Admissions Requirements


MPH program candidates must have the M.D. or other equivalent professional degree, be supported by a sponsoring unit (Division or Department) of the School of Medicine or Nursing, and have an identified faculty mentor who will agree to provide mentoring for the student’s thesis project. All applicants must be fluent in written and spoken English. Completed applications must be received by February 28, and include:

 

  • Online application form
  • Research Plan:  Two pages (should describe Specific Aims, Background and Significance, Experimental Methods and Procedures, Long-Term Objectives).
  • Statement of how this proposed research plan fits into your career objectives.
  • Curriculum Vitae of applicant.
  • Official medical or graduate school transcript.
  • Letter from mentor documenting commitment to candidate’s career development.
  • Proposed mentor’s curriculum vitae, including Other Support and two-page Biosketch.
  • Letter from Division Director or Department Chair assuring 80% protected time for research and that the student will be free from clinical duties during classes.

 

 

Application Form

 

 

 

Resources for Funding of MPH Tuition

 

There are a variety of resources for funding MPH Tuition, including training grants, and institutional/departmental resources. Dr. William Cooper, Associate Director of the Program is available to facilitate identifying potential sources of funding for tuition.

 

Vanderbilt Office for Clinical and Translational Scientist Development

 

Through Vanderbilt’s participation in the Clinical and Translational Scientific Development Program, headed by Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Scientist Development Nancy Brown, there are a variety of mechanisms to provide support for individuals wishing to pursue career development in patient-oriented and translational research. Mechanisms for support and tuition coordinated by the Office for Clinical and Translational Scientist Development include:

 

§  Vanderbilt Physician Scientist Development Program
http://bret.mc.vanderbilt.edu/vpsd/

As a means to augment physician scientist career development in the junior faculty years, Vanderbilt has established a Physician Scientist Development (VPSD) Awards Program. The VPSD program is designed to provide an enriching scientific environment and salary support to allow newly-appointed Assistant Professor physicians with significant research experience to receive additional mentored investigative training. Participants will be selected on a semi-annual basis for awards that will generally commence on July 1. Selection will be based on the candidate's academic potential, the quality of the scientific proposal, the commitment of the mentor and the mentor's success record for training, and the commitment of the sponsoring clinical chair to the academic career of the applicant.

 

§  Vanderbilt Clinical and Translational Research Scholars Program
http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/root/vumc.php?site=vcrs

 The Vanderbilt Clinical & Translational Research Scholars (VCTRS) Program provides junior faculty and fellowship level trainees who have been offered a faculty appointment who are committed to a career in clinical investigation, with a mentored research apprenticeship integrated with the didactic training of the MSCI or MPH programs. The design of the program reflects three central tenets of the training of clinical investigators at Vanderbilt: the importance of individualized mentored training, the importance of protected time for research and the importance of collaboration between laboratory and clinical scientists.
Thus the VCTRS is comprised of three major components:

1. a mentored research apprenticeship,
2. participation in either the MSCI or MPH programs, and
3. participation in formal career development and mentoring activities.

It is expected that VCTRS trainees will compete successfully for K-08 or K-23 funding by the end of three years, and become leaders in clinical and translational research.

Potential applicants should schedule a meeting with a member of the executive committee by calling Ms. Janice Fruci at 615-343-8701 or contact by email at Janice.fruci@vanderbilt.edu. One purpose of this meeting is to identify appropriate mentors. The mentor should hold substantial peer-reviewed extramural (NIH or equivalent) funding, and have a significant track record for mentoring patient-oriented researchers. There are no restrictions on the departmental affiliation of either the applicant or the mentor, and trans-departmental mentoring relationships are strongly encouraged.

 

§  Vanderbilt Clinical Oncology Research Career Development Program
http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/root/vumc.php?site=K12&doc=4411

A training and career development program is available to all residents, fellows and junior faculty in the Divisions of Hematology/Oncology, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Surgical Oncology and the Department of Radiation Oncology.  This program is designed for physicians interested in a clinical oncology research career with an emphasis in an academic-oriented environment.  The Vanderbilt Clinical Oncology Research Career Development Program (VCORCDP) is funded through the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) K12 training grant mechanism. 

§  Building Interdisciplinary Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) Career Development Program

http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/root/vumc.php?site=BUILDINGINTERDISCIPLINARYRESEARCHCARE

Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health is a career development program instituted by the National Institutes of Health, Office of Research on Women’s Health and cosponsored by the multiple divisions of the National Institutes of Health.  The BIRCWH program fosters the career development of junior faculty members who are engaging in basic, clinical, translational, behavioral, or health services research in any area relevant to women's health with an emphasis on sex and gender factors. BIRCWH Programs accomplish this goal by mentoring junior faculty to bridge advanced training with independent research in areas that integrate scientific disciplines. The Scholars learn not only research techniques, but also the skills to become independent investigators and mentors. The mentors at each site are established investigators who have a commitment to fostering interdisciplinary approaches to research in women's health and sex and gender factors. This program develops a group of independently funded scientists who can further advance and perpetuate an interdisciplinary team approach to science and gender specific health care. The project utilizes the NIH Mentored Research Scientist Development Program Award (K12) as the mechanism for funding junior faculty at leading educational institutions.

