm
  Mon Apr 24 at 6-7pm
  Tue May 9 at 6-7pm

  The Zoom link for all info sessions is here.

Capstone Experiences

Capstone experiences are nine to twelve month internships projects, culminating in a scholarly presentation. The PSM program director works with each student to identify a capstone mentor whose professional expertise aligns with their professional aspirations. Capstone projects can be administrative, clinical, programmatic or research focused.

The goals of the capstone experience are for the student to 1) gain advanced knowledge within the field of biomedicine, 2) learn specialized skills, 3) integrate information across various disciplines related to healthcare and 4) summarize their experience and findings in a scholarly presentation.

Interested in serving as a capstone experience mentor? Mentors are an invaluable part of the educational process—click here to submit the inquiry form.

• 2021-2022 Capstone Projects

  The Relationship Between Bipolar Disorder and Suicidality
  Cami Bui
  Mentor: Kimberly Pfaff, PsyD and Casey Wolf, MD, Mental Health Center of Denver.

  An Evaluation of Recovery Support Specialists in the Emergency Department of Swedish Medical Center
  Isabel Courtney
  Mentor: Don Stader, MD, Board Certified Emergency and Addiction Medicine Physician, President of Stader Opioid Consultants, Chair Colorado Naloxone Project

  Pain Management in Veterinary Medicine
  Jill Lewis
  Mentor: Rob Landry, DVM, DAIPM, CVA, CCRP, CNPM, Colorado Center for Animal Pain Management Veterinary Care Center

  Clinically Relevant Screening of Aspergillosis Due to Bronchiectasis
  Edwin Lin
  Mentor: Charles Daley, MD, Chief of Division of Mycobacterial & Respiratory Infections and Professor, Department of Medicine; and David Griffith, MD, Professor, Division of Mycobacterial & Respiratory Infections, Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health.

  Traumatic Brain Injury: Using research to develop recommendations for improved recovery
  Hollis Lyman
  Mentor: Daniel Linseman, PhD, Professor, Biological Sciences, Jenalee Doom, PhD, Assistant Professor, Psychology, and Kim Gorgens, PhD, Professor in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology, University of Denver, and Lucia Valdez, MSW, CBIS, Program Manager - Clinical Services, Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado

  Exercise Prescription in Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension
  Samantha Morton
  Mentor: M. Patricia George, MD, Associate Professor, Director of Pulmonary Hypertension Program, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health

  Respiratory Medicine as a Part of Athlete and Team Care
  Shawn Rattan
  Mentor: J. Tod Olin, MD, MSCS, Director National Jewish Health Exercise and Performance Breathing Center, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, National Jewish Health

  Use of Therapeutic Nutrition for Pulmonary Hypertension Patients with Metabolic Syndrome
  Rudra Ray
  Mentor: M. Patricia George, MD, Associate Professor, Director of Pulmonary Hypertension Program, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health

  EVALI Pathogenesis: The mechanisms of e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) pathogenesis
  Tanner Rivera
  Mentor: Irina Petrache, MD, Chief of Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Associate Vice President of Faculty Development, Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Wollowick Chair in COPD Research, National Jewish Health

  Development of Therapeutic Respiratory Toolkit for a College Basketball Team
  Bryant Rucker
  Mentor: J. Tod Olin, MD, MSCS, Director National Jewish Health Exercise and Performance Breathing Center, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, National Jewish Health

  Analysis of Race and Ethnicity Variability in Pediatric Brain Tumor Transcriptomics
  Aryanna Ryan
  Mentor: Adam Green, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Attending Physician in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology/Oncology, Children’s Hospital Colorado

  Evaluating the First Year Efficacy of the Colorado Naloxone Project, a Novel Statewide Project to Implement Take-Home Naloxone Programs in Colorado Emergency Departments
  Mason Tuttle
  Mentor: Don Stader, MD, Board Certified Emergency and Addiction Medicine Physician, President of Stader Opioid Consultants, Chair Colorado Naloxone Project

