MD-Master of Health Science Program (MD-MHS)

The MD-MHS Program is supported by a combination of grants, endowments, and other institutional sources directed to cultivate the development of future physician-scientists and scholars. The Office of Student Research provides stipends for living expenses (a One-Year Research Fellowship) as well as scholarships for MHS tuition during the student’s MHS year.

More information about tuition and eligibility for financial aid during the MHS year and the final year can be found on the Extended Study and Financial Aid page.

To apply, students should complete and submit an application for the MD-MHS Program to the Office of Student Research via Medtrics by April 6, 2026, at 8am. To do so, select Evaluations from the left-hand navigation menu, and then click on Start Open Evaluation. From there, you can start a new application for the MD-MHS Program.

You will need the following when completing your MD-MHS Program application:

• Three letters of attestation (three PDFs) that will be uploaded into the application. You must use this attestation template for all three letters.
• An attestation from your MD-MHS Advisor. Your MD-MHS Advisor must be a full-time YSM faculty member.
• Attestations from your two other MD-MHS committee members, stating that they endorse your MD-MHS application and will participate in the three required meetings. NOTE: At least one committee member must be from a department or section external to that of your MD-MHS Program Advisor. The other committee member may be from an area related to your work and may have complementary expertise to that of your MD-MHS Program Advisor; please consult your Advisor regarding the composition of your MD-MHS Thesis Committee.
• Contact information for all members of your MD-MHS Thesis Committee (including, full professional title, degree(s), department, and email address)
• The title of your proposed research project.
• A description of your proposed research project, including background/rationale, specific aims (and hypotheses, if applicable), methods (including a statistical analysis plan), anticipated results, anticipated challenges, and implications of the research. If you are also applying for the One-Year Research Fellowship, you may submit the same project proposal on both applications.

April 6, 2026 at 8am: Deadline for all MD-MHS Program applications to be submitted to Office of Student Research through Medtrics.

Late May: Decisions sent to all MD-MHS Program applicants.

July 1: Program begins.

June 30: Program ends.

During the final year of medical school, MD-MHS Program students are required to complete their MD-MHS Program thesis and orally present this thesis to their three person MD-MHS Thesis Committee. Please refer to the MD Thesis Deadlines.

Matriculants are expected to dedicate at least 44 weeks to program-related course and research activities, and earn at least 40 credits, during the one-year, full-time program. Matriculants can meet the credit hour requirements through coursework and by registering for mentored research blocks. MD-MHS Program students generally complete 35-45 credit hours of mentored research (note: one credit hour = 45 hours of research activity), depending on course load, during the MHS year.

Listed below are the required courses for both the Clinical Research Pathway and the Laboratory/Translational Research Pathway. Please note that students must attend at least 80% of sessions for each required course in the chosen pathway and pass the course assessment to fulfill MD-MHS Program requirements. These courses are in-person and must be taken during the MHS year.

• Clinical Research Pathway required courses
  • IMED 645: Introduction to Biostatistics (2-week summer course; 2 credit hours)
    • View the course description and dates for IMED 645
  • IMED 625: Principles of Clinical Research (2-week summer course; 1.33 credit hours)
    • View the course description and dates for IMED 625
  • Sect Ed 501: Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) (academic year course, 6 sessions of approximately 2 hours each; 0.24 credit hours) OR IMED 630: Ethical Issues in Biomedical Research (Fall semester, weekly sessions of 1.5 hours each; 1 credit hours).
    • Contact the Office of Student Research for additional information.
  • An elective course may be added if desired (2 to 3 credit hours)

• Laboratory/Translational Research Pathway required courses
  
  • IMED 645: Introduction to Biostatistics (2-week summer course; 2 credit hours)
    • View the course description and dates of IMED 645
  • Sect Ed 501: Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) (academic year course, 6 sessions of approximately 2 hours each; 0.24 credit hours) OR IMED 630: Ethical Issues in Biomedical Research (Fall semester, weekly sessions of 1.5 hours each; 1 credit hours).
    • Contact the Office of Student Research for additional information.
  • An elective course may be added if desired (2 to 3 credit hours)

• Attend the in-person Orientation on July 1, 2026, from 9:30-10:30 a.m.
• In both the Fall and Spring semesters, deliver an in-person presentation of your research at Research in Progress (RIP) seminars, and serve as a discussant for another student’s RIP presentation.
• Attend all in-person RIP seminars in the fall and spring. Only one absence per semester is permitted. Any absence must be communicated to the Office of Student Research in advance.
• Participate in monthly Joint One-Year Undergraduate Research Experience @ YSM (JOURNEYS) workshops from September 2026 through June 2027. These in-person workshops take place on the second Monday of each month at 10 a.m..
• Attend three Leadership in Biomedicine Lectures and dinners.
• Participate in monthly seminars, dinners, and other announced activities throughout the MHS year.
• Attend and present a research poster in person at Student Research Day on May 4, 2027. This is a mandatory requirement.
• During the fifth (final) year, complete the formal MD-MHS Program thesis defense with MD-MHS Thesis Committee.