The research component of the training program is designed to allow clinically trained individuals to develop skills required to become independent investigators. Research experiences are designed to fit the long-term academic interests of the fellows. Collaborative projects can be arranged with other members of the Vanderbilt University faculty, including those in the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, Division of Adult Infectious Diseases, the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, the Pediatric Clinical Research Office, and the Department of Preventive Medicine. Formal course work is encouraged to augment the fellow's research, and many courses are available to fellows.
Fellows will have a concentrated, two- to three-year research experience. Projects may include bench, clinical, or translational research endeavors and may be conducted within the division or in collaboration with other clinical or basic science departments at Vanderbilt. The goal of the research experience is to enable the fellow to compete for research funding at the junior faculty level (e.g., NIH K awards, Clinical Investigator Award, First Award, Industry/Scholar Award, etc.). Fellows are encouraged to present their work at regional and national meetings and publish their work.
Opportunities also are available to enroll in the Master of Public Health (MPH) and Master of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI) programs at Vanderbilt as part of the fellowship experience. These formal programs provide advanced training in both clinical research and translational research with tuition often supported through NIH-sponsored training grants. For those fellows pursuing this track, course work typically begins in September of the second year of fellowship, with commencement in May of the third year. Ample protected time is provided for research training with the majority of course work completed by the end of the first academic year.
Please visit the links below to learn more about the individual master’s programs.
Learn more about our division’s research.