About Us

The Investigative Medicine Program (IMP) is a freestanding, interdisciplinary, Ph.D. granting program of the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. It was created in 1999 at the Yale School of Medicine to address the critical need for formal training in clinical research, which is vital to the advancement of scientific knowledge and the development of improved treatments for human disease.

The IMP is designed to train clinical investigators, all of whom at time of matriculation into the graduate school have completed medical training (M.D. or equivalent) and at least one year of postgraduate clinical training. Students upon matriculation select training in laboratory-oriented research, done in a disease-oriented area, and/or training in patient-focused or community-based research areas. The strong clinical focus, including for students in laboratory investigation, is a marked distinction from the focus of typical Ph.D. students in the biomedical sciences at Yale or other institutions. Investigative Medicine offers unique graduate-level courses organized around the central themes of patient-oriented and disease-focused research. It is led by a Director (and Director of Graduate Studies) and Deputy Director and guided by a doctoral committee composed of senior faculty with expertise in clinical research, and has a strong and diverse cadre of faculty members who teach individual lectures or seminars and/or serve as mentors and on thesis committees.

The program admitted its first students in July 2000. As of July 2024, there are 1 enrolled in the program and 5have been awarded the Ph.D. degree. Graduates of the program are outstanding, as evidenced by their scholarship and success, including obtaining faculty positions and extramural grant support after graduation.