All MD-PhD students are required to complete formal training in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) during their graduate education. This training ensures that students understand the ethical principles and regulatory standards that guide responsible scientific inquiry.
Format The course is highly interactive, featuring a combination of lectures, case studies, and discussions. Sessions incorporate real-world examples, NIH-provided materials, and a dedicated panel discussion with journal editors and study section chairs on responsible publication and authorship practices. Students are expected to actively participate and complete a short quiz following each session.
Subject Matter Training topics include:
Research misconduct, ethical policies, and safe laboratory practices
Mentor-mentee responsibilities and relationships
Laboratory notebooks, data management, and public databases
Responsible authorship, publication, and peer review
Policies for research involving human subjects and live vertebrate animals
Collaborative research, industry partnerships, and conflict of interest
Contemporary ethical issues in research
The process for reviewing allegations of research misconduct
Faculty Participation. Faculty experts lead each session with specialized knowledge in research ethics, scientific integrity, laboratory management, regulatory oversight, and scholarly publishing. Faculty members deliver lectures, lead case discussions, and provide mentorship around best practices in research conduct.
Duration. The course spans eight hours total, offered over four weeks during the fall semester. Attendance is mandatory for all students.
Frequency. Classes meet twice weekly. Students are also required to complete a Rigor and Reproducibility course during the spring semester, complementing the principles learned in RCR. A refresher training is required after four years for students still in their graduate training phase.
All MD-PhD students must complete a graduate-level biostatistics course to develop a strong foundation in data analysis, experimental design, and statistical interpretation for biomedical research. Students can fulfill this requirement by successfully completing one of the following options:
MPH0300: Introduction to Biostatistics (3 credits) Covers fundamental concepts of probability, statistical inference, hypothesis testing, and data analysis techniques, with a focus on clinical and population health research.
BIO6400: Biostatistics for Biomedical Research (3 credits) Designed for students engaged in laboratory-based research, emphasizing statistical methods for biomedical experiments, data modeling, and hypothesis testing.
BSR1715: Modern Statistics for Modern Biology (3 credits) Focuses on modern statistical approaches for biological research, including machine learning applications, Bayesian inference, and analysis of high-dimensional biological data.
Completion of one of these courses ensures that MD-PhD students are equipped with essential quantitative skills to conduct rigorous, reproducible research and to evaluate scientific findings critically.
Students who have completed relevant graduate courses elsewhere will be granted exemption and/or graded credits at the discretion of the Dean, in consultation with the course and MTA Directors. See corresponding policy in Chapter 3 of the Handbook for details of this policy.
All MD-PhD students are required to complete formal training in Rigor and Reproducibility during their PhD phase to ensure that their research practices meet the highest standards for experimental design, data integrity, and reproducibility.
Format This course follows an interactive format, with a combination of lectures, case studies, and faculty-led discussions. Students engage actively with course material and complete brief assessments after each session. Attendance is mandatory.
Subject Matter Training is organized into three major areas:
Rigor and Reproducibility at the Bench: Topics include scientific premise, experimental design, use of controls, hypothesis testing, biological vs. technical replicates, and complementary research approaches.
Human and Animal Experimental Design and Statistical Analysis: Topics include Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and Institutional Review Board (IRB) standards, power calculations, variables such as sex and genetics, clinical trial design, and proper statistical testing and reporting.
Digital and Quantitative Data Management: Topics include best practices for data storage and backup, big data challenges, use of public databases, metadata management, digital image integrity, and strategies to promote reproducibility by others.
Faculty Participation The course is team-taught by faculty with expertise in experimental design, biostatistics, clinical research, bioinformatics, and data management. Faculty deliver lectures, lead interactive discussions, and provide insight into best practices across both basic and translational science.
Duration The course spans eight hours total, offered over four weeks during the spring semester. Attendance is mandatory.
Frequency Classes meet twice weekly.
All MD/PhD students must complete a Core Curriculum. The Core Curriculum will vary depending on the training area and the specific PhD degree (Biomedical Sciences or Neuroscience). The Core Curriculum provides the students with a strong set of general concepts and vocabulary that underpins so much of cutting-edge biomedical research in their area of interest.
MD-PhD students complete two laboratory rotations during the summer between their first and second years in the program. Each rotation lasts approximately three weeks. If needed, a third rotation may be completed at the end of the second year to help identify a suitable lab and mentor. Students must register for their laboratory rotations using the appropriate course codes: BSR 1040 for the first summer and BSR 1041 for the second summer, if applicable. For additional details, please refer to the PhD Chapter. Please refer to the for more information on laboratory rotations.
Please refer to the for information on seminars, works-in-progress, and journal clubs.
The PhD work is usually completed in four years after the initial two years of the Medical School. Students will complete the final clinical training component of the Medical School curriculum after the doctoral dissertation has been successfully completed. During the PhD phase, students are encouraged to build upon the pathophysiologic and clinical diagnosis material already mastered through continued clinical exposures, through participation in EHHOP and other activities.
During the final year of PhD phase, students will participate in an intensive MD/PhD Clinical Refresher Course. This is an eight-week course during which time students participate in a full day orientation that refreshes clinical skills including history-taking and physical examination skills and oral and written presentation skills. Students engage in weekly clinical encounters where they receive tailored feedback on their oral and written presentations. Sessions are geared toward expectations of clinical clerks during their third year, communication skills, use of the electronic medical record, and focused case-based pathophysiology sessions.
MD/PhD students will not be permitted to begin the third year of the Medical School curriculum after the PhD period of work unless the dissertation is both defended and deposited. The responsibility for open, realistic and careful planning is shared by the student and dissertation advisor.
Please refer to the for more information on course requirements.