Master of Science in Clinical Research

Mission: Morehouse School of Medicine is an historically black institution established to recruit and train minority and other students as physicians, biomedical scientists, and public health professionals committed to the primary health care needs of the undeserved.

History of the Program

Morehouse School of Medicine institutional strategic plan highlights the need to invest in research infrastructure and faculty development, in order to expand research capacity. The institution has invested in and promoted Centers of Excellence and Institutes to enhance research in health disparities and provide opportunities for faculty research capacity development. Recognizing the need for an adequate, appropriately accessible and comprehensive physician scientist, research-training program, Morehouse School of Medicine successfully competed for a planning grant to establish the Master of Science in Clinical Research program in October 2001. A curriculum Committee was formed in late 2001. The committee is made up of individuals with leadership or expertise in clinical research and/or teaching. Consultants from collaborating institutions served in advisory capacity to compliment the expertise of the committee. The Curriculum Committee, Advisory members and consultants met over a period of 4 months (October 01 - January 02), to review existing courses and to plan the MS Curriculum. The Committee also determined admission criteria, and identified potential applicants, mentors and instructors. Program Administration was established, and institutional resources and support for the MS in Clinical Research Program secured. The Master of Science Committee, a subcommittee of the Graduate Education in the Biomedical Sciences Committee (GEBSC), has oversight functions for the MS program. The MS program is administered by the Director of the Clinical Research Education and Career Development Program.

Master of Science in Clinical Research

The Master of Science (MS) degree program is a broad-based multi-disciplinary graduate level program in clinical research designed to prepare clinical faculty for a career in clinical research. The program provides training in the principles and methods of biostatistics; epidemiology including genetics and clinical trials and outcomes research including health services research and health economics and application of these principles/methods to clinical research.

Upon completion of the MS degree program in clinical research, the student should be able to:

Demonstrate knowledge of ethical issues in the field of clinical research including the use of data involving human subjects, and be able to prepare a human consent form for a research protocol
Understand the principles of the design and conduct of clinical trials with attention to protocol preparation, randomization, sample size, trial monitoring, ethical issues, and data analysis. Understand principles of health services research and methods in assessing health care quality and costs.
Prepare a National Institute of Health proposal including a budget using Public Health Service Form 398.
Design observational and experimental studies, demonstrate understanding of potential sources of bias and confounding and methods of addressing them in the design and execution of studies.
Critically review and summarize the literature on a given topic.
Identify and evaluate demographic, behavioral, social and environmental factors that have an impact on the distribution of disease in populations.
Participate as a team member in identifying clinical research questions and selecting appropriate study designs and methods to address those questions.
Identify and access sources of health and medical data such as vital statistics records, disease registries, national surveys, and 'medical records, describe how these data are collected and their role in surveillance and disease prevention.
Assist in the design and administration of instruments for collection of epidemiological/medical data for the purposes of surveillance or research.
Give oral presentations and produce written reports on topics relevant to academic medicine. Appreciate the role of genetic factors and their interaction with environmental factors in the etiology and prevention of human disease.
Perform basic statistical tests, recognize the assumptions behind the analysis and interpret the results.
Use computer statistical software packages for data entry, database management, data summary, data analysis and display research results.
Generate descriptive statistics and graphics to summarize and display clinical data.
Analyze epidemiologic/clinical data using basic statistical tests and measures of association.

Specific Aims

The Master of Science (MS) in Clinical Research at Morehouse School of Medicine is the center piece of a Clinical Research Education and Career Development Program that is designed to address the problem of health disparities through a concerted effort to recruit and train junior faculty clinicians for successful careers in clinical research. The goal of the Clinical Research Career Development Program is to identify highly motivated clinicians early in their Academic Career for rigorous curriculum based training in clinical research, as the foundation for outstanding academic careers in clinical investigation.

The Morehouse School of Medicine Clinical Research Career Education Development (CRECD) Program has the following specific aims:

To establish a competitive and accredited Master of Science curriculum in clinical research.
To identify motivated doctoral prepared candidates for enrollment in the Master of Science and Clinical Research Career Development Program.
To develop a cadre of well-trained clinician faculty who will pursue clinical research on diseases that disproportionately affects minority populations.
To promote interdisciplinary discourse and scientific exchange among students, faculty, and research mentors participating in the Master of Science in Clinical Research Program.

Outline of the Master of Science Clinical Research Curriculum:

The Master of Science is designed to allow the trainees to complete the CRECD program in 24 months. The schedule is sufficiently flexible to allow optimum participation of students and instructors. Trainees with ongoing clinical responsibilities will be best served by flexibility in the access to didactic teaching materials and interchanges with faculty. E-learning facilities will be provided to address this challenge, and enhance the training experience.

