Training Programs

In addition to the specialized training programs designed as tracks within the Medical Engineering Medical Physics Doctoral Program, described above, HST offers three training programs in specific areas.

Biomedical Informatics Program

Biomedical informatics is concerned with the cognitive, information-processing, and communication tasks of medical practice, education, and research. It includes the information sciences and technology needed to support those tasks. The field is intrinsically interdisciplinary, drawing together all traditional medical disciplines, the science and technology of computing, biostatistics, epidemiology, decision sciences, and health care policy and management. In addition to a focus on clinical practice, additional areas of emphasis are in bioinformatics, and in informatics related to health services research.

HST's predoctoral and postdoctoral training program in biomedical informatics offers fellowships to qualified US citizens or permanent residents. Several training options are offered: the Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics from HST; the PhD in Computer Science from MIT's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; the PhD in Health Decision Science in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health; and research fellowship training at biomedical informatics laboratories in Boston-area hospitals carried out in conjunction with the HST Biomedical Informatics Master's Program. The master's program is available only to HST-enrolled medical students or to individuals who already have advanced training in the health sciences (e.g., a doctoral degree in medicine, dentistry, nursing, veterinary medicine, clinical psychology, or a PhD in a medical relevant field such as physiology).

The combined training program offers several opportunities for education, research, and interaction among the various training sites. Course offerings at MIT and Harvard, as well as a variety of seminars, journal clubs, and other opportunities to exchange information, provide all trainees with opportunities to learn about the work at various laboratories and affiliated institutions, as well as the broader field of biomedical and health informatics.

Predoctoral fellowship applicants must concurrently apply for admission to MIT or a Harvard doctoral degree program. Postdoctoral applicants typically have at least one year and preferably three years of clinical residency before beginning their fellowship. For more information about the Biomedical Informatics Training Program, visit http://www.mi-boston.org/Boston-Informatics/index.html or contact Dr. Lucila Ohno-Machado, Decision Systems Group, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, machado@dsg.harvard.edu.

Clinical Investigator Training Program

The Clinical Investigator Training Program (CITP) trains postdoctoral physicians from various clinical disciplines in the techniques and processes used in patient-oriented research. Trainees develop expertise in clinical investigation while participating in an extensive educational program. The two-year program is a cooperative effort between HST, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Pfizer, Inc. The curriculum allows trainees to develop direct experience in performing clinical investigation while, simultaneously through didactic course work, providing a strong foundation in computational and statistical sciences, biomedical ethics, the principles of clinical pharmacology, in vitro and in vivo measurement techniques, and various aspects of the drug development process.

The fellowship program consists of a primary project and core curriculum, plus an elective curriculum and a project elective. Although not required, fellows may choose to pursue a Master of Medical Sciences degree from Harvard Medical School in conjunction with CITP. The degree is awarded at the end of the two-year period upon successful completion of didactic coursework, a research project, a thesis or thesis equivalent, and a qualifying examination. CITP is open to physicians who have completed the clinical requirements for Board eligibility in their chosen specialty or subspecialty. For more information or to obtain an application, visit http://www.bidmc.harvard.edu/citp/ or contact the CITP administrative manager, Linda Bard, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave, GZ 811, Boston, MA 02215, lbard@bidmc.harvard.edu.

Graduate Education in Medical Sciences Certificate Program

The MIT Graduate Education in Medical Sciences (GEMS) Training Program is a part-time certificate program that can be taken concurrently with doctoral studies and research by students in the Schools of Engineering and Science to gain exposure to biomedical and clinical sciences, including translational medicine. This educational experience for PhD graduate students in the sciences and engineering fields addresses a national need articulated by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute: the growing gap between advances in basic biology and the translation of those advances into medically relevant therapies and tools for the improvement of human health.

The GEMS training program aims to integrate medical knowledge into graduate education at MIT by training a select group of PhD students to bridge the widening chasm between concept and functional execution with a supplementary curriculum that entails: (1) a human pathology course, including molecular and cellular mechanisms of disease, (2) a medical pathophysiology course, a kaleidoscope of HST's pathophysiology curriculum, (3) a student-individualized clinical experience, working with experienced mentors who move seamlessly between clinical medicine and basic biological research, (4) a seminar showcasing examples of translation, and (5) HST's Graduate Seminar—attended by all HST PhD candidates—focusing on professional skills needed to succeed in interdisciplinary research (ethics, responsible conduct of research, communication, etc.). GEMS participants will gain an understanding of the elements of translation, appreciate the science and art of medicine in a way that cannot be conveyed by textbooks, and develop relationships with students and faculty in the broad biomedical community.

Inquiries

Additional information on degree programs, admissions, and financial aid can be obtained from HST's Academic Office, Room E25-518, 617-492-4091.