MSTP (MD-PhD Program) Courses

Course Goal: This semester-long course is designed for first-year MD-PhD students to begin their exploration of medicine and science and the type of physician-scientist they would like to become. Students will explore potential thesis research groups and mentors. Additionally, students will be required to attend the Physician Scientist Forum (PSF), which explores themes including clinical problem solving, student research talks, science consults, and career development through didactic presentations and small group discussions. The course, taken both semesters of the first year, supports informed mentor selection and introduces students to diverse research opportunities across UMass Chan Medical School.  

During their exploration of potential thesis research groups, students will engage with faculty and research teams through meetings and group activities, spending a minimum of 5 hours per semester in these exploratory experiences. Self-reported effort and active participation are required. 

Attendance in a minimum of 6, 1-hour-long PSF classes is also required. Structured research activities may include the following:

-Meeting with prospective thesis advisors
-Attending lab meetings of prospective thesis advisors
-Attending a research seminar
-Attending a data club meeting  

Credits: 1

Prerequisite(s): None

Course Director: Jonathan Kay

Semester Offered: Fall, Spring

Course Goals: This semester-long course is designed for second-year MD-PhD students to continue their exploration of medicine and science and the type of physician-scientist they would like to become. Students will meet with their identified thesis advisor or continue to explore potential thesis research groups and mentors. Additionally, students will be required to attend the Physician Scientist Forum (PSF), which explores themes including clinical problem solving, student research talks, science consults, and career development through didactic presentations and small group discussions. The course, taken both semesters of the second year, supports informed mentor selection and deepens the student’s exploration into diverse research opportunities across UMass Chan Medical School.

Learning Outcomes:

These course activities will be conducted in a manner that enables the student’s intellectual contribution to the University’s academic and research functions. Self-reported effort and active participation are required. Students will achieve course goals by attending and participating in a minimum of 12 of 16 sessions of the Physician Scientist Forum during the academic year and a minimum of 5 hours (per semester) of structured research activities with their identified thesis advisor, which may include:

-Meeting with their identified thesis advisor at least once
-Attending their identified thesis advisor’s lab meetings
-Going to a research seminar in their department
-Going to a data club meeting in their department

*If the student has not yet chosen a lab, they should use these hours to actively make an effort to identify a thesis lab.

Credits: 1

Prerequisite(s): None

Course Director: Jonathan Kay

Semester Offered: Fall, Spring

Last Taught: Taught every fall and spring

Goals: The MD-PhD program stresses the importance of maintaining clinical involvement during students’ dissertation research. The first goal of this course is to allow students to maintain clinical skills in a variety of clinical settings.  The second goal is to help students identify an appropriate specialty in which to pursue residency training. Sessions should reinforce clinical skills learned during the first two years of medical school, as well as during the first 16 weeks of Core Clinical Experiences (CCE).

Curricular Expectations: Students will engage in a minimum 15 hours of clinical experiences during each of the fall, spring, and summer terms. Students will also participate in the Physician Scientist Forum, which is held twice a month on Mondays at noon. Students will be evaluated by their designated Learning Community MD-PhD mentor at the end of each term.

Prior to the end of each term during their dissertation research, students will record their clinical hours in the OASIS system using a dedicated form that will include the date, time, term, preceptor, and number of hours.

Preceptors must have a faculty appointment at UMass Chan Medical School, and clinical sessions must take place at a facility that is affiliated with UMass Chan Medical School. The student’s designated Learning Community MD-PhD mentor must approve the choice of preceptor.

Credits: 1

Prerequisite(s): Open only to MD-PhD Students in PhD Portion of Degree

Course Director: Jonathan Kay

Semester Offered: Fall, Spring

Last Taught: Taught every semester

Goal: To maintain HIPAA and OHSA qualifications while enrolled in the research portion of the combined degree program.

Curricular Expectations: Complete the certification module of HIPAA and OSHA online course/assessment in Canvas annually (within the first two weeks of the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences fall semester) each year. This is an online class that can be accessed by each MD-PhD student registered for this course in PeopleSoft. The scores will be monitored by the MD-PhD Course Director during the student's PhD years.

Credits: 1

Prerequisite(s): None

Course Director: Jonathan Kay

Semester Offered: Fall

Last Taught: Taught every fall

Goals: Preparation of MD-PhD students to enter Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences full-time research in fall term after completing 16 weeks of clinical clerkships from May through August prior to Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences start. This includes meetings with the future PI, literature review, and, when scheduling permits, attendance at lab meetings. For students who have not yet selected a PI the requirements are to work with MD-PhD advisors and Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences leadership to target and meet with potential lab rotation mentors during the summer term.

Curricular Expectations: For students who have selected an advisor: Attend meetings with intended advisor, literature review, and attendance at lab meetings. Work on development of life skills needed to balance clinical and research obligations. 

For students who have not selected a thesis advisor they should be meeting with potential rotations, talking to their MD-PhD mentor and attending research seminars from potential labs. Outcome should be a signed lab rotation form submitted to the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences by late August in time to start the rotation day one of Fall term.

Credits: 1

Prerequisite(s): MDP 740A, MDP 740B, MDP 740C

Course Director: Jonathan Kay

Semester Offered: Summer

Last Taught: Taught every summer

Goals:

-To foster skills that MD-PhD students need to be maximally competitive for research intensive residency programs.

-To highlight connections between basic and clinical science through the presentation and discussion of patient cases.

-To expose postgraduate trainees to research conducted by MD-PhD students and promote opportunities for potential collaboration.

-To guide MD-PhD students regarding postgraduate training opportunities through interactions with residents, fellows, and faculty.

Curricular Expectations: This hour-long seminar is offered twice a month on Mondays at noon. Participation is required of all MD-PhD students in all years of the program who are not otherwise scheduled for clinical rotations.

Credits: 1

Prerequisite(s): None

Course Director: Jonathan Kay

Semester Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

Last Taught: Taught every semester

Goals: Research rotations are defined periods of research experience under the direction of a faculty member. They are intended to familiarize the student with concepts and techniques in several areas of research and to assist the student in evaluating research laboratories and projects that might be developed into a dissertation project. The student will participate in an ongoing research project; gain familiarity with concepts underlying the research; acquire a working knowledge of techniques used in the research; and write a report and present an oral summary of the results of the research.

Credits: 1-3

Fulfills an elective requirement: No

Course Director: Varies

Semester Offered: Fall, Summer

Last Taught: Taught every Fall and Summer

Students enrolled in the MD-PhD Program who have completed their requirements for the PhD degree will register for this Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences course each semester while completing their T.H. Chan School of Medicine requirements. Students enrolled in this course will participate in and assist with the teaching/evaluation of the MDP Seminar course (MDP800). This course is the MD-PhD equivalent of the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences course - BBS 990 or CTS 990, Graduate Research. All students must be in good standing in the MD-PhD program to pass.

Credits: 0

Prerequisite(s): Completion of all the PhD requirements in the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

Course Director: Jonathan Kay

Semester Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

Last Taught: Taught every semester