  Investigating Epilepsy Medication Clearance Throughout Pregnancy
  Trevor Wolf
  Mentor: Archana Shrestha, MD, UCHealth Pregnancy Clinic, UCHealth Neurosciences Center

• 2020-2021 Capstone Projects

  Exercise-Induced Laryngeal Obstruction in the African Americans and Qualitative Analysis of Patient Exit Surveys
  Omar Barakat
  Mentor: J. Tod Olin, MD, MSCS, Director National Jewish Health Exercise and Performance Breathing Center, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, National Jewish Health

  The Impact of Covid-19 Restrictions on the Decision to have Elective Cosmetic Procedures
  Anna Brady
  Mentor: Christine Rodgers, MD, Denver Plastic Surgery

  Access to Opioid Treatment Programs Across Neighborhoods with Different Racial and Ethnic Compositions
  America Elias Martinez
  Mentor: Christopher Hoyte, MD  FAACT FACMT, Medical Director, Rocky Mountain Poison Center and Medical Director Toxicology Clinic, University of Colorado Hospital, Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Colorado SOM

  Native Hawaiian ancestry and gender in susceptibility to nontuberculous mycobacteria
  Anah Gilmore
  Mentor: Jennifer R. Honda, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine Center for Genes, Environment, and Health National Jewish Health

  Moyamoya: An Atypical Presentation Case Report and Current Treatments
  Avery Gholston
  Mentor: Jeffrey Wagner, MD, BlueSky Neurology

  Bioidentical Testosterone Pellet Therapy in Women An Alternative Way to Treat Perimenopausal and Menopausal Symptoms and Improve Quality of Life
  Kara Groetken
  Mentor: Vandna Jerath, MD, FACOG, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Optima Women’s Healthcare

  Respiratory Diseases in Sports Medicine and Quality Improvement Project for EILO Exercise Program at NJH
  Amelia Hardeman
  Mentor: J. Tod Olin, MD, MSCS, Director National Jewish Health Exercise and Performance Breathing Center, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, National Jewish Health

  Patient Level Pediatric Neuro-oncology Health Disparities Analysis
  Alexandra Hilliard
  Mentor: Adam Green, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Attending Physician in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology/Oncology, Children’s Hospital Colorado

  A Novel Cervical Device: Use of non-Newtonian Fluids in Cervical Disc Replacement
  Mark Izbrand
  Mentor: Timothy Kuklo, MD, Denver International Spine Center

  Circulating Nucleated Red Blood Cells: Pathologic or Commonplace?
  Amy Meredith, MA CCC-SLP
  Mentors: Lynnelle Smith, MD; Julie Rosser, DO, Department of Pathology, University of Colorado

  Preliminary Evaluation of Sensitivity, Specificity, and Predictive Values for the Ages & Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) in Infants with Sex Chromosome Trisomy
  Jacky Nevarez
  Mentor: Nicole Tartaglia, MD, Children's Hospital, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine

  Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR): Effect on Cardiac Function
  Phikhanh Nguyen
  Mentor: Ira Dauber, MD, The South Denver Heart Center

  Understanding Post Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 and Fatigue
  Samuel Noonan
  Mentors: Brian Modena, MD MSci, Associate Professor, Division of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, and Barry Make, MD, Director COPD Program, Professor of Medicine, Director Pulmonary Rehabilitation and Respiratory Care, Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health

  The Efficacy of Recovery Support Specialists at Preventing Substance Related Readmissions
  Ryan Novak
  Mentor: Don Stader, MD, Associate Medical Director & Emergency Physician, Swedish Medical Center, CarePoint Health Care

  Return-to-play and performance of NCAA Division 1 Women's Soccer Players After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
  Belle Penn
  Mentor: Thomas Noonan, MD, UCHealth Steadman Hawkins Clinic Denver

  Prevalence of Take-Home Naloxone Programs in Colorado Emergency Departments
  Samuel Schonfeld
  Mentor: Don Stader, MD, Associate Medical Director & Emergency Physician, Swedish Medical Center, CarePoint Health Care

