The first class of Master of Health Science (MHS) trainees to participate in Yale School of Medicine’s (YSM) enhanced two-year MHS Program began their training in July 2024. The program provides rigorous training to help future independent investigators and educational leaders accelerate their academic careers. The MHS Program hosted a welcome reception on July 11, in the Medical Historical Library at the Cushing/Whitney Medical Library, for the new trainees and their mentors. The 24 trainees entering this year come from eight different YSM departments: Biomedical Informatics and Data Science, Dermatology, Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Neuroscience, Pediatrics, and Surgery.
Director of the MHS Program Lauren Sansing, MD, MS, professor of neurology and immunobiology (secondary) and vice chair of faculty affairs, neurology, is “thrilled” that there was so much interest in the new format of the program, and that the MHS Program had the same number of applicants as in previous years. “We hope to grow the program in coming years,” Sansing adds.
While overseen centrally, the enhanced program offers four pathways:
- Advanced Health Sciences Research (AHSR), led by Director of the National Clinician Scholars Program Cary Gross, MD, professor of medicine (general medicine) and of epidemiology (chronic diseases)
- Clinical Informatics & Data Science (CIDS), led by Cynthia Brandt, MD, MPH, professor of biomedical informatics & data science
- Clinical Investigation, led by Roy Herbst, MD, PhD, Ensign Professor of Medicine (medical oncology) and professor of pharmacology; assistant dean for translational research; deputy director, Yale Cancer Center; and chief of medical oncology, Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital
- Medical Education, led by Janet Hafler, EdD, professor of pediatrics (general pediatrics); associate dean for teaching and learning and director of the Center for Medical Education
The incoming class is spread among the pathways, with four in AHSR, five in CIDS, seven in Clinical Investigation, and eight in Medical Education. Each pathway is designed to provide exposure to diverse research areas through research-in-progress seminars, robust training and coursework, and formalized cohort building and peer-to-peer mentoring.
The restructured program extends access to a wider pool of applicants than in the past. It now is open to all YSM residents, fellows, and faculty, as well as individuals from other institutions, further diversifying YSM’s physician-scientist community, assisting in the recruitment of talent to Yale, and enhancing interdisciplinary collaborations.
The incoming cohort has a range of academic roles: associate and assistant professors, instructors, fellows, residents and chief residents, as well as an associate research scientist and research staff member.
Sansing points to several advantages for learners of the new centralized structure, such as greater exposure to peers doing research in other departments, creating opportunities to learn from other disciplines. This also benefits YSM, by fostering interdisciplinary collaborations and networks. Additionally, this structure creates a cohort of peers who can help mentor each other, both in the program and beyond.
Another component of the enhanced program that Sansing is excited about is the BoLstering Interdisciplinary Science Series (BLISS)—a quarterly discussion series focused on research topics and career development that spans the four tracks.
The application process for next year’s MHS cohort will launch on September 1, 2024.