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Academic Programs
(click on a title to drop to program description)
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Degree Programs
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M.D. Degree Curriculum
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The M.D. program is designed to prepare leaders in the field of medicine. The curriculum equips graduates to enter careers in clinical practice, research, medical education, or medical administration. The four-year course of instruction consists of lectures, laboratories, small group discussions, and a variety of clinical experiences on inpatient wards and in outpatient clinics and physicians' offices. Humanism and community service are part of the integrated professional experience. Students associate with practicing physicians throughout the four years of medical school. Formal course work during the first two years includes gross and developmental anatomy, biochemistry, cell and tissue structure/physiology, medical and molecular genetics, medical neuroscience, introduction to human behavior, pharmacology, pathology, introduction to psychiatric medicine, epidemiology, and microbiology. A nearly two year practice of medicine course, taught primarily in small group tutorials and with frequent patient encounters, provides a forum for learning the fundamental attitudes, skills, knowledge and reasoning required of a physician for clinical problem solving.
Clinical studies include required clerkships in family medicine, geriatric medicine, internal medicine, neurology, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, perioperative and acute care medicine, psychiatric medicine, and surgery. These are followed by career-focused basic science and health care systems courses. The remainder of the post clerkship period is an elective/selective experience of the student's choosing, which is planned in association with a faculty advisor.
The curriculum is supervised by the associate dean for curriculum and the Curriculum Committee. Two major subcommittees, the Principles of Medicine and Clinical Medicine Committees, consist of course directors and student representatives.
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Ph.D. Degree Program in Biomedical Sciences
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The School of Medicine offers interdisciplinary training programs for students interested in research and teaching careers in the biological and biomedical sciences. Interdisciplinary graduate programs ensure that students have a broad and flexible choice of research opportunities with faculty in a wide variety of disciplines. Students may enter any one of seven Biomedical Sciences Graduate Programs including: Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Genetics; Cell and Developmental Biology; Molecular Medicine; Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases; Structural and Computation Biology and Biophysics; Neuroscience; or Biomedical Engineering. However, students are also free to change programs anytime during the first year. In addition to didactic course work, a major component of the doctoral requirements include conducting state-of-the-art dissertation research in a biomedical research laboratory under faculty supervision.
The primary goal of the doctoral programs in medicine is to train the highest quality scientists, educators, and scholars. It is expected that these individuals will become scientific leaders not only in academia, but in industry, government, and science education at all levels. In keeping with the mission of the School of Medicine to improve the quality of health care, a major goal of the doctoral programs is to improve the capabilities of graduates to carry out translational research such that the results of basic sciences research here and elsewhere can be translated into improved quality of life for all humanity.
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Medical Scientist (M.D./Ph.D.) Training Program
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The University of Virginia offers a combined M.D./Ph.D. Program designed for training future physician-scientists. The goal of the program is to provide students with the highest quality training to conduct research in clinically relevant areas and to ensure a firm grounding in clinical medicine. Ph.D. training may be done in a basic science department or in a wide variety of interdisciplinary graduate programs including immunology, cardiovascular physiology, cell and molecular biology, neuroscience, biophysics, molecular pharmacology, biomedical engineering, molecular medicine, chemical engineering, cancer, and infectious diseases.A major emphasis of the program is to train physician scientists who will lead the biomedical research community in efforts to discover the fundamental basis of human disease and to develop innovative new therapies for their treatment.The M.D./Ph.D. Program is supported by a National Institutes of Health Medical Scientist Training Grant.
The M.D./Ph.D. training program is individually tailored for each student and typically requires 7-8 years to complete.The first two years are devoted to completing course work including all pre-clinical medical school requirements and a number of graduate courses, such as Molecular Medicine, that are specifically designed for the M.D./Ph.D. student. During the first two years students also complete laboratory rotations and select a doctoral mentor with whom they will complete their doctoral thesis research project.Years three through five are devoted to completing doctoral degree requirements including the thesis project and a small number of additional basic science courses tailored to the individual interests of the stu-dent.After finishing doctoral degree requirements, M.D./Ph.D. students then complete clinical clerkships in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Psychiatric Medicine, Neurology, and Family Medicine.Throughout the training period, students participate in a number of M.D./Ph.D. Program activities including a monthly Research Presentation Roundtable and Journal Club, a tri-monthly Molecular Disease Rounds Dinner, and an annual Mountain Lake Research Retreat that enhances their training as physician-scientists.
Upon completion of the program, students typically complete additional residency and research fellowship training prior to assuming positions in academic medicine where they establish their own research programs, as well as being involved in patient care and teaching.
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Master of Science in Clinical Research Degree Program
Joint M.D./M.S-CR. Degree
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The Master of Science in Clinical Research is an interdisciplinary graduate degree designed to meet the changing needs of professionals working in various health care fields with an emphasis on providing training to those who require well developed quantitative and analytic skills in patient-oriented and translational research. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences administers the program through the School of Medicine.
