Education and Career Development

ConduITS provides graduate and postgraduate research training programs, a series of educational programs for new investigators and members of our community, as well as ongoing training through workshops, seminars, and lectures for staff.

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is home to clinical and translational investigators involved in cutting-edge research. Many serve as mentors to guide students to formulate a hypothesis, develop a research plan, carry out experiments, and analyze results. In addition, mentors further encourage medical students to pursue careers as physician-scientists.

Mount Sinai provides opportunities for students to conduct research throughout their educational experience. Research can be carried out during the first year, during the summer break between the first and second years, during a full-year Scholarly Year, or as part of the five-year dual degree PORTAL Program in which students earn both the MD and Master of Science in Clinical Research degrees.

PORTAL Program (Five-Year MD and Master of Science in Clinical Research Program)

This strongly mentored program offers a multidisciplinary approach to clinical investigation in order to introduce medical students to the field of clinical and translational research and how it drives the practice of clinical medicine. From the very start of their medical education, students will be part of a select group of scholars that integrates learning about clinical medicine and developing the skills required to perform clinical investigation. Please click the above link to learn more about this program.

Scholarly Year

Medical students can choose to devote a year to conducting research in order to have a more intensive experience than otherwise possible. Projects can be done either at ISMMS or at another institution. Many Mount Sinai students are supported during their Scholarly Year by major national fellowship programs, including those sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, NIH Medical Research Scholars Program, the Sarnoff Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Clinical Research Mentorship Program, and the Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholars Program. Please click the above link to learn more about this program.

Summer Research Programs

Medical Students who are enrolled at ISMMS have a variety of summer research programs to choose from in order to carry out a scholarly research project.  Students present the work they did at Medical Student Research Day.  Please click the above link to learn more about the programs offered.

SCHOLaR

The goal of SCHOLaR is to provide students with fundamental research skills and mentored research training in order to develop their understanding of the use of the scientific method in medicine, encourage their creativity, and support their dedication to advancing science in order to deliver the highest quality patient care possible. SCHOLaR includes longitudinal sessions on research skill development, as well as a didactic component.  All students will be supported by a content mentor and a track advisor who will help them to complete a rigorous scholarly project as a graduation requirement.  Please click the above link to learn more about this program.

Medical Student Research Program Leadership

Mary Rojas, PhD
Director, Medical Student Research
Associate Professor of Medical Education
mary.rojas@mssm.edu

Keith Sigel, MD, PhD
Associate Director, Medical Student Research
Co-Director, PORTAL Program (MD/MSCR)
Associate Professor of Medicine 
keith.sigel@mssm.edu

Janice L. Gabrilove, MD
Director, Clinical Research Education Programs
Co-Director, PORTAL Program (MD/MSCR)
Professor of Medicine
janice.gabrilove@mssm.edu

Alan Moskowitz, MD
Professor and Vice Chair, Population Health Science and Policy
Co-Director, Clinical Research Education Programs
alan.moskowitz@mssm.edu

Program Administrator
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Department of Medical Education, Box 1255
Tel: 212-241-4429
Fax: 212-241-4288
medicalstudentresearch@mssm.edu

The Clinical Research Education Programs at the Icahn School of Medicine offer exceptional training in bioethics, clinical, and translational research for health professionals and prospective students interested in developing a career in research.

Core competencies include:

  • understanding major clinical, translational, and public health research problems
  • implementing observational and experimental clinical research methods
  • understanding of measurement and methodological issues in incorporating basic science, translational, clinical, and population variables into clinical research
  • data analysis and management
  • written and oral scientific communication, dissemination skills, and research ethics

The CTSA network developed Core Competencies for Clinical and Translational Research to provide guidance in the discipline of clinical and translational sciences.

Clinical Research Training Program (CRTP)

The CRTP is a one-year certificate version of the MSCR program that includes all of the core coursework without the master’s thesis requirement. For post baccalaureate students interested in a career in science and/or health care, this program may be ideal. The same is true if you are a postgraduate professional in nursing, social work, or a postdoctoral fellow already engaged in basic science research.

