Yale Emergency Scholars (YES) Program

The Yale Emergency Scholars (YES) program is a 5-year track (4 year residency + 1 year fellowship) that merges our fully accredited emergency medicine residency with a rigorous research fellowship. This program is designed to accelerate trainees toward competitive extramural training and research funding by incorporating research time and coursework into PGY-3 and PGY-4 years and protecting time and departmental resources during the fellowship year. In doing so, the YES program is able to combine a 4+2 residency/fellowship track into five (4+1) years.

During their PGY-1 and PGY-2 years, YES residents are completely integrated into the Yale Emergency Medicine Residency. During these years, clinical skill development is the priority and continuation within the YES track is dependent on meeting core competencies. During the PGY-3 and PGY-4 years, YES residents complete fewer electives as compared to traditional residents in order to receive monthly shift reductions allowing for research and coursework (see FAQ). The total clinical time in the emergency department is the same for traditional and YES residents.

YES residents graduate at the end of their PGY-4 year along with the rest of their residency class. In addition, most YES residents complete coursework towards a Masters of Health Science (MHS) degree (see FAQ). During the PGY-5 year, participants will work as attending physicians at select Yale New Haven Health Emergency Departments and are salaried by the department.

YES residents compete for departmental and/or intramural funding during years PGY-4 and PGY-5. In the fellowship year, scholars learn how to craft a K-award (or similar funding) and apply for protected research faculty roles at top institutions.

The YES program is the first of its kind across the country and offers trainees unparalleled training and resources. Our department has over $23 million in federal funding, many senior investigators and mentors, and the outstanding training environment and resources of Yale University, including the Schools of Medicine and Public Health. Learn more about our current cohort of scholars here.