Assistant Professor of Psychiatry; Director of Social Justice and Health Equity (SJHE) Education, Adult Psychiatry
Master of Health Science - Medical Education Pathway Degree Program
The Center oversees the Medical Education Pathway as part of the Master of Health Science Yale degree. (MHS-Med Ed).
On this page
This is a two-year Yale degree program that features an education research project and includes a comprehensive curriculum for individuals interested in developing a career in the field of medical education.
Eligibility was changed November 2020 to include applicants with YSM resident, fellow, and faculty appointments in a department or program approved to award the MHS degree. Noteworthy in this change is the removal of the MD degree requirement. Applicants will complete a research project, a core curriculum including elective courses, and work within an individualized learning plan that is designed to facilitate their development as educators, scholars and leaders in medical education.
Graduates of the program will be prepared to contribute to the education community at Yale School of Medicine and the broader field of medical education, both nationally and internationally.
Program Objectives
- Design, implement and disseminate an education research project, including writing an original thesis.
- Gain practical educational work experience though active involvement in graduate and undergraduate medical education activities
- Develop proficiency to serve as a leader in medical education
The Degree Course Requirements Include:
MHS Required Courses (Handled through the Office of Student Research)
- IMED 625 – Principles of Clinical Research – Summer July
- IMED 630 or SecEd 511 (see details below)
- IMED 630– Ethical Issues in Biomedical Research – offered Fall 2021 on Tuesdays 3:30-5:00 and conflicts with MD506 required course.
- Med Ed Pathway Students take:
- SecEd 511 – Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) offered on various dates beginning in Fall 2021 through Spring 2022 (Dates to be announced: 6 total sessions, each two hours long. The first session is usually scheduled in September, and the remaining 5 sessions are scheduled between March and May the following Spring.)
- IMED 645 – Introduction to Biostatistics in Clinical Investigation – offered Summer July-August
Medical Education Pathway Required Courses (Handled through Teaching & Learning)
- MD506 – Medical Education: Theory Research and Practice – offered July through April – primarily Tuesdays 4-7:00pm
- This course is required or all first-year students.
- This course includes Research-In-Progress Sessions, the R-in-P sessions are required for all current degree students.
- Two Elective Courses to be selected by student in consultation with Dr. Hafler. These classes are offered at Yale professional schools and are primarily offered in the Fall and Spring semesters.
- Clinical Teaching Skills Course by Dr. Dana Dunne – This course is offered every other year and is required all current students.
Additional Graduation Requirements:
Tracked by Teaching & Learning on the Individual Learning Plan form.
- Medical Education Research Project
- Thesis
- Manuscript based on the research project - in press or publication
- Scheduled Meetings with mentors and TLC faculty as specified
- Submission of information on research products the stem from the MHS-Med Ed work (e.g. manuscript, publication, presentations, grants)
- Submission of information on career plans following graduation
Who is eligible?
Eligible applicants include those with YSM resident, fellow, and faculty appointments in a department or program approved to offer the MHS degree. Candidates will have identified medical education as a career focus. This program embraces diversity and inclusion across multiple dimensions such as race, ethnicity, gender, sex and age, and seeks to have representation from across the approved YSM clinical departments.What YSM departments/programs are approved to offer the MHS degree?
The full list of YSM departments/programs that are approved to offer the MHS degree can be found on the Office of Student Research website.What if my department is not on the list of approved departments?
If an interested applicant’s department/program is not approved to offer the MHS degree, their department chair should contact the YSM Office of Student Research for information about how to apply.What are the MHS-Med Ed degree application requirements?
- A research project description
- Three full-time faculty members who have agreed to serve as a Thesis Committee for the participant
- The MHS Thesis Committee is a three-person committee, which includes the applicant's Primary Mentor and two other full-time faculty members selected by the applicant and approved by the MHS Program Director in the applicant's department. Thesis Committee members should offer the greatest expertise possible.
- The Primary Mentor must be a full-time YSM faculty member.
- The Second and Third thesis committee members must be full-time Yale faculty and may include faculty members from other Yale schools. At least one committee member must be from outside the applicant’s home department.
- The TLC faculty may not serve as thesis committee members. The Thesis Committee will be responsible to meet two to three times a year with the applicant. The Committee will also be responsible for reviewing the Master's thesis research project and the completed thesis.
- The applicant’s education research may focus on a variety of topics including: curricular development, teaching, assessment and administration in either Undergraduate, Graduate or Continuing Medical Education.
