Masters of Science in Clinical Investigation

All Pediatric Emergency Medicine fellows are offered the opportunity to complete a Master of Science Degree in Clinical Investigation (MSCI) during their fellowship with full funding from the Pediatrics department. The MSCI program fosters the development of strong clinical investigation skills by providing a foundation in study design and implementation, clinical epidemiology, and biostatistics. Trainees completing the MSCI Program acquire the necessary tools to successfully design, conduct, and analyze the results of clinical investigations at the individual and population-wide level, as well as the skills to design and analyze the results of studies that provide insights into the molecular pathophysiology of disease.

After completing the core requirement, PEM fellows design their own flexible multidisciplinary curriculum based on their clinical interests, with the support of their research mentors. The MSCI Program offers two concentration tracks: population based clinical research and bench-to-bedside translational research.  Participating faculty include physicians within the UMass clinical system, as well as academic and research faculty from UMass Chan Medical School. In addition to their PEM faculty research mentors, fellows participating in the MSCI program can also benefit from the mentorship of faculty members from the Departments of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine who also serve as faculty at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, allowing for a truly unique and individualized research experience focusing on advancing clinical knowledge of pediatric disease processes.