§  Vanderbilt Environmental Health Science Scholars Program

Environmental exposures play a critical role in the pathogenesis of many common complex diseases. The purpose of the Vanderbilt Environmental Health Science Scholars (VEHSS) program is to develop patient-oriented researchers committed to a career in environmental health research and equipped to function within and lead multidisciplinary teams of researchers to enhance understanding of environmental disease and to improve health. The VEHSS will focus on two specific scientific themes: 1) the role of oxidative stress in environmental injury/exposure and 2) mechanisms of environmental neurotoxicity. In each focus area of patient-oriented environmental health sciences research, Scholars will be trained in 1) a multidisciplinary approach, drawing on expertise in human genetics to identify gene-environment interactions, 2) proteomics, lipidomics, and state-of-the-art mass spectrometry techniques to discover biomarkers of environmental exposure and disease states, 3) cutting-edge imaging techniques to analyze tissue uptake of metal ions and toxins and local metabolic consequences, and 4) informatics and biostatistics to analyze large and complex data. Contact Nancy Brown, Program Director.

T32 Training Grants

 

  • Vanderbilt Health Services Research Training Program (T32)

    The Vanderbilt Health Services Research Training (VHSRT) Program, funded by the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ) supports four post-doctoral MDs, DOs, or DDS/DMDs who have completed their residency training or PhDs in the health sciences, for one to three years each, to pursue a career in health services research. The VHSRT is comprised of two major components:
    1) participation in the MPH program which includes a mentored research apprenticeship; and
    2) participation in formal career development and mentoring activities.
    Potential trainees are persons accepted to the MPH program. This program will provide a stipend based on the NIH scale for fellows and about 60% of MPH tuition.

 

  • Other Training Grants at Vanderbilt (T32)
    http://bret.mc.vanderbilt.edu/bret/php_files/training_grant_view.php

    T32 training grants are federally funded grants provided to institutions for the training of specific individuals in research. T32 grants typically provide salary support for two years and partial (usually 60%) MPH tuition support. Each training grant has specific requirements with respect to level of training, time commitment to research, etc., so it is best to contact the Vanderbilt-based training program director listed on the website with inquiries about your application.

 

 

Scholarships

 

  • Clinical Research Training Curriculum (K30)
    http://grants2.nih.gov/training/k30/RR022298.htm?sort=pi

    The Clinical Research Training Curriculum program is a Vanderbilt-based program to support the development of training in clinical research skills. The K30 grant provides ½ tuition support for a limited number of applicants. To apply for this program, individuals need to indicate their interest at the time of application to the MPH program. Trainees are selected by the MPH Admissions Committee.

 

Other Support Mechanisms

 

  • VA Quality Scholars Program

The VA National Quality Scholars Fellowship Program has as its stated goal to produce the next generation of recognized scholars and leaders in Quality Improvement in Health Care. Their expertise will be evidenced by the following:

§  Innovation and continual improvement of health care

§  The local application of this knowledge and these methods for the improvement of veterans' health care

§  Excellence in teaching and learning about the improvement of health care

§  Research and the development of new knowledge for the ongoing improvement of the quality and value of health care services

Applicant Requirements

§  Completion of an ACGME accredited postgraduate medical residency

§  The desire to pursue a medical career with a focus on quality improvement, health services research or medical administration

§  The ability to appreciate and leverage the benefits of coordination of clinical medicine, research and administration

§  The desire to help lead the VA into the 21st century as a change agent

§  The capacity for interactive skills necessary to create change in institutions

§  Board certification or eligibility and an active, unrestricted license to practice in the US

 

  • Federal Career Development Awards through NIH (K Kiosk)
    http://grants1.nih.gov/training/careerdevelopmentawards.htm

    The federal government provides support for Career Development awards that individuals with a health professional doctorate should consider. Most of these awards support individuals after they have completed clinical training and have accepted a faculty position. There is the Mentored Clinical Scientist Developmental Program Award (K12) that is an award to specific institutions and interested candidates should ask the chair of their department if such an award exists. There are also a series of individual awards including the Mentored Clinical Scientist Award (K08) that supports career development experiences for individuals interested in research in areas that don't involve human subjects. If you want a career that does include work with human subjects, consider the Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23).

 

 

  • Vanderbilt School of Medicine Office of Financial Aid
    http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/medschool/finaid/finaid3.php

    For individuals who will be funding the MPH tuition themselves, the Vanderbilt School of Medicine Office of Financial Aid provides information necessary for assessing an individual's qualification for a variety of different financial aid mechanisms.