  Exercising with Type I Diabetes - Integrating Mobile and Wearable Technology with Diabetes Management
  Erin Townsend
  Mentor: Taylor Triolo, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

• 2019-2020 Capstone Projects

  Breathe to Succeed: Education program and Spirometry Screening for Collegiate Swim Teams
  Ava Berrier
  Mentor: J. Tod Olin, MD, MSCS, Director, Pediatric Exercise Tolerance Center, National Jewish Health

  A Retrospective Chart Population-Based Analysis of CNS Tumor Diagnoses, Treatment, and Survival in Congenital and Infant Age Groups
  Muriel Hart
  Mentor: Adam Green, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Attending Physician in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology/Oncology, Children’s Hospital Colorado

  Effects on Opioid Prescription and Administration via Pain Pathway Intervention
  Chase Klungle
  Mentor: Mentor: Darlene Tad-y, MD, SFHM, Vice President, Clinical Affairs, Colorado Hospital Association

  The Effect of ROTEM – based Transfusion Algorithm on Blood Product Utilization after deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA)
  Jennifer Luu
  Mentor: William Navarre MD, MPH, US Anesthesia Partners Colorado, Cardiothoracic anesthesiologist

  Timing of Trauma in the Lifespan and the Effect on Non-Epileptic Seizures
  Ashley Lyons
  Mentor: Laura Strom, MD, Associate Professor of Neurology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

  Review of Expanding Uses for Amnion Chorion Membranes in Dentoalveolar Procedures
  Simon Monley
  Mentor: Pete Mariner, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Snoasis Medical, LLC

  An Approach to Integrating Naloxone Distribution and Harm Reduction Education in Emergency Departments
  Stephanie Madzey
  Mentor: Don Stader, MD, FACEP, Associate Medical Director & Emergency Physician, Swedish Medical Center, CarePoint Health Care

  A new clinical approach to osteoarthritis of the knee: An overview of Ampion Clinical Trials
  Michaela O’Donoghue
  Mentors: Marshall Hoke, Regulatory Affairs Manager, and Holli Cherevka, Chief Operating Officer, Ampio Pharmaceuticals

  Treatment Resistant Schizophrenia: further Understanding the Best Treatment Options for This Subgroup
  Nathan Plattner
  Mentor: David Weiss, MD, Psychiatry, Mental Health Center of Denver

  Measuring Success in Addiction Medicine (Harm Reduction Model)
  Laura Reed
  Mentor: Raj Rai, MD, Medical Director and Physician, Magnolia Medical Group

• 2018-2019 Capstone Projects

  Health Disparities in Childhood Cancer and Congenital Brain Tumors
  Alina Beltrami
  Mentor: Adam Green, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Attending Physician in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology/Oncology, Children’s Hospital Colorado

  MonaLisa Touch as a novel treatment for genitourinary syndrome of menopause and improvement of quality of life
  Meg Cooksey
  Mentor: Vandna Jerath, MD, FACOG, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Optima Women’s Healthcare

  Advances & Challenges in Cardiothoracic Surgery
  Zoe Goldthwaite
  Mentor: Michael Firstenberg, MD, Chair, Cardiothoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Medical Center of Aurora

  The “Breathe to Succeed in Sports” Program: Phase 1
  Michael Jursinski
  Mentor: J. Tod Olin, MD, Department Pediatrics/Division of Pulmonary Medicine, National Jewish Health

  Differences in Rate of Return to Pitching and Post Tommy John Surgery Performance in Latin American vs. North American MLB Athletes
  Chris Koukis
  Mentor: Thomas J. Noonan MD, Sports Medicine/Orthopedic Surgery Physician, Steadman Hawkins Clinic, UCHealth

  How to Evaluate the Use of Clinical Photographs to Demonstrate Breast Aesthetics after Breast Cancer Surgery
  Paige Petrone
  Mentor: Colleen Murphy, MD, Surgery-Surgical Oncology, UCHealth

  Surfacing the not so Sweet Truths About Sugar through the Perception of Taste to the Future Outlooks of Sugar
  Tammy Zhong
  Mentor: Sue Kinnamon, PhD, Professor, Otolaryngology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

• 2017-2018 Capstone Projects

  A Clinical Safety Study for Selective Photothermolysis of Sebaceous Glands for Acne Treatment
  Melissa Jackels
  Mentors: Ed Barbera and Christopher Carlton, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Accure Acne Inc.

