Research news
Master of Science in Clinical Research
Our Mission
The Graduate Medical Sciences (GMS) Master of Science (MS) in Clinical Research program is dedicated to the discovery, development and application of knowledge as it pertains to all areas of clinical research. Our mission is to foster an engaging and effective educational environment that promotes the pursuit of outstanding teaching and learning through formal classroom and practical training. With established collaborative relationships with pharmaceutical, biotech, and academic institutions, students are provided with unique opportunities to pursue clinical research in areas that are of personal and professional interest.
Program Highlights
- The program covers all aspects of clinical research, including designing research studies, good clinical practice, actively managing patient-based research, biostatistics and data analysis, as well as regulatory and compliance issues.
- The program requires 22 credits, including a practicum and capstone project.
- Courses are offered through Graduate Medical Sciences and delivered at BU’s Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine.
- Students can choose practicum experiences (a minimum of 240 hours of hands-on, meld-based learning) from a broad range of academic and industry settings.
- Coursework emphasizes practical, applied learning. Faculty, all of whom are active practitioners in the field, share real-world case histories, and there is a significant amount of group work, modeling the collaborative nature of clinical research.
- MD/MSCR students will complete the program in one academic year, prior to the beginning of the 4th year of medical school.
- The MSCR degree is awarded by Graduate Medical Sciences at Boston University Chobanian & Avedesian School of Medicine.
Program Overview
- Combining medical education with training and experience in clinical research prepares clinician-researchers to improve patient health and healthcare. The dual degree program is appealing to those students who are interested in pursuing careers in areas of medicine and clinical research in either an academic environment or pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry setting.
- Graduates are well prepared to develop study protocols, work directly with subjects, interpret data and train and educate others in the field.
- Program graduates are qualified to sit for several of the clinical research certification exams offered by the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) and the Society of Clinical Research Associates (SOCRA).
Curriculum
Required Courses
Course Titles |
Credits |
| Management of Clinical Trials | 4 credits |
| Biostatistics with Computing | 4 credits |
| Regulatory and Compliance Issues | 4 credits |
| Designing Clinical Research Studies | 4 credits |
| Capstone Research in Clinical Research | 2 credits |
| Seminar in Clinical Research | 2 credits |
| Practicum in Clinical Research | 2 credits |
Admissions Criteria
Applicants for admission to the MD/MS in Clinical Research should:
- Meet the requirements for a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution -- an undergraduate degree with an academic background that includes science courses is recommended, with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
- Be a current medical student in good standing at the BU Chobanian & Avedesian School of Medicine.
The Clinical Research program no longer requires GRE or MCAT scores.
Application Deadline
Students will apply to the MD/MSCR at the beginning of their 3rd year of medical school, and will complete the MSCR between their M3 and M4.
Application Requirements
A completed application consists of the application, a personal statement, one letter of recommendation from a BU Chobanian & Avedesian School of Medicine faculty member, a CV/resume, and official transcripts for all colleges and universities attended.
To apply to the program, please visit the GMS website.
Contact
Janice Weinberg, ScD - janicew@bu.edu
Professor, Department of Biostatistics BU School of Public Health
Director, MS in Clinical Research, BU Chobanian & Avedesian School of Medicine
Stacey Hess Pino, MS, MS - sahess@bu.edu
Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Sciences and Education, BU Chobanian & Avedesian School of Medicine
Assistant Director, MS in Clinical Research, BU Chobanian & Avedesian School of Medicine
Research year
We are pleased to announce the official approval of the Research Year program. This optional program is for BU medical students that want to engage in a full year of research between M2 and M3 or M3 and M4.
Medical Student Research Symposium 2023
Congratulations to all of our medical student researchers that participated in the 2023 Medical Student Research Symposium.
Special thanks to Suzy Sarfaty, Isabel Dominguez, and Ana Gregory for organizing the event.
Thanks to David Keough for the photography.
Medical Student Research Symposium
The BUMC community is invited to the annual Medical Student Research Symposium, which highlights research conducted by medical students who participated in the Medical Student Summer Research Program in summer 2022 and other students who have undertaken research.
Monday, February 6 | Noon-2 p.m.
Instructional Building (L) Hiebert Lounge
Schedule:
- Poster viewing and reception: Noon-1 p.m.
- Oral presentations by students: 1-2 p.m.