The MS Curriculum has four components:

The didactic coursework is structured to provide mastery of the fundamentals of Clinical Research, in the traditional disciplines of epidemiology, biostatistics, data analysis and clinical trials. We have also developed a unique course that will challenge the trainees to incorporate social science and behavior theory concepts to understanding health disparities. The course will also cover ethical issues in clinical research, the legacy of the Tuskegee experiments, and its impact on participation of African Americans in Clinical Research.
A practical skill workshop series will begin in August; with Principles of Clinical Research and Introduction to Medical Informatics.
Clinical Research Seminar Series: this weekly series will feature CRECD trainees, Morehouse School of Medicine Instructors, Consultants, Mentors as well as distinguished outside speakers. Trainees will have an opportunity to gain exposure to a variety of role models from within, as well as outside the Morehouse School of Medicine community. Trainees will also present their work for critical review and comments. This format will expose the trainees to contemporary critical thinking on health disparities to generate new ideas and to foster research collaboration within Morehouse School of Medicine as well as with collaborating institutions.
Mentored Research Project. The mentored research project will account for 12 of the 42 credit hours required for successful completion of the MS in Clinical Research. Applicants to the MS program will develop research proposals in consultation with their clinical chairs and/or research mentors and submits them for review and approval by the Program Committee. The proposal will form the basis for the mentored research project.

Mentored Research Project/Mentoring (12 credit hrs)

This course provides an opportunity for students to synthesize and integrate the knowledge base and competencies acquired in course work and practicum and demonstrate this achievement through writing and presenting a grant proposal, mentoring or journal manuscript.

This is a mentored project to be performed under the supervision of a mentor team and an established clinical investigator and a mentoring committee. It involves reviewing the literature and writing a scientific proposal to answer a specific clinical research question(s). Data will be collected and analyzed for a presentation at a national scientific meeting as well as for publication in a peer reviewed medical journal. The mentoring should incorporate appropriate procedures learned in formal course work. The research mentoring may focus on a therapeutic clinical trial, intervention study, observational study, or a clinical evaluation program.

The mentoring must be presented at a seminar and then provided in written form suitable for publication. A mentoring committee appointed by the Curriculum Committee must approve the oral and written presentations.

Course Work

Students must also have a minimum cumulative average of B. Any student attaining a grade of C or F in a required course must repeat that course. Students may receive a C grade in an elective course, however, the student whose cumulative average falls below B (3.0) at any time will be placed on academic probation and must raise the average to a B within completion of the next 12 semester hours in order to reestablish good academic standing. Failure to do so results in automatic dismissal from the program. Dismissal may be appealed by following the "Student Appeals Procedure" set forth in the MSM Student Handbook.

Degree Requirements for the Master of Science in Clinical Research

To earn the MSCR degree, students must satisfactorily complete 24 credit hours of course work, and a research and mentoring project for which 12 units of credit are given.

Eligibility and Application Criteria

Selection Criteria
Selection will be based on academic qualifications, commitment to clinical research as evidenced by a personal typewritten narrative statement not to exceed 2-3 pages, quality of letters of recommendation and a personal interview conducted by the MS for Clinical Research Admissions Committee (MSCRAC). Acceptance to the MS in Clinical Research will be based on the total profile of the applicant.

There are different requirements for each category noted below. To confirm that you have submitted all required documents, please call the Office of Admissions, 404-752-1650.

(MSM faculty/senior residents) or NIH, CRECD funded Applicants

Clinical faculty appointment at MSM (7 years or less)
Must be U.S. citizens or have permanent resident Visa status
Letter from the chair of your department.
Must have a terminal degree.
Three individual letters from persons who are capable of speaking to your professional skills and goals.
Two- to three-page research abstract or narrative.
Applicant and Lead mentor NIH style biosketch.
Fully completed online application.
An official letter of appointment to MSM faculty
Official college transcripts

Doctorate Level, Non-MSM Faculty

Must have a terminal degree.
Three individual letters from persons who are capable of speaking to your professional skills and goals.
Two- to three-page research abstract or narrative.
Applicant and Lead mentor NIH style biosketch.
Fully completed online application.

Undergraduate/Master's Level
The GRE is a requirement

Bachelor's Degree, GPA of 3.0 required
Narrative on research interest or experience. (Can be substituted for narrative on application.)
Two letters of professional reference.
Lead mentor NIH style biosketch (if applicable)
Official transcript
Fully completed online application

Dual Degree Applicants

Must be current PhD or MD students
Must be in good academic standing
One letter from mentor stating that they are committed to be your lead mentor while in the program.
One additional letter of reference
Lead mentor NIH style biosketch
Two- to three-page research abstract or narrative
Fully completed online application

Interview: If invited, you must come to the school for an interview scheduled by the Admissions Office.

Completed application, transcripts, and supporting documents must be received no later than the third Friday in April. (THIS IS NOT A POSTMARK DATE). Each applicant is responsible for making sure all information is complete, as missing information will delay or prevent the processing of an application. All application materials should be mailed to:

Master of Science in Clinical Research
Office of Admissions & Student Affairs
Morehouse School of Medicine
720 Westview Drive, S.W.
Atlanta, GA 30310-1495

The School of Medicine is not responsible for any misunderstanding of instructions or regulations, misdirected documents, or other delays.