- Approval in writing by the applicant’s Department MHS Program Director including statements of:
- Approval of the time commitment required to participate (35% time each year)
- How the tuition will be paid
- A letter of support from the applicant’s Department Chair
- A letter of support from the applicant’s primary faculty mentor
- A statement of expectation that the applicant will contribute to the Yale community
- A personal statement written by the applicant addressing how the degree will enhance his/her academic career
Where and how do I apply?
If you have all the required documents and information on hand, the application will take between five and eight minutes to complete.
Note that the online application form must be completed in one sitting; it cannot be saved.
What are the MHS Degree requirements?
The requirements for the MHS-Med Ed degree center on an original education research project and thesis. Participants design their research project and individual learning plan within the framework of required courses, in collaboration with the MHS-Med Ed Program Director. Participants will be required to have a manuscript in press or at least ready to submit by the final date for completion of graduation requirements.
The degree is granted on a pass/fail grading system
A complete description of all MHS-Med Ed requirements for graduation are found on this PDF.
What is my commitment?
This is a two-year program requiring approximately a 35% time commitment, which must be approved by your department MHS Program Director in writing. This program is intended for those who plan to pursue a career at Yale. While this is not a strict requirement, because of Yale’s investment in the participant, it will be an important consideration. If a participant is unable to complete the degree in two years, approval of an extension is required by the MHS-Med Ed Program Director and the MHS Advisory Board.
What is my department's commitment?
The department's MHS Program Director must approve a three-person Thesis Committee whose responsibility it is to support the participant in their research work and the completion of their thesis. The participant must have protected time, approximately 35% commitment, to complete the degree requirements in two years.What is the cost of tuition?
The tuition for the degree is $28,000 of which $8,000 is required. The remaining $20,000 balance will either be waived by the Medical School or can be supported by an NIH training grant from the responsible department. A statement from the applicant’s department MHS Program Director about how the $8,000 balance tuition will be paid is required at the time of application. The balance of $8,000 must be paid either by the applicant’s department or by the applicant personally.Application Instructions
Prior to accessing the application form, applicants should review the application instructions (see below, or download the application instructions as a PDF) as well as the PDF EXAMPLE of the online application form.
This will help the applicant prepare the necessary documents and information to complete the online application. Note that the online application must be completed in one sitting; it may not be saved.
You will need the following documents and information:
- The title of your proposed education research project
- A description of your proposed education research project following the format detailed on the application (Word or PDF document, no larger than 100MB)
- A personal statement about how the MHS-Med Ed degree will aid your career (Word or PDF document, no larger than 100MB)
- Your CV (PDF)
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Three letters of approval/support that require original signatures (3 PDFs)
- Approval by the applicant’s department MHS Program Director including statements of:
- Approval of the time commitment required to participate (35% time each year)
- How the tuition will be paid (by the department, personally by the applicant, or other)
- Approval of the time commitment required to participate (35% time each year)
- A letter of support from the applicant’s department chair
- A letter of support from the applicant’s primary faculty mentor , a full-time Yale School of Medicine (YSM) faculty member
- Approval by the applicant’s department MHS Program Director including statements of:
- Personal and contact information for your primary mentor and thesis committee members
- The applicant must send their full application to their department chair for review prior to submission
Important Dates
Final Application Deadline
- January 31, 2024 at 11:59pm Eastern
Acceptance Notification
- Applicants will receive an email with notification of their acceptance
Contact the Center for Med Ed with questions:
- Please contact Reagin Carney for assistance
Graduation Candidates
Graduation Candidates - May 2024
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology; Co-Director Yale Adult ECMO Program, Cardiac Anesthesiology Leadership; Associate Director Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellowship, Cardiac Anesthesiology Leadership
Assistant Professor of Surgery (Plastic); Plastic Surgery Residency, Associate Program Director, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery; Plastic Surgery Clerkship Director, Department of Surgery
Graduation Candidates - May 2025
Associate Professor of Medicine (General Medicine); Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity, Department of Education; Associate Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program, Department of Medicine; Director of Clinical Operations of COVID-19, VACHS
MSH-Med Ed Degree: Alumni
The first cohort of MHS Medical Education Pathway Degree students graduated in December 2018. An alphabetical alumni list, with their graduation date, thesis title and link to their Yale profile can be found below.