Master of Science in Clinical Research (MSCR)

The MSCR is a two-year program that provides an exceptional educational experience to outstanding health professionals. The MSCR incorporates graduate coursework including biostatistics, epidemiology, research design, data analysis, and grant writing as well as a mentored clinical research project leading to a master’s thesis. Typical applicants include clinical and postdoctoral fellows, junior faculty, nurses, veterinarians, or research coordinators.

PhD in Clinical Research

The PhD in Clinical Research is designed for outstanding candidates who desire a more intense educational experience leading to a PhD and a career in clinical or translational research. The program provides a strong didactic foundation combined with a mentored clinical research experience leading to a doctoral degree in clinical research. Applicants include allied health professionals, as well as MD, and prospective PhD students (who have already earned at least a Master’s) who have the foundation to successfully launch clinical and/or translational research careers.

How to apply

Applicants for the CRTP and MSCR programs will need to have earned a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Applicants to the PhD in Clinical Research program will need to have earned a Master’s degree, or equivalent, from an accredited institution in order to be considered for admission. The program accepts applications on a rolling basis for the fall, spring I, and spring II terms.

To learn more about our programs, please visit our website here.

To apply, please complete the online application.

The Institutes for Translational Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (CONDUITS) offers a KL2 Scholars Award for Clinical and Translational Research Career Development for outstanding junior faculty and Postdoctoral fellows.

Specific objectives of this program are to:

  • Identify and support talented junior faculty and Postdoctoral fellows at Mount Sinai who are committed to academic careers in multidisciplinary patient-centered clinical/translational (C/T) research.
  • Assure that award recipients have at least 75% protected time for their research career development (exceptions may be made for surgeons who can document that their clinical competence may be diminished by restricting clinical activities to 25%).
  • Enable award recipients to design, implement, analyze, and publish rigorous studies in patient-centered C/T research.
  • Provide Scholars with multidisciplinary mentorship and promote the development and implementation of an individually tailored career development plan.
  • Enable scholars to plan, write, submit and acquire funding for an externally sponsored career development award (K award or equivalent) or independent research grant (e.g., R01).

You can find further details and the most recent RFA here.

KL2 Leadership

Director: Inga Peter, PhD inga.peter@mssm.edu

Co-Director: Jenny Lin, MD, MPH jenny.lin@mssm.edu

Emerging Investigators Website

Provides links to educational resources on a number of topics relevant to early investigators across Mount Sinai, including mentorship, networking, funding, CV building and professional development opportunities.

You can access the Emerging Investigators website here: https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/earlyinvestigators/

Leadership Emerging in Academic Departments (LEAD) Program

The LEAD program is aimed at supporting Junior Faculty to develop personal and professional leadership skills. The curriculum includes modules in self-discovery, communication, influence, negotiation, difficult conversations, inspiring trust and embracing diversity. This 12-month program runs from February – January. Applications are sought from Instructors, Assistant and Associate Professors in September each year.

You can find further information here or by contacting Layla.fattah@mssm.edu  

STARR Academy Summer workshop

Summer workshop series that showcases compelling topics of particular relevance to CTS investigation. New theme each year. Delivered as one-hour workshops in July and August.

You can find further information here or by contacting Layla.fattah@mssm.edu

Bi-annual writing workshop

These workshops cover a range of topics, from developing a sustainable writing process to revising for clarity and concision, tailored in part to the needs and interests of the particular group.

Full day workshop in October and April. Open enrollment – limited spaces available.

For further information contact Nina.carey@mssm.edu

Research Grant writing course

This course will familiarize students with the basic elements and approach to writing grants. Students will select a research topic, develop a research plan, and write a grant application in the appropriate format of the PHS 398 form for submission to a funding agency. 

Faculty and non-faculty can take this course on a non-matriculated basis. This is a one credit class and the tuition is currently $1200 per credit.

Further information can be found here or by contacting Nina.carey@mssm.edu

Meet the Expert

“Meet the Expert,” is once monthly faculty facilitated discussion whereby trainees are afforded the opportunity to engage in active discussion with outstanding role models from across the translational and transdisciplinary spectrum. This provides insight into the research career journey, mentorship best practices, challenges encountered, and strategies for navigating the research enterprise and funding landscape.

For further information contact Layla.fattah@mssm.edu