Stanford
The Stanford Center for Clinical and Translational Research and Education

Graduate Students

Graduate Students

Spectrum supports Masters degrees leading to a career in clinical and translational research. Spectrum also encourages scholar training through a series of focused presentations that lead to better understanding of current research issues.


Contact Information

Anandi Krishnan, PhD email


Masters of Medicine

This new master's degree program introduced in 2006 will provide PhD candidates serious exposure to clinical medicine with a view to fostering translational research. The incredible pace of basic science discovery today stands in dramatic contrast to the slow rate of development of useful medical advances. There is urgent need for a more efficient mechanism to generate a larger pool of scientists knowledgeable about human biology and disease.

The goal of the MOM program is to train a new generation of PhD students about human biology and disease, and thus more able to translate new scientific discoveries into useful medical advances.

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Masters in Epidemiology and Clinical Research

The Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Epidemiology and Clinical Research is a research-oriented program that offers instruction and research opportunities leading to the M.S. degree in Epidemiology and Clinical Research. Core faculty and academic teaching staff are administratively housed in the Department of Health Research and Policy; affiliated faculty come from a number of Stanford University departments and other Bay Area centers.

The program is designed to complement graduate training in the medical, behavioral, and social sciences and to prepare physicians and other students for research careers in clinical investigation and epidemiology.

The Program in Epidemiology and Clinical Research has particular strengths in the following areas:

  • cancer epidemiology
  • infectious disease epidemiology
  • neuroepidemiology
  • cardiovascular disease epidemiology
  • musculoskeletal disease epidemiology
  • epidemiologic methods
  • genetic epidemiology
  • reproductive epidemiology and women’s health.
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Masters in Health Services Research

The Master’s Degree program in Health Services Research is a research-oriented program with a focus on economics and statistics, outcomes research, cost-effectiveness, and technology assessment. This program is designed to complement training in the medical and social sciences and to prepare students for research careers in health services or health policy analysis.

The program provides specialized training in selected areas of health care policy, research methodology, and the application of these skills to a specific research problem.

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Masters of Human Genetics and Genetic Counseling

This program trains students to understand the molecular, clinical and psychological implications of differences in the human genome, and to translate these intricacies to health care professionals, laboratory researchers and patients/families.

Graduates of this program will be eligible for board certification by the American Board of Genetic Counseling.

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Financial Support Opportunities

Undergraduate Students

Currently Spectrum does not provide funding for any undergraduate programs. For more information about Financial Aid, visit the Stanford University Financial Aid Website

Graduate Students and Medical Students

Spectrum provides limited funding for graduate students and medical students in these programs:

  • Masters of Medicine (MOM)
  • MedScholars
  • Epidemiology and Clinical Research
  • Health Sciences Research

The student must be accepted into the program before pursuing funding. Contact the program administrator if you are interested in Spectrum funding.

Postdoctoral Fellows and Medical Fellows & Residents

Spectrum provides limited funding for graduate students and medical students in these programs:

  • Epidemiology and Clinical Research
  • Health Sciences Research
  • Advanced Residency Training at Stanford (ARTS)

The student must be accepted into the program before pursuing funding. Contact the program administrator if you are interested in Spectrum funding.

Joint and Dual Degree Opportunities

Stanford supports a range of opportunities for candidates to pursue more than one advanced degree. MD students may expand their academic aspirations to include a Master's or PhD. Doctoral students may apply to the new MS in Medicine program. Students may venture to other Stanford schools to obtain an MBA, JD, or even to Berkeley to get an MPH.



Decisions about second degrees can involve many factors and second degree options must be discussed with both academic and financial aid advisors, as well as with admission officers of the program of interest, to ensure each student can meet academic, admission, and tuition requirements.

In a joint degree program, a single course may count toward multiple degrees. In a dual degree, you may apply credit from a course to only one degree.

Below are some of the degree combinations that may be of interest to the clinical and translational researcher. Click on any of the following headings for more information.

Arrow Icon Bioengineering

Arrow Icon Biomechanical Engineering

Arrow Icon Biomedical Informatics

Arrow Icon Business

Arrow Icon Environment and Resources

Arrow Icon Epidemiology

Arrow Icon Health Services Research

Arrow Icon Medicine

Arrow Icon Public Health

Arrow Icon Public Policy

Arrow Icon Masters Degrees

Arrow Icon Additional Programs

Other Degree-earning opportunities

The Scripps Translational Science Institute (STSI) has created an academic education and training program with the overarching objective of identifying, inspiring and nurturing the next generation of translational scientists. Participating in the program, which is supported by the NIH Clinical and Translational Award (CTSA), are Scripps Health physician-scientists and The Scripps Research Institute and Kellogg School of Science and Technology graduate students in the basic sciences.

