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 through the One-Year Research Fellowship as well as scholarships for MD-MHS tuition during the student’s MHS year.

More information about tuition and eligibility for financial aid during Extended Study can be found on the Extended Study at YSM page.

To apply for the MD-MHS Program, students should complete and submit the OSR MD-MHS Program application via Elentra by April 5, 2027, at 8am.

Students who apply for the MD-MHS Program are required to provide the following documentation and information with their MD-MHS Program application:

• Three letters of attestation (three PDFs) that will be uploaded in addition to 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. Students should submit the same project proposal they included with their One-Year Research Fellowship application.

April 5, 2027, at 8am: Submission deadline for MD-MHS Program applications.

Late May: Decisions sent by the Office of Student Research to all MD-MHS Program applicants.

July 1: Program begins.

June 30: Program ends.

During the final year of medical school and in order to meet graduation requirements, MD-MHS Program students must complete their MD thesis and orally present this thesis to their three person MD-MHS Thesis Committee. Please refer to the MD Thesis Deadlines for more information.

Students accepted into the MD-MHS Program are required 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. MD-MHS Program students will meet the credit hour requirement through coursework and mentored research. 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. In order to fulfill the MD-MHS Program requirements, students must attend at least 80% of sessions for each required course in their chosen pathway and pass the course assessment. These courses are in-person and must be taken during the MHS year.

• Clinical Research Pathway required courses
  • IMED 5645: Introduction to Biostatistics (2-week summer course; 2 credit hours)
    • View the course description and dates for IMED 5645
  • IMED 5625: Principles of Clinical Research (2-week summer course; 1.33 credit hours)
    • View the course description and dates for IMED 5625
  • SecEd 104: Applied Principles of Research (may have been completed as MS1) or similar course with approval from the MD-MHS Director.
  • Sect Ed 501/BB S501: Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) (academic year course, 6 sessions of approximately 2 hours each; 0.24 credit hours) OR IMED 5630: 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 5645: Introduction to Biostatistics (2-week summer course; 2 credit hours)
    • View the course description and dates of IMED 645
  • SecEd 104: Applied Principles of Research (may have been completed as MS1) or similar course with approval from the MD-MHS Director.
  • Sect Ed 501/BB S501: Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) (academic year course, 6 sessions of approximately 2 hours each; 0.24 credit hours) OR IMED 5630: 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 the in early July 2027 (this orientation is concurrent with the orientation for the One-Year Research Fellowship).
• Participate in a 30-minute onboarding session with the MD-MHS Program Director in July 2027.
• Lead at least two meetings with your MD-MHS Advisory Committee during your extended study year. We recommend one meeting in the Fall and one in the Spring.
• Successfully defend your MD-MHS thesis via a formal presentation to your MD-MHS Advisory Committee and MD-MHS Thesis Director. The thesis defense may occur during the students extended study year or fourth and final year of medical school.
• Complete and submit all paperwork requested by the MD-MHS Program Director or the Office of Student Research to satisfy reporting requirements for the MD-MHS degree.
• Participate in monthly seminars, dinners, and other announced activities throughout the MHS year.