UMass Center for Health Policy and Research

Educational Programs

• Mission 
• Medical Student Education
  • First-year Community Medicine Clerkships 
  • Summer Internships 
  • Optional Enrichment Electives in Health Policy 
  • Massachusetts Health Policy Student Forum 
  • Third-year Interclerkships in Health Policy 
  • Fourth-year Electives 
• Graduate Student Education
  • Clinical and Population Health Research Doctoral program 
  • Post-doctural research training 

Educational Mission: 
To enhance existing and develop new academic programs in applied health policy for medical students, graduate medical and nursing students and other learners in the UMass community. 

Medical Student Education: 
Contact: Glenna Cloutier
Email: Glenna.Cloutier@umassmed.edu 
Phone: 508-856-8426 

First-year Community Medicine Clerkships: 
The purpose of these two-week clerkships is to acquaint first year medical students with the basic principles of community medicine and key ways of approaching health policy issues at the community level.

• Health Policy and Politics in Massachusetts: Fall 2007
• Health Policy and Politics in Massachusetts: Fall 2006 
• Pharmaceutical Policy and Politics in Massachusetts: Fall 2005 
• Pharmaceutical Policy and Politics in Massachusetts: Fall 2004 
• Disability and Long-Term Care Policy: Fall 2004 and Fall 2003 
• Health Policy and Politics in Massachusetts: Fall 2003 
• Health Policy and Politics in Massachusetts: Fall 2002 

Summer Internships 
During the summer between first and second year, interested medical students can spend 6 weeks at the Center participating in ongoing research activities and/or completing their own short-term project. These are stipend-supported positions.

Optional Enrichment Electives in Health Policy: 
These optional enrichment courses are for first and second year medical students.

• Understanding and Improving Our Health Care System- Fall 2007 
• Understanding and Improving Our Health Care System- Fall 2006 
• The Realities of the U.S. Health Care System: Fall 2005- Spring 2006 
• The Realities of the U.S. Health Care System: Spring 2005 
• Health Policy and the Practice of Medicine: Spring 2003 

Massachusetts Health Policy Student Forum: 
The goal of the Massachusetts Health Policy Student Forum is to bring healthpolicy, public health and medical students together with public and private health care leaders in order to engage in focused discussion on critical health policy challenges facing the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Third-year Interclerkships in Health Policy: 
The purpose of these day-long Interclerkships is to provide third year medical students specific information regarding our changing healthcare system, to offer various perspectives on solutions to national problems of access, cost and quality, and to discuss the opportunities they will have as providers for impacting the direction of our healthcare system.

• Interclerkship on Health Policy and the Practice of Medicine: April 7, 2008
• Interclerkship on Health Policy and the Practice of Medicine: January 4, 2007 
• Interclerkship on Health Policy and the Practice of Medicine: January 3, 2006 
• Interclerkship on Disability: May 13, 2005 
• Interclerkship on Health Policy and the Practice of Medicine: October 1, 2004 
• Interclerkship on the U.S. Healthcare System: January 5, 2004 

Fourth-year Electives: 
There are short-to-medium term opportunities, from one month research rotations to longer Senior Scholars projects. Students are encouraged to identify and pursue their own research interests and may also participate in the ongoing research activities of the Center. They are assigned to a research advisor who provides guidance and feedback. Participation can be on a credit or non-credit basis.

To learn more about the University of Massachusetts Medical School's Senior Scholars Program, click here. 

Graduate Student Education:
Contact: Robin Clark, PhD
Email: Robin.Clark@umassmed.edu 
Phone: 508-856-4226 

Clinical and Population Health Research (CPHR) Doctoral program:
The program in Clinical & Population Health Research focuses on developing researchers with strong core competencies in statistics, epidemiology, and research methodologies applicable to clinical trials and population health studies, and has a specific emphasis on public sector issues and vulnerable populations. Students will be prepared to conduct investigator-initiated clinical and health services research, and applied research in clinical and public sector health services delivery systems. Center for Health Policy faculty teach core courses in the program and supervise students during lab rotations in health policy and health services research. See the  CPHR website for a current list of available lab rotations at the Center.

Post-doctoral research training:
Research placement opportunities and mentorship at the postdoctoral level are available at the Center for Health Policy and Research (CHPR).