The interdisciplinary blend of biostatistics, epidemiology, health services research methodology, clinical trial design, economics, information studies, and health policy offered through the M.S. in Clinical Research is taught by faculty in the Department of Public Health Sciences in collaboration with other faculty at UVA in the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Arts and Sciences, Business, and Law. The experience is one of intensive study aimed toward giving students the analytical skills needed in all areas of clinical research.
Students complete a minimum 31 credit curriculum that includes core courses, specialized coursework, and a final project. Full-time students complete most or all core coursework in the fall semester, then devote the spring to advanced coursework and completion of the Independent Study Final Project. The Final Project must be presented to DPHS faculty prior to graduation. Part-time study options are also available.
The M.S. in Clinical Research offers a joint degree option for medical students wishing to earn joint M.D./M.S. degrees.At the end of their third year, joint-degree students would leave the School of Medicine temporarily and spend the following year in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences completing the M.S. program. Upon completion of the M.S. degree, the medical curriculum would resume.
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Master of Public Health Degree Program
Joint MD-MPH Degree
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The MPH is an interdisciplinary professional degree designed to provide health care and other professionals with an understanding of the public health sciences. Knowledge of and skills in this field can be used in health care management, population-based research, and the community practice of public health. MPH students take basic courses in epidemiology, environmental health, health policy and management, health promotion and biostatistics, as well as additional courses in one of two tracks: Generalist Practice &Research; and Health Policy, Law, and Ethics
The MD-MPH joint program is a 5-year program designed to provide students with the opportunity to integrate medical school and public health coursework, research, and community work throughout the five years. Students enroll full-time in the School of Medicine for four years and full-time in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) for one academic year when the student primarily concentrates on MPH-related course work. Typically the MPH year occurs between Years 3 and 4 of medical school. Both degrees are generally awarded at the end of 5 years.
The MPH degree requires 42 credits, up to 6 of which can be earned for the field placement and culminating experience project (which can focus on public health research). Application for dual research credit that qualifies for both MPH course credit and medical school elective credit is awarded on a case-by-case basis.
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SPECIAL CURRICULAR OFFERINGS
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Generalist Scholars Program
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The Generalist Scholars Program (GSP) began in 1994 and provides training to a select group of outstanding students who are committed to careers in primary care.The Theresa Thomas Foundation is a principal benefactor in providing scholarship support for the program.The goal of the GSP is to provide scholarship recipients with the skills needed to become future primary care leaders. Students experience a unique curriculum which focuses on both the science and art of generalist patient care.The scope of the curriculum includes enhanced training in areas that are important in clinical primary care. GSP students are also encouraged to develop an area of interest in primary care research and are required to write a thesis prior to completion of medical school.All students are paired with a generalist physician mentor who also provides opportunities for clinical experiences. During the first three years of the program, three students were admitted each year.The success of the program and additional help from outside funding sources has made it possible to expand to six students per year.
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The Center for Global Health, founded in 2001 by Richard L. Guerrant, MD, is one of the nation's first pan-University Centers for Global Health. It focuses on health as a human value, engaging multiple disciplines across the University, as well as across cultural, economic, and geographic divides. The Center's model emphasizes academics, research, and curriculum.
- UVa student scholars develop faculty-mentored 6-8 week projects in underserved countries working to improve the health of those in greatest need.
- International fellows travel from collaborating sites abroad for training and research at UVa addressing their own research priorities.
- Interdisciplinary curricula emphasize research, including global health courses for undergraduates and medical students, an undergraduate minor in Global Public Health, a planned global health track for the Masters in Public Health program, as well as student-sponsored events and speakers.
The Pfizer Initiative in International Health (PIIH) is an integral part of CGH. It provides financial and collaborative support. Directed by W. Michael Scheld, MD, PIIH advances CGH's program objectives. The Pfizer Initiative provides the primary financial support for international trainees working at UVa, and supports UVa fellows and scholars. The major purpose of the PIIH is to develop the resources, resolve and capacity to meet some of the gravest healthcare and human challenges in existence.
For more details, please visit:
http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/cgh/aboutthecenter/Factpage.cfm
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Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy
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Established in 1977 with the joint support of the Schools of Medicine and Law, the Institute of Law, Psychiatry, Public Policy provides training, research, and consultation on laws and policies relating to psychiatry, psychology, and behavioral health. Courses and placements are available for medical students, interns, and residents in the mental health disciplines, and post-doctoral fellowships are available to physicians, lawyers, and psychologists. Collaborative programs are also offered with the Center for Biomedical Ethics and the University's Institute on Aging.The institute operates a forensic psychiatry clinic to provide evaluation for the courts, provides specialized training for mental health professionals throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, and conducts research on impairments of decision-making capacities, clinical aspects of violence and criminal behavior, and mandated treatment.The institute’s prominent faculty are involved in policy development relating to human rights and mental health law in the United States and abroad.
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