Samantha Ahle, MD, MHS
Graduation Date: December 2018
Thesis Title: Understanding Resident Performance: An Exploration of Entrustment and Assessment
Lilanthi Balasuriya, MD, MMS, MHS
Graduation Date: May 2021
Thesis Title: Teaching Psychiatry Residents to Understand and Respond to Oppression Through the Development of The Human Experience Track
Aba Black, MD, MHS
Graduation Date: May 2019
Thesis Title: Hidden Costs: Understanding the Workplace Experiences of Underrepresented Minority Residents
Bryan Brown, MD, MHS
Graduation Date: May 2021
Thesis Title: Animation as an Educational Modality in the Health Professions: Towards Best Practices of Development and Implementation
Scott Casper, MD, MHS
Graduation Date: May 2020
Thesis Title: Training Emergency Department Residents in the Management of Postpartum Hemorrhage: A Comparison of Two Pedagogical Approaches
Carolyn Chan, MD
Graduation Date: May 2023
Thesis Title: Development of a Motivational Interviewing Curriculum for Resident Trainees Using Improvisational Theater Techniques
Nathan Coppersmith, MD
Graduation Date: May 2023
Thesis Title: Understanding Mindset Theory in Surgical Education
Heather Dahlquist, MD, MHS
Graduation Date: May 2021
Thesis Title: Ready for Residency? Effect of an EPA-Based Curriculum on Pediatric Sub-Intern Entrustment Scores
Jeffrey Dewey, MD, MHS
Graduation Date: May 2020
Thesis Title: Characterizing the Thriving Neurology Resident Through Appreciative Inquiry
Dana Dunne, MD, MHS
Graduation Date: May 2020
Thesis Title: Faculty Development for Undergraduate Core EPAs: Effect of Brief Video Intervention for Front Line Faculty and Reliability Analysis of WBA
Joseph Dunroe
Graduation Date May 2022
Thesis Title: Assessing Internist Competency in Point of Care Ultrasound Using the Entrustable Professional Activity Framework
Andrew Esposito
Graduation Date May 2022
Thesis Title: Preconceptions and Barriers to Realizing the Full Utility of Video-Based Coaching in Surgical Education
Mollie Freedman-Weiss, MD, MHS
Graduation Date: December 2020
Thesis Title: Surgery Residents as Educators: Curriculum Design, Implementation, and Assessment in a General Surgery Residency Program
Katie Gielissen, MD, MHS
Graduation Date: December 2018
Thesis Title: Can Communication be Simulated? The Use of Two High-Fidelity Simulation Scenarios to Assess Undergraduate Entrustable Professional Activities
Michael Goldman, MD
Graduation Date: May 2023
Thesis Title: Alignment between Pediatric Residents and Their Preceptors for Ad-Hoc Procedural Entrustment
Hayley Israel
Graduation Date: May 2022
Thesis Title: Development and Validation of a Tool Based on Entrustable Professional Activities for Point-of-Care Ultrasound Competence Assessments of Critical Care Fellows
Firas Kaddouh, MD, MHS
Graduation Date: May 2023
Thesis Title: Qualitative Research to Map out Neurotrauma Curriculum for Emergency Medicine Providers and Trainees
Stephanie Leeds, MD, FAAAAI
Graduation Date: May 2023
Thesis Title: Keeping Up with Changing Guidelines: Development of a Curriculum for Pediatricians on Peanut Allergy Prevention
Tanya Murtha, MD, MHS
Graduation Date: May 2020
Thesis Title: Resilience Curriculum Improves Pediatric Trainee Skills in Delivery of Difficult News
Kevin Pei, MD, MHS
Graduation Date: May 2019
Thesis Title: Workplace Bullying Among US Surgeons
Uma Phatak, MD, MHS
Graduation Date: May 2021
Thesis Title: Assessment of Feedback Culture Experienced by Trainees in the Department of Pediatrics at Yale School of Medicine
Julie Reardon, MD, MHS
Graduation Date: May 2021
Thesis Title: Reflect and Reorient: Design and Acceptability of a Mental and Behavioral Health Curriculum for Pediatric Subspecialty Trainees
Sara Schaeffer, MD, MHS
Graduation Date: May 2019
Thesis Title: Design and Implementation of an Online Curriculum in Movement Disorders for Neurology Housestaff
Christopher Traner, MD, MHS-Med Ed
Graduation Date: May 2023
Thesis Title: Assessment of an Interactive Online Curriculum for Teaching Electroencephalogram using a Quantitative and Qualitative Approach
David Vermette, MD, MBA
Graduation Date: May 2023
Thesis Title: Resident Well-Being through the Lens of Flourishing: Implications for the Individual and Community
Thilan Wijesekera, MD, MHS
Graduation Date: December 2018
Thesis Title: Collaboration and Evaluation: A Study of the Diagnostic Process of Physicians
Erin White-Pallett, MD, MBS, MHS
Graduation Date: May 2021
Thesis Title: Informed Consent as an Entrustable Professional Activity: Attending Factors that Affect Entrustment and Clinical Teaching for Surgical Trainees
Yihan Yang
Graduation Date: May 2022
Thesis Title: Structure and impact of longitudinal curricula designed to prepare future clinician-educators during graduate medical education