  Patient Diagnostic Tool Statistical Analysis for Exercise-Induced Laryngeal Obstruction (EILO)
  Mikalyn Johnson
  Mentor: J. Tod Olin, MD, Department Pediatrics/Division of Pulmonary Medicine, National Jewish Health

  A Survey of Depression Screening in Outpatient Cardiac Clinics
  Molly McMahon
  Mentor: James Dillingham, PA-C, St. Joseph Hospital Cardiac & Vascular Institute

  Incidence of UCL Injury in Left- versus Right-Handed Professional Pitchers and the Association between Hand Dominance and Humeral Torsion 
  Drew Soda 
  Mentor: Thomas J. Noonan MD, Sports Medicine, orthopedic surgery physician at Steadman Hawkins Clinic/UC Health

  Low-Level Laser Stimulation of the Auricular Branch Vagus Nerve: A Pilot Study using Heart Rate Variability
  Chris Williams
  Mentor: Daniel McShan, PhD, The Exzyme Corporation

• 2016-2017 Capstone Projects

  Factors Leading to Component Failure in Total Knee Arthroplasty Patients
  Yashar Benham
  Mentor: Chad Clary, PhD, Mechanical Engineering, University of Denver

  Classifying and Treating Lung Cancer
  Shiema Elhusssen
  Mentor: John Truell, MD, Pathology, Swedish Medical Center

  Respirable Crystalline Silica Exposures during Hydraulic Fracturing are Reduced through Implementation of an Engineering Control for Sand Delivery
  Ted Groff
  Mentors: Tami Mullen, Program Manager & Toxicologist, and Roberta Smith, Occupational Health Program Manager, Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment

  Risk and Protective Factors in Mental Health Outcomes of Second-Generation Asian Americans
  Bryan Pham
  Mentors: Joseph Sakai MD, Department of Psychiatry, and Dan Savin, MD, University of Colorado School of Medicine

  Evaluating the Benefits of Alternative Stress Reduction Techniques in Alleviating the Physical Symptoms Associated with Menopause
  Julia Wachs
  Mentor: Haley Chiado, PA, HealthMark

Professional Advisory Board

Our curriculum and capstone experiences are guided by a professional advisory board made up of eight to twelve leaders in the fields of biomedical research, biotechnology, clinical healthcare, academic allied health and hospital administration. 

Their input ensures students are learning academic and professional skills necessary and sought after by hiring managers and admissions counselors for students looking to apply to professional schools. 

CURRENT ADVISORY BOARD (updated 09/2018)

Andras Bodoni, MD, FCCP
Pulmonologist, Critical Care Physician
Colorado Pulmonary Associates, P.C.

Elena I. Bodoni, DDS
General Dentistry
Elena I. Bodoni, DDS, Greenwood Village

Holli Cherevka, MSc 
Chief Operating Officer
Ampio Pharmaceuticals

Mitch Fittro
Education and Workforce Manager
Central Colorado AHEC

Matthew Jonsen PhD, JD 
Partner, Intellectual Property 
Dorsey & Whitney LLP 

Denise Mathias, MBA 
Administrative Director of Cardiovascular Services 
Director of Volunteer Services 
HealthONE | Swedish Medical Center 

J. Tod Olin, MD, MSCS 
Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary Medicine 
Department of Pediatrics 
National Jewish Health 

Peter Stevens, PhD 
Chief New Ventures Officer 
AlloSource 

Tuition

The professional science master’s in biomedical sciences is a one-year program that requires 45 credits to complete. To estimate your annual tuition cost, please visit the Registrar's website.