We believe that personalized career development is an integral part of fellowship training. Fellows at Penn develop an individualized learning plan for their second year of fellowship, and some fellows with a research focus will stay for additional years of fellowship. To help fellows achieve their career goals, Penn offers a tremendous number of well-developed, rigorous training programs spanning from research training (clinical, health policy, bench/translational), to training in medical education, to training in clinical informatics. Many of our current and recent fellows, as well as our faculty, have been actively involved in these training programs, and can attest to their impact on their own careers. Below is a list of some of the programs that are available to clinical trainees at Penn. Feel free to explore each program further by clicking on its associated hyperlink.
Penn's Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology is an excellent opportunity to develop formal training in clinical research and leverages the expertise of over 150 active faculty members. This program is specifically intended for those with medical degrees and medical training, and helps provide interested trainees with the skills necessary to pursue an independent academic clinical research career. Interested fellows apply for the two-year program during their first year of fellowship, and complete the program during their second and an additional third year of fellowship.
The Clinical Research Certificate Program offers abbreviated, non-degree-based training for medical trainees interested in both conducting and collaborating on clinical research studies. The Certificate program can be completed over a single academic year.
The Penn Master of Science in Health Policy Research is a two-year degree program that provides fellows with the necessary skills to become outstanding investigators in health services and policy research. Graduates of this program have gone on to pursue careers in academia, industry, government, or non-profit organizations. Interested fellows would apply during their first year of fellowship and thereafter complete the program during their second and an additional third year of fellowship.
Penn is one of six sites in the United States that offers the National Clinical Scholars Program, a national leadership and research training program supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Penn NCSP scholars participate in an interdisciplinary core curriculum focused on health economics, health policy, research methods, and statistics, and also earn a Master of Science in Health Policy Research. Interested fellows should reach out early, even prior to the official start of their first year, due to the program application deadline.
Penn's Master of Science in Translational Research aims to prepare trainees for careers as independent translational researchers. Trainees complete didactic coursework and a professional development series, and pursue formal wet- or dry-lab training at Penn, in conjunction with their participation in a formal mentorship program. Interested fellows apply for the two-year program during their first year of fellowship and thereafter complete the program during their second and an additional third year of fellowship.
Penn's Master of Science in Medical Ethics is specifically geared toward medical trainees who are interested in careers as bioethicists at academic medical centers. The program provides rigorous training in research methodology to help ensure trained graduates are successful in conducting funded research. Interested trainees should review the program's website and contact the program director directly via e-mail.
Penn's Master of Public Health degree prepares its trainees to become leaders in public health by leveraging the broad interdisciplinary expertise of Penn and offering a high faculty-to-student ratio. The two-year program offers participants the opportunity to focus their training in one of four tracks. Interested fellows apply for the program during their first year of fellowship and thereafter complete the program during their second and an additional third year of fellowship.
Measey Medical Education Certificate Program
The Measey Medical Education Certificate Program is a one-year program geared towards training medical fellows to become excellent medical educators. In addition to developing and refining chalk-talks and formal didactic content, trainees will also receive training in effective curriculum development and evaluation. Trainees will also pursue a scholarly project related to their interests within medical education. Interested fellows apply for this one-year program during their first year of fellowship and thereafter complete the program as part of their second year of fellowship.
Clinical/Medical Informatics Fellowship Program
Penn offers several opportunities for training in clinical/medical informatics, including the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's clinical informatics program and Postdoctoral Fellowship Program in Medical Informatics at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center. Interested fellows should contact the relevant program liaison, and would generally apply for either program during their first year of fellowship training, and thereafter complete the program during their second, and, depending on the selected program, an additional third year.
More Opportunities:
Feel free to explore other opportunities available to trainees at Penn!