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

To apply, students should complete and submit the OSR MD Master of Health Science (MD-MHS) Application for a MD-MHS to OSR via Medtrics by April 7, 2025, 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 OSR MD Master of Health Science (MD-MHS) Application for a MD-MHS.

Prior to accessing the application, you should review the information provided below. This step will help you compile the information and documents required to complete the online application.

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

• Three letters of attestation (3 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 Yale School of Medicine (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 2-3 required meetings.
• 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. This should be the project proposal submitted for your One-year Fellowship funding application. (PDF)

NOTE: Your MD-MHS committee will be comprised of your MD-MHS advisor and two committee members. At least one committee member must be from a department or section external to that of your MD-MHS 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 Advisor; please consult your Advisor regarding the composition of your MD-MHS committee. This committee will meet 2 - 3 times during the pull-out research year and will be responsible for approving the MD/MHS thesis in partial fulfillment of YSM graduation requirements.

April 7, 2025 8am: Deadline for all MD-MHS applications to be submitted to OSR through Medtrics.

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

July 1: Program begins.

June 30: Program ends.

Please refer to the MD Thesis Deadlines here.

NOTE: For students completing a joint MD-MHS, Step 1 and Step 2 CK must be taken by June 30 of each academic year. In the event that a student takes the exam by this deadline but subsequently receives a non-passing score, they will be administratively withdrawn due to being ineligible. STEP 1 and STEP 2 CK test dates (and results, if available) should be included on the letter of good standing submitted with your one-year fellowship application.

Listed below are the required courses for both the Clinical Research pathway and the Laboratory/Translational pathway. Please note that students must attend at least 80% of each required course in the chosen pathway to meet the requirement for the MD-MHS degree. These courses are in-person and must be taken during the 5th pullout 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)

Dedicated Research Time:
The cornerstone of the MD-MHS program is an intensive mentored research experience, culminating in completion of a thesis. Matriculants are expected to dedicate the vast majority of their time to program-related research activities during the one-year, full-time program. Matriculants can meet these research credit hour requirements by registering for independent study. MD-MHS students generally complete 35-45 credit hours of mentored research (note: one credit hour = 45 hours of research activity), depending on course load.

All MD-MHS students must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours, comprised of a combination of coursework and research time, to meet requirements for the MD-MHS degree.

• Attend an in-person orientation meeting on July 1, 2025, from 9:30-10:30am.
• Deliver a ten-minute presentation of your research at one fall, and one spring, in-person Research in Progress seminar.
• Attend 3-4 in-person Research in Progress seminars held in the fall and 3-4 in-person Research in Progress seminars held in the spring.
• Attend monthly in-person joint one-year undergraduate research experience @ YSM (JOURNEYS) didactic sessions focused on research skills development.
• Attend three Leadership in Biomedicine Lectures and dinners.
• Participate in monthly seminars, dinners, and other announced activities throughout the Masters year.
• Attend and present a poster of your MD-MHS project at YSM’s annual Student Research Day on May 5, 2026.