Concentration in Clinical Research Overview

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) defines clinical research as “all aspects and kinds of clinical research including, for example, epidemiologic and natural history studies, translational research, patient-oriented research, clinical trials, and outcomes research.”  Clinical research embraces a spectrum of scientific disciplines (e.g., epidemiology, statistics, health services research, pharmacology, biology, and psychology), methodologies (e.g., observational, experimental), health professions (e.g., medicine, nursing, dentistry, clinical psychology), and specialties and sub-specialties (e.g., internal medicine, geriatrics, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, oncology, cardiology, and others).  As a field of study within the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Program in Population Health, clinical research is placed within the context of the health of the population.  This unique approach allows clinical researchers to become aware of the broader implications of their research and prepares them to participate in interdisciplinary teams – a key focus of the NIH Roadmap for medical research in the 21st century.
 
The School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Wisconsin - Madison offers M.S. and Ph.D. training in an exciting, interdisciplinary program in clinical research.  The UW Population Health Graduate Program is the academic home to this unique graduate program with a concentration in clinical research.  The program of study in clinical research is designed for those who wish to plan, implement, and analyze observational or experimental clinical research studies using appropriate research designs. Our interdisciplinary approach prepares our students to be leaders in health-related careers by instilling strong methodological research skills together with practical experience in clinical research studies. The emphasis is on training clinician researchers to conduct methodologically rigorous and scientifically sound studies, evaluate organizational and clinical interventions, and perform cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit studies in a variety of populations. Through coursework and research collaboration, we seek to train students to identify the most effective ways to prevent and treat diseases and disorders, and to promote the health of patients.