Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Bulletin of Yale University
 
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Investigative Medicine

Department of Medicine
Edward S. Harkness Building (ESH), basement 18–20, 785.6842
Ph.D.

Director of Graduate Studies
Keith Joiner (Internal Medicine) (LCI 808, invmed@info.med.yale.edu)

Deputy Director
Sharon Inouye (Internal Medicine)

Faculty
A broad range of faculty from clinical and basic science departments participate in this program.

Fields of Study
The purpose of this program is to create a special training pathway for highly select physicians in clinical departments who are interested in careers in biomedical research. This program is designed to develop a broad knowledge base, analytical skill, creative thinking, and the hands-on experience demanded of clinical researchers devoted to disease-oriented and patient-oriented investigation. It will provide the candidate with individualized experience encompassing formal course work and practical experience, under the supervision and mentorship of a senior faculty member.

Trainees enter the program with a broad range of experience and interests. Trainees can undertake thesis work in a variety of disciplines, including: evaluating risk factor and interventions for disease using modern concepts in quantitative methods and clinical study design; investigating the biochemical, physiologic, and genetic basis for disease in the setting of a Clinical Research Center; or exploring the molecular basis for a disease from the laboratory standpoint.

Special Admissions Requirements
The Investigative Medicine program is designed for students with an M.D. degree who have completed two or more years of postgraduate clinical training. Application to the program may be made concurrently with application for subspecialty training in a clinical department at Yale. To be eligible for the Investigative Medicine program, the candidate must first be accepted into a subspecialty program (including General Medicine), at which point the candidate may apply to the Investigative Medicine program. Students will typically be involved in clinical training in their subspecialty for the first twelve to twenty-four months after arrival, and thus will enter the Investigative Medicine program after having completed two to five years of postgraduate clinical training. Prospective students who are already in a subspecialty clinical program at Yale may also apply to the Investigative Medicine program anytime during the first two years of that training (approximate).

The most important criterion for selection into the program is the commitment of the applicant to rigorous training in clinical investigation. Successful candidates will also need evidence of high academic achievement in undergraduate and medical-school courses and completion of residency training. Test scores from the USMLE are required, and (if available) the American Board of Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Neurology, or other relevant subspecialty disciplines.

Special Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree
The minimum course requirements for the doctorate program are nine (9) courses. These consist of three one-term core courses: Principles of Clinical Research, Translational Research and Molecular Tools Part I, and Practical and Ethical Issues in Clinical Investigation; one yearlong seminar course: either Seminars in Clinical Investigation or Seminars in Molecular Medicine; one intensive practical course: either Translational Research and Molecular Tools Part II or Quantitative Clinical Epidemiology; an introductory biostatistics course; the independent reading course in Investigative Medicine; and a minimum of two electives in the specific research area. Full-time course work will extend over twelve months, usually starting in July. Students must enroll in a minimum of two courses each term. The majority of course requirements may be completed in twelve months, with elective courses often taken in the second year. To complete course requirements, students must achieve the grade of Honors in two courses (one course if a full-year course). When requirements are met (typically at the end of the first year), students submit their thesis proposal and undertake a qualifying exam. In order to be admitted to candidacy, students must pass written and oral examinations and submit a prospectus which has been approved by their qualifying committee. The remaining degree requirements include completion of a dissertation project, the writing of the dissertation, and its oral defense. It is expected that most trainees will complete the program in four years.

Courses
IMED 610, Translational Research and Molecular Tools Part II. Elisabetta Ullu. MTWThF 8.30–6
This is an intensive, full-time two-week lecture and laboratory course. Currently, the emphasis is on protein and nucleic acid biochemistry, and on gene expression profiling through DNA microarray experiments. The lectures complement and extend the laboratory experience. The laboratory course requires full-time commitment. Consent of instructor required. Two weeks, August.

IMED 620, Translational Research and Molecular Tools Part I. Keith Joiner. MTWThF 2–4
Genomics: In this section, the student becomes familiar with both the underlying theory and the practical application of genetic sequence analysis. Lectures are supplemented with computer laboratory sessions to reinforce the ideas and to provide practical experience. The ideas presented in this course are critical for molecular experimental design, interpreting results of sequencing projects, inferring gene function from primary genetic sequence data, and managing molecular biology data. Structure-Based Drug Design: In this section, students learn the underlying principles in structure-based drug design. Lectures are supplemented with computer laboratory sessions devoted to practical learning of basic principles in protein structure determination, analysis, and relationship to molecular drug design. Clinically relevant examples of this approach are considered. Consent of instructor required. Two weeks, July–August.

IMED 625, Principles of Clinical Research. Sharon Inouye. MTWThF 2–4
The purpose of this two-week intensive course is to provide an overview of the objectives, research strategies, and methods of patient-oriented research. Topics include: competing objectives of clinical research; principles of observational studies; principles of clinical trials; principles of meta-analysis; interpretation of diagnostic tests; challenges in using statistics in clinical research; causal inference; decision analysis. Sessions include lectures and discussion of readings distributed in advance. Consent of instructor required. Two weeks, July.

IMED 630a, Practical and Ethical Issues in Clinical Investigation. Henry Binder. W 3.30–5
This termlong course addresses topics which are central to the conduct of clinical investigation, including ethics of clinical investigation, scientific fraud, technology transfer, and interfacing with the pharmaceutical industry. Practical sessions include: scientific presentations and teaching, medical writing, NIH peer review process, journal peer review process, and career development: models of academia. This course provides guidelines and a framework for the clinical investigator to write, obtain funding for, conduct, and present a clinical study. Consent of instructor required.

IMED 635a or b, Directed Reading in Investigative Medicine. Keith Joiner.
An independent study course for first-year students in the Investigative Medicine program. Topics are chosen by the student, and reading lists are provided by faculty, for weekly meetings to discuss articles. Fourteen sessions are required; dates/times by arrangement. Consent of instructor required.

IMED 640a,b, Seminars in Molecular Medicine. Keith Joiner. M 3–4.30
This yearlong seminar course focuses on the details of the basic investigation of the biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, and molecular biology of human disease from a sophisticated perspective. At each session, articles on the basic laboratory investigation of a disease or disease process (which is well understood at the molecular level) are selected by the faculty. Faculty provide an overview of the topic, followed by discussion of the articles in a seminar format. Consent of instructor required.

IMED 650a,b, Seminars in Clinical Investigation. Sharon Inouye. W 1–3
This yearlong seminar course explores the interface between clinical strategies and methodologies used to investigate these topics. A variety of topics are covered in an interactive seminar format. Articles are selected by the faculty, and students review and discuss the articles at each session. In addition, students gain experience in critical evaluation of study designs and protocol development (in the fall term), and grant writing and reviewing, medical writing/ abstract presentation (in the spring term). Attendance and active participation are required. The course gives new clinical investigators tools to conduct their own research project. Consent of instructor required.

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