For questions about this symposium contact Ana Gregory | anagreg@bu.edu | (617) 358-7476
Medical Student Research in Progress Seminar Series
Medical Student Summer Research Program (MSSRP)
The MSSRP is for first year Chobanian & Avedisian medical students and supports in-depth research experiences with BU/BMC research groups. The program is on campus and is scheduled for May 13-July 9. The MSSRP is a competitive program and supports 7 weeks of research with $4000 stipends. The program includes students from the LEADS research track, and also students in the NHLBI (T35) program ($5490 stipends, $1400 student conference travel, and mentor/lab support ($875). After the MSSRP students can continue in the longitudinal research program or seek other opportunities
Applications will open in February 2023.
Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Fellowship Program
The Sarnoff Fellowship Program offers medical students enrolled in accredited US medical school the opportunity to spend a year conducting intensive work in a biomedical research facility in the United States. Although applicants may have prior research experience, applications are also encouraged from students without extensive prior research experience. The mission of the Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Foundation is to engage medical students in a personalized research experience with preeminent cardiovascular scientists and to foster the next generation of leaders in the field.
Fellows are selected on the basis of a national competition. Sarnoff seeks individual with demonstrated intellectual and academic achievement, as well as leadership ability.
ELIGIBILITY/RESTRICTIONS:
- Applicants enrolled in an MD/PhD program will not be eligible for a Sarnoff Fellowship.
- Applications are encouraged from second and third-year medical students. Fourth year medical students are required to submit an official letter from their medical school granting graduation deferment.
- There are no citizenship requirements for application. But those who are not US citizens must have and maintain an appropriate visa.
- The Sarnoff Foundation strongly encourage applicants from members of underrepresented or historically disadvantaged backgrounds.
STIPEND AND ALLOWANCES: $35,000 annual stipend with allowances up to $8,000 for travel support, moving expenses, health insurance and funds for travel to present paper at two national conferences.
The application deadline for the 2023-24 Sarnoff Fellowship Program is January 11, 2023.
WEBINAR: A virtual information session for potential applicants will be held on Sunday, October 23, from 4-5 pm, Eastern time. To register for the session, please email Dana Boyd, Executive Director, at dboyd@SarnoffFoundation.org
Medical students interested in applying should contact Matt Layne to discuss about their applications and assistance our Proposal Development office can provide.
Matthew Layne, PhD
Assistant Dean for Research
mlayne@bu.edu
Elyse Olesinski’s research selected for AMA Research Challenge
The American Medical Association Research Challenge is the largest national, multi-specialty
research event for medical students and fellows to share and present their research. Elyse's research was performed with a medical oncology research team at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School investigating acute myeloid leukemia (AML) pathologies. Specifically, her projects have focused on identifying underlying BCL-2 family protein dependencies and therapies to which tumors are sensitive, using a functional assay called dynamic BH3 profiling, which measures mitochondrial apoptotic signaling.
For the 2022 Research Challenge, Elyse's abstract: "Targeting reduced mitochondrial apoptotic signaling in relapsed acute myeloid leukemia" was selected as a semi-finalist for the event, and Elyse will present her research at their poster symposium in October. This project has the goal of evaluating emerging mechanisms of resistance against targeted therapies and to identify potential strategies overcoming resistance in AML.
My research: Development of surgical soft robots
I’ve always wanted to be a Doctor. With parents that are physicians, I was inclined to become a physician at a very young age. Not long after, I started also dabbling in computers and programming, which ultimately led me to pursue a Biomedical Engineering degree at BU. This degree afforded me the flexibility of combining my interests in physiology, engineering, and medicine. More recently, after starting medical school at BUSM, I serendipitously found a position at the Morphable Biorobotics Lab, which I currently work in now. The research involves the development of novel surgical devices using soft robotic principles, which is a great synthesis of all my interests.
I participated in the Medical School Summer Research Program (MSSRP) in the summer of 2021.
Learn more about the Medical Student Summer Research Program (MSSRP) and other research opportunities for medical students.
My research: What happens inside the lungs during pneumonia
This summer, I am doing research in the pulmonology department specifically with pneumonia working with Dr. Mizgerd and Dr. Crossland. Over the decades, we have for some reason ignored what happens inside the lungs during pneumonia, and instead focused on the cause of the pneumonia (like the flu, COVID, etc). So, this research project wants to figure out what happens inside the lungs. I am quantifying histological features and immune cell counts, and by knowing more of the details of the host human response to pneumonia, then we can make more targeted medicines for the disease (the medicines part comes much later though). This project puts a lot of fields together, and so I have learned a lot of things this summer, including topics in histology, immunology, and pulmonology. But more importantly, I learned more about what makes a successful team, including some quality time at burger king!
I am a second-year medical student from Atlanta, and a little fun fact about me is that I am scared of squirrels, like very scared.
Read more about the research opportunities for medical students.