Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology

Doctoral Programs

Medical Engineering and Medical Physics

The Medical Engineering and Medical Physics (MEMP) Program is a five-to-seven–year program that leads to the PhD in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics awarded by MIT or by the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The program trains students as engineers or physical scientists who also have extensive knowledge of the medical sciences. By understanding engineering and physical science applications, as well as their clinical implications, graduates of this program are well positioned to define new questions and formulate novel approaches in biomedical research.

The MEMP program is founded on a philosophy of openness and collaboration, characteristics that encourage innovative and independent thinking and creativity. This philosophy is fostered by the unique environment in which MEMP students study. While each MEMP student has depth in one classical discipline of engineering or physical science, the collective community has students in all disciplines. MEMP students also have peers with diverse career paths in medicine, science, engineering, business, and government. This community promotes an open exchange of ideas and exposes students to different perspectives on the health sciences.

Moreover, MEMP students have access to research opportunities in labs at Harvard, MIT, and the Harvard teaching hospitals. Students can do research with faculty at any of these institutions and have many opportunities through classes, events, and projects to interact with faculty from all of these institutions. 

The program's academic curriculum includes three phases that prepare students to be medical innovators who will advance human health. First, HST provides MEMP students with a thorough graduate education in a classical discipline of engineering or physical science. Each student selects a concentration area, such as mechanical engineering, chemistry and chemical engineering, materials science, electrical engineering, computer science, physics, aeronautics and astronautics, or nuclear engineering, and completes substantial coursework in this discipline.

Students then become conversant in the biological sciences through preclinical coursework followed by a series of clinical experiences. They acquire a hands-on understanding of clinical care, medical decision-making, and the role of technology in medical practice both in the classroom and in patient care. Because the interface of technology and clinical medicine represents a continuum that extends from the molecular to the whole-organism levels, MEMP offers two distinct but related curricular sequences in the biomedical sciences: the cellular and molecular medicine sequence and the systems physiology and medicine sequence.

Finally, MEMP students investigate important problems at the interfaces of science, technology, and clinical medicine through individualized research projects that prepare them to undertake independent research. MEMP students have the opportunity to perform thesis research in laboratories at MIT, Harvard, and the Harvard affiliated teaching hospitals.

Bioinformatics and integrative genomics (BIG), neuroimaging and bioastronautics are areas of specialization within MEMP for which HST offers specially designed training programs. MEMP candidates may choose to apply through MIT, Harvard, or both. Those applying to MEMP through MIT should submit a single application. Those applying to MEMP through Harvard must also apply to the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences or the Biophysics Program. Additional information about applying to MEMP is available at http://hst.mit.edu/public/admissions/.

Medical Sciences

HST's Medical Sciences Program leads to the MD degree from Harvard Medical School. It is oriented toward students with a strong interest and background in quantitative science, especially in the biological, physical, engineering, and chemical sciences. The subjects in human biology developed for this curriculum represent the joint efforts of life scientists, physicians, physical scientists, and engineers from the faculties of Harvard and MIT.

The programs of study are designed to meet the interests and needs of the individual student. The student is encouraged to pursue advanced study in areas of interest that may complement the subjects offered in the division. Such study may be undertaken as part of the MD degree requirements or may be pursued in a program that combines the MD with a master's or doctoral degree. HST students join the students of the regular Harvard Medical School curriculum in the clinical clerkships.

Because HST is committed to educating physicians who have a deep understanding of the scientific basis of medicine and who are well equipped for an interdisciplinary research career, HST encourages students in the MD curriculum to devote time to research and requires a thesis for completion of the degree. 

Many MD students desire even more research training than is possible during the standard four-year MD curriculum. For such students, one option is to pursue a formal PhD program in addition to an MD program. Another option expands the MD program to five or more years in order to include a major research training component. This option may lead to a master's degree in health sciences and technology in addition to the MD degree.

The general requirements for a master's degree at MIT are given under Graduate Education in Part 1. The subject requirements must be in addition to the minimum number of units required for the MD degree. Subjects may be chosen in scientific, technical, or clinical areas relevant to the student's research area. Thesis research may be conducted at MIT, Harvard, or at Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals. The completed thesis must be approved by the thesis supervisor and submitted to HST's Graduate Committee. The master's thesis simultaneously fulfills the thesis requirement for HST's MD degree. The two degrees are not formally linked; the MD degree is not a prerequisite for the master's degree.

Further details on the Medical Sciences Program and application forms may be obtained from the Office of Admissions, Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02115. Applications must be submitted by October 15 of the year before desired matriculation. For further information, candidates can contact HST's Medical Sciences Admissions Coordinator at hst-md-admissions@mit.edu.

Radiological Sciences Joint Program

The Radiological Sciences Joint Program (RSJP) offers a unique integration of engineering and physical sciences education with research opportunities in a broad spectrum of biomedical research laboratories. The RSJP doctoral program is administered in collaboration with MIT's Nuclear Science and Engineering Department and Boston-area teaching hospitals. Students complete a doctoral program in nuclear science and engineering in addition to a focused clinical experience that includes basic biomedical courses and a clinical practicum. 

Training is provided in ionizing and non-ionizing radiation systems engineering and applications to biological and biomedical issues. This is accomplished through an academic core of nuclear physics and radiation engineering supplemented by biomedical subjects and a focused clinical experience. Student research topics typically involve radiation therapy or imaging, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computer-aided tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), or single-photon emission tomography (SPECT). Recent innovations in the areas of particle radiation therapy and medical imaging have made this area one of the most exciting in the field of applied nuclear and radiation science.

The core curriculum includes topics in nuclear and radiation physics, radiation biology, medical imaging, and the biomedical application of radiation. These subjects form the basis of the departmental doctoral examination taken by most students two years after entering the program. After successful completion of the exam, full-time thesis research is pursued in specialty areas of radiation therapy, medical imaging, radiation biology, and biophysics, or image processing and computer applications. 

To supplement the program's academic training, a one-month clinical practicum in one of the affiliated Boston-area hospitals is also required. Students submit a doctoral thesis and defend it before a committee of MIT faculty, including members from HST and the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, in accordance with the interdisciplinary nature of the program.

Admission to the RSJP program is decided jointly by HST and MIT's Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering. In addition to a strong background in the physical and engineering sciences, applicants should have completed two undergraduate subjects in biology or biochemistry before entering RSJP. Additional information may be obtained by contacting Clare Egan, Room 24-102, 617-253-3814, cegan@mit.edu.

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Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology