Programs: School of Medicine

Undergraduate


Graduate/Professional


Dual Degrees


School of Medicine Certificates

Certificate programs in the School of Medicine offer an alternative way to take a deeper dive into a targeted subject area allowing you to advance your career, enhance your credentials, or prepare for graduate or professional school. These programs allow students to strengthen their academic transcripts and gain the foundational knowledge needed for future success! 

Departmental Certificate in Cancer Biology

216.368.1994
Stanton Gerson, MD, Director
Damian J. Junk, PhD, Assistant Director Cancer Training and Education, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

The Clinical Oncology Research Career Development Program (CORP) provides interdisciplinary training in clinical and translational oncology research for clinical oncology junior faculty physicians who are interested in pursuing academic research careers as physician-scientists. This training addresses the need for clinician investigators to translate fundamental cancer research discoveries into medical care of cancer patients. Eligible candidates are physicians (MD, DO or MD/PhD) with a clinical training background in one of a number of oncology disciplines, including medical, surgical, pediatric, dermatological, gynecological and radiation oncology. Scholars select one of three areas of concentration:

  • Mechanism Based Therapeutics and Clinical Trials

  • Stem Cell Biology and Hematopoietic Malignancy Clinical Trials

  • Prevention, Aging and Cancer Genetics and Clinical Trials

The Scholars' individual training plan consists of a 2-year certificate program which includes a didactic curriculum designed to provide basic background and highly individualized advanced training in both clinical and methodological components of clinical and translational cancer research.

Each Scholar is co-mentored by both a basic or behavioral scientist and a clinical investigator. A mentoring committee comprised of faculty in the Scholar's focus of oncology research provides additional guidance and support. During the period of mentored laboratory training, the Scholars develop original hypothesis-based experiments related to disease mechanisms at a molecular or cellular level. As the Scholars build on their laboratory conclusions to create and implement clinical trials, they are mentored by clinical investigators. Clinical trials are aimed at developing new methods for diagnosis and testing promising ideas for novel therapeutic interventions. These components come together with the Scholar's presentations at a national conference, publications in peer review journals and application for independent funding as a physician-scientist. 

This two-year certificate program is administered through the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. The overall goal of the K12 CORP certificate program is to foster interdisciplinary training in clinical and translational oncology therapeutic research for physicians. Upon completion of this 15-19 hour two-year training, scholars will earn the K12 CORP Certificate.

The formal didactic program includes a course in responsible conduct IBMS 500 or CRSP 603CNCR 501 ; and one elective (1-3 credit hours). Additional required activities include Clinical Protocol Tutorials, Intensive Mentored Research Project, Ongoing seminars, Meetings and Presentations; and applications for independent funding. 

Formal Didactic Curriculum Coursework:

Required Courses:
IBMS 500On Being a Professional Scientist: The Responsible Conduct of Research1-2
or CRSP 603 Research Ethics and Regulation
CNCR 501Translational Cancer Research A a1
Choose one of the following:
CRSP 401Introduction to Clinical Research Summer Series3
CRSP 406Introduction to R Programming3
CRSP 412Communication in Clinical Research - Grant Writing1
CRSP 413Communication in Clinical Research - Oral Presentation, Posters, and the Mass Media1
CRSP 500Design and Analysis of Observational Studies3
CRSP 501Team Science - Working in Interdisciplinary Research Teams1
a

All four modules required, one each semester of the program (501-1, 501-2, 501-3, 501-4)

Departmental Graduate Certificate in Global Health

Daniel Tisch, PhD, Director
216.368.0875                          

The Certificate in Global Health is awarded in recognition of a student’s interest and preparation for continued involvement and a potential career in global health. The certificate will highlight the student’s global health focus and ability to work across disciplines. The requirements for the certificate differ by discipline, but emphasize discipline-specific and interdisciplinary coursework and/or projects that reinforce skills and promote a broad understanding of global health issues. A certificate entails the completion of the course INTH 301/INTH 401: Fundamentals of Global Health, a minimum of 2-3 additional courses that relate directly to international or health issues, a project related to global health and successful completion of a major or discipline. Students may also substitute coursework for a project with permission of faculty. 

The certificate is the centerpiece of the Framework for Global Health Curricula. This is a group of professors across the Case Western Reserve University campus whose objective is to promote education in global health issues. Nearly every department at CWRU offers multiple educational activities in global health.

Rather than attempt to own all of these activities, the group at CWRU (representing the departments of Anthropology, Bioethics, Biology, Biostatics/Epidemiology, Mathematics, Medicine, Nursing, and Engineering) elected to develop a structure within which each department could develop independently while taking advantage of what the others had to offer. The organizing structure for this became the certificate program rather than a separate degree. This approach enables students to graduate within a recognized discipline and to recognize a student’s focus, time and effort in training. Each student in the certificate program will be grounded in global health by a core course (INTH 301/INTH 401) that will allow them to understand concepts and vocabulary across disciplines and that will facilitate meaningful communication with others based in a different discipline. In addition to the certificate, the Framework for Global Health Curricula has identified and is annotating all global health-related courses at CWRU. It has supported the recent revival of Medical Spanish and new courses and electives in global health. 

Requirements for Certificate in Global Health

Anthropology
Undergraduate
INTH 301Fundamentals of Global Health3
ANTH 215Health, Culture, and Disease: An Introduction to Medical Anthropology3
ANTH 359Introduction to Global Health3
Approved ANTH elective3
Graduate        
INTH 401Fundamentals of Global Health3
ANTH 459Introduction to Global Health3
ANTH 511Seminar in Anthropology and Global Health: Topics3
Approved ANTH elective3
Bioethics         
INTH 401Fundamentals of Global Health3
Two approved BETH electives6
Population and Quantitative Health Sciences        
INTH 401Fundamentals of Global Health3
PQHS 484Global Health Epidemiology1 - 3
One approved PQHS elective3
Complete an epidemiology research project with global perspective (may be substituted with other coursework)
Math/Applied Math specialization
INTH 301Fundamentals of Global Health3
or INTH 401 Fundamentals of Global Health
PQHS 431Statistical Methods I3
or PQHS 490 Epidemiology: Introduction to Theory and Methods
MATH 449Dynamical Models for Biology and Medicine3
Complete a heal related modeling project with global perspective (may be substituted with other course work).
Medicine
INTH 401Fundamentals of Global Health3
Complete two elective courses selected from list of approved electives in the Medicine Department
Complete a global health related project (may be student's thesis or may be substituted with other course work)
Nursing
Undergraduate
INTH 301Fundamentals of Global Health3
NURS 372Health in the Global Community3
NURS 394Global Health Seminar3
Complete a global health related project (may be substituted with other course work)
Graduate
INTH 401Fundamentals of Global Health3
PQHS 484Global Health Epidemiology1 - 3
NURS 394Global Health Seminar3
Complete a global health related project (may be substituted with course work)
 Biology           
INTH 301Fundamentals of Global Health3
or INTH 401 Fundamentals of Global Health
Approved BIOL electives
Engineering
INTH 301Fundamentals of Global Health3
or INTH 401 Fundamentals of Global Health
Approved electives Engineering related courses
Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences           
INTH 401Fundamentals of Global Health3
Approved SASS elective

Departmental Graduate Certificate in Clinical Research

James Spilsbury, PhD, Director
Center for Clinical Investigation
Contact Education Administrator 
216.368.2601

This 11 credit hour program provides the foundational training in clinical research methods to those individuals who are seeking an alternative to the Master of Science in Clinical Research. It is geared towards clinicians and other health-science professions who are interested in conducting clinical research and/or collaborating with other clinician-scientists who are conducting clinical research. This program is also beneficial to health-science students, basic-science researchers, and other health science professionals who would like to enhance their skills in patient-oriented research.

The Clinical Research Certificate program is a four course, 11 credit hour program. Students who successfully complete the required coursework will receive a Certificate in Clinical Research. Coursework includes Introduction to Clinical and Translational Research; Study Design and Epidemiologic Methods; Advanced Statistics: Linear Models; and a course on Research Ethics and Regulation. 

Admissions will be administered by the Clinical Research Scholars program in the Populations and Quantitative Health Science Department. Individuals who want to participate in the program will complete an online application form that includes a brief personal statement describing the reason(s) for seeking clinical research training and a recent CV or resume. Per CWRU School of Graduate Studies requirements, individuals who are not already graduate-degree-seeking students at CWRU must submit to the School of Graduate Studies a completed non-degree application form. Individuals who are not faculty, staff, or employees of CWRU must also submit a transcript or copy of their diploma, documenting completion of a baccalaureate degree. Once accepted into the Certificate program, participants will register for the courses through the Student Information System. The program will have rolling admissions, and students will be able to start taking courses in the summer or fall semester. The coursework for the Certificate will be listed on the official CWRU transcript. However, the Certificate in Clinical Research will be issued by the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, not the University, and will not appear on the official CWRU transcript.

Performance Standards: A grade of B or higher in each graded course will be required for successful completion of the Certificate program. It is the responsibility of the student to complete and submit a Program Progress Checklist after completion of each course.

Required Courses

CRSP 401Introduction to Clinical Research Summer Series3
CRSP 603Research Ethics and Regulation2
NURS 630Advanced Statistics: Linear Models3
or CRSP 431 Statistical Methods I
PQHS 490Epidemiology: Introduction to Theory and Methods3

Additional Requirement: All students are required to be certified (Continuing Research Education Credit, or CREC) in human subjects research before they can complete the program.  

Exit Standards: Students who complete all required coursework and CREC certification will submit a checklist to the Clinical Research Scholars Program notifying the Education Administrator/Manager that all coursework has been completed. This administrator will verify with the registrar’s office that all requirements have been met and will then issue a certificate to the enrollee, documenting completion of the program.

Departmental Graduate Certificate in Health Informatics

The 12 credit hour graduate certificate is granted from the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, and is suited for some students, such as medical fellows, who may only have time to take one course per semester over two years. The 12 credit hour certificate provides the background necessary to complete the competencies from the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA).This certificate will not show on an official Case Western Reserve transcript, and is more flexible. For details on required classes, please contact Lauren Mazzagatti (lxm565@case.edu).