GRADUATE EDUCATION - CLINICAL SCIENCE

Introduction

Philosophy & Goals

Career Opportunities

Objectives

Tracks

Eligibility

Application Instructions

Typical Course Plan

Support

Research Resources

Contact Information

The Graduate Program in Clinical Science provides advanced training in research involving human subjects and populations.  There is an increasing national need for individuals with this training.  The aim is to train individuals to investigate basic human biology, particularly as related to disease etiology and pathogenesis, translate advances in the basic sciences into new treatments for human diseases, and to improve health care in a rapidly changing health care environment.  Award of a Ph.D. or M.S. degree in Clinical Science provides a clear career direction within academic medicine for such individuals.  The Ph.D./M.S.  Program in Clinical Science at UTMB has tracks in Clinical Investigation and Health Services Research that share some core course requirements. 

Scientific investigations in humans are essential for understanding human biology and for advancing medicine and human health.  The Graduate School of Biomedical Science’s Program in Clinical Science leads to the Ph.D. or M.S. degree and is administered through Preventive Medicine and Community Health.  This multi-disciplinary area of study is designed to provide health care professionals with the didactic and experiential education required for the pursuit of academic or practical careers in health and medicine with an emphasis on studies in humans as individual study subjects or as populations.  The program enables qualified individuals to conduct clinical investigations or health services research. 
 

·        To provide physicians and other health care professionals advanced education in clinical research, focusing either on studies of individuals or on health services and outcomes research

·        To develop the skills required to conduct independent, funded clinical research
 

1.      The Clinical Investigation Track emphasizes patient-oriented research, including understanding and application of basic biological sciences, laboratory methods used in clinical research, basic biostatistics and epidemiology, ethics in clinical investigation, design of clinical studies, and new drug development.  Graduates will be equipped to translate basic science knowledge to the development of new therapeutic and preventive approaches for disease and age-related infirmities.  

2.      The Health Services Research Track emphasizes methods for assessing and improving the delivery of effective and cost efficient health care, with the aim of enhancing disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment.  Training leads to proficiency in biostatistics, clinical epidemiology and survey research, health policy and management, design of observational and evaluative studies, and health care economics.  Graduates learn how the organization, delivery and financing of health services influence factors such as costs, health outcomes, access to care, and patient satisfaction.
 

·        Physicians (M.D. or D.O.) and others with a graduate or professional degree related to health sciences or health care, whose career goals or interests require advanced expertise in clinical research. Physician applicants may have completed training in a clinical subspecialty or be entering a postgraduate training program, such as a clinical fellowship at UTMB.

·        Eligibility requirements of the Graduate School for Biomedical Sciences must be met. 

Physicians interested in clinical fellowships may apply to the Graduate Program in Clinical Science at the time of fellowship application.  This allows coordinated planning for both clinical and degree training.  Alternatively, they may apply during the first year of clinical fellowship.  In many cases the initial year of combined fellowship and degree training will emphasize clinical training and achieving most clinical subspecialty requirements.  Most of the next 2-3 years will aim to fulfill the course requirements and thesis work for the Ph.D. or M.S. degree.  The program can also be coordinated with preventive medicine residency programs, enabling the candidate to earn, for example, a Ph.D. in Clinical Science in addition to a Masters in Preventive Medicine, or with other types of graduate training. 

1.      Complete and submit the entire general application for admission to the UTMB Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS), including the required application fee and signature form.  The application packet may be found online at:  https://www2.utmb.edu/utmbapp/app_options.htm 

2.      Official transcripts from all academic training (undergraduate and medical) are required as part of the GSBS application.  These should be sent directly from the appropriate institution to UTMB Enrollment Services.  Additionally, international students are required to submit an educational background form (see application packet). 

3.      Official Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores.  These should be sent directly to UTMB Enrollment Services.  Physicians may submit MCAT or USMLE scores and work with the Clinical Science Admission Committee to determine if these will be suitable to meet this requirement.  Additionally, applicants with native languages other than English should submit TOEFL scores.   

4.      A personal statement is required from each candidate.  This statement should address: a) background information relevant to the applicant’s interest in the Clinical Science Program; b) long-term career goals; c) how the Clinical Science Program is seen as advancing these goals; and d) interactions to date with potential mentors within the sponsoring clinical division or department, or in another department, including any prior or ongoing research experience and/or plans for identifying and selecting a mentor/preceptor for the program’s research requirement. 

5.      At least two letters of reference and a curriculum vitae should be sent separately from the GSBS application to the following address.  These letters should be sent directly and confidentially to this address and not through the applicant. [DO NOT use the forms in the admissions packet]: 

Graduate Program in Clinical Science
c/o Clinical Research Education Office
University of Texas Medical Branch
300 University Boulevard, Route 0266
Galveston, TX  77555-0266 

The first letter of support must be from a director of a program that is committed to supporting the applicant during the degree program.  For applicants already accepted to a UTMB clinical postdoctoral training program, this letter should be from the Division or Departmental director (or Training Program Director) indicating the financial support (stipend, tuition) being provided during the didactic year, and confirming support for any additional years of research training.  The letter of support must specifically state, “I (we) understand the Clinical Science Graduate Program requires at least one year of courses and an additional two years of research for the PhD degree (one year for the MS).  We will support Dr. XXX with a fellowship stipend or salary for the three (or two) years, and protect his/her time to attend courses and ensure at least 80% time is available for research in the second and third program years.  Tuition charges for the program will by handled by…(indicate source of support, or applications pending). 

A second letter should be from an identified mentor (or potential mentor).  If a mentor has not yet been identified, the second letter should be from the candidate explaining the circumstances.  Additional letters from others who may have first-hand knowledge of the candidate’s abilities (either clinical or research) are also encouraged.  For applicants new to UTMB or new to a training program (less than 6 months), the second (and other) letters may come from individuals outside UTMB who have first-hand knowledge of the candidates’ abilities (either clinical or research). 

6.      Applications for a particular academic year (beginning in August) must be received by April 1.  This is necessary to allow time to complete the GSBS application process.   

7.      Qualified applicants near UTMB will be interviewed by the Program faculty when the formal application is complete.  No applicant will be admitted or denied admission without final approval of the Dean of the GSBS.   

8.      Potential applicants are advised to contact the Clinical Research Education Office for initial advice, or as needed later in the application. 

A general course plan for a PhD student in the Clinical Sciences Program is shown below.  Typically, a course plan for a MS student would be one year shorter, since less time for thesis research is required.  When this degree program is combined with clinical fellowship training, the first year is generally preceded by a year of clinical training, during which most of the requirements for clinical experience are completed.  Limited clinical training may also occur in the following years. Courses are chosen by the student with the advice of an individual curriculum advisory committee.  During part of the first year the tracks in Clinical Investigation and Health Services Research share a common core of courses include epidemiology, biostatistics, research design and methods, and ethics.  Separate research design and methods courses are available for the two tracks.  All students are expected to attend and present in a bi-weekly seminar course.  More specialized courses are taken at times shown in the course plan below as “Elective”, some  of which may be required for an individual student.  The courses to be taken vary depending on the student’s track, prior training and the specific area of research interest.  Some elective time may be used to gain hands-on research experience.  In the first term of the second year, Ph.D. students sit for a two-part Qualifying Examination.  Part 1 covers the core material of the program and Part 2 the specialized curriculum.  Dissertation research and any additional courses required for the degree are completed during the second and third years.  Dissertation/thesis research is overseen by a supervisory committee that includes the investigator who is the student’s primary research mentor.  The Ph.D. dissertation will be a significant contribution to new knowledge.