  • Masters in Clinical and Translational Investigation. KL2
  • Translational Research for Advanced Doctoral Students. TL1
  • Wireless Health Scholar
  • Summer Undergraduate Research Internship

Biostatistics PhD Training for Personalized Medicine

Personalized medicine will change the way we deliver health care, with the development of medical interventions tailored to an individual’s unique genetic makeup and health history.

Scholars in Stanford’s “Training Program in Biostatistics for Personalized Medicine” will help define the statistical foundation for this emerging field, developing the tools and methodologies for collecting, organizing and interpreting the vast amounts of health data being generated in all corners of our society.

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Responsible Conduct of Research

The Responsible Conduct of Research
(MED 255 and MED 255C)

The Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) course is designed to engage participants in productive discussions about ethical issues that are commonly encountered during their research careers. This course is required for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars who are supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health. Many departments and programs also recommend or require this course as part of their curricula. There are two sections of RCR: MED 255 and MED 255C.

The objectives of both courses are:

To engage participants in case-based discussions of ethical issues commonly encountered in, and raised by, current biomedical research.

To introduce participants to methods of analysis of ethical issues.

To introduce participants to policies and regulations relevant to the conduct of research.

For details and timely enrollment: please visit http://med.stanford.edu/bioethics/education/rcr.html

Stanford Society of Physician Scholars (SSPS)

The Stanford Society of Physician Scholars spans major clinical departments and brings together talented residents and clinical fellows in order to 1) train tomorrow’s medical leaders through scholarship and innovation, 2) create a collaborative community, and 3) foster mentoring opportunities among faculty and residents; and residents and medical students.

Study Design Workshop

The purpose of SDW is to bring together clinical research mentors with a mixed group of trainees in a case-based mutual learning experience whose content is driven and fed by the ongoing clinical research design service. The mentors assemble project details and enlist the help of investigators with new clinical study proposals to create case-based teaching opportunities. Investigators are invited to present their ideas and proposal at the Workshop, followed by a presentation from the mentors.

A weekly two-hour session involves presentation and discussion of the case, presentation of homework assignments, and short lectures on topics related to the case.

Clinical Research Training – Online

The National Institutes of Health, through its Office of Clinical Research Training and Medical Education, offers several courses for online training in the area of clinical research.

Introduction to the Principles and Practice of Clinical Research

This is a course on how to effectively conduct clinical research, formalizing instruction that is normally taught through mentorship. The recommended textbook is Principles and Practice of Clinical Research, second edition (2007), edited by John I. Gallin and Frederick P. Ognibene and published by Academic Press/Elsevier (Lane Library | Amazon).
» Course information and application.

Principles of Clinical Pharmacology

This course consists of a weekly lecture series covering the fundamentals of clinical pharmacology as a translational scientific discipline focused on rational drug development and utilization in therapeutics. The recommended textbook is Principles of Clinical Pharmacology, Second Edition (2007) edited by Arthur J. Atkinson, Jr., et al. and published by Academic Press/Elsevier (Amazon). This complements the material covered in the “Introduction to the Principles and Practice of Clinical Research.”

This course was designed to assist individuals who are preparing to take the certifying examinations of the American Board of Clinical Pharmacology and to meet the needs of researchers with an interest in the clinical pharmacologic aspects of contemporary drug development and utilization.
» Course information and application.

Clinical Research Training Online Course for Principal Investigators

This course addresses one of the essential standards approved by the NIH for performing clinical research in the Intramural Research Program. This material is also covered by the "Introduction to the Principles and Practice of Clinical Research" and "Ethical and Regulatory Aspects of Human Subjects Research" courses.
» Course information and application.

Ethical and Regulatory Aspects of Clinical Research

This course is offered to anyone interested or involved in clinical research involving human subjects.
» Course information and registration.

Next Steps

Geriatrics iSAGE Mini-Fellowship

In an effort to promote successful aging and end-of-life care for multicultural older adults, Stanford recently launched an Internet-based Successful Aging training program, called iSAGE. The mini-fellowship is funded with a grant from the National Institute on Minority Health Disparities, and it’s being offered for free to both health-care professionals and members of the public.

Multi-disciplinary health personnel (doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, chaplains, occupational therapists, massage therapists, physical therapists, marriage and family therapists and other allied health professionals) interested in learning about the scientific principles of successful aging and end of life care for multi-cultural older Americans should apply to become iSAGE mini-fellows.

It is anticipated that the entire mini-fellowship will take 80 hours of focused studying. These 80 hours can be completed over a three month period.

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Stanford Education Planning Initiative - SEPI

Stanford at the Tech – Mentoring Opportunity

This museum-based program partners Stanford’s Department of Genetics and Silicon Valley’s Tech Museum of Innovation. Every year 10-12 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are trained to guide approximately 1,000 high school students and 5,000 community members through four 15-minute hands-on genetics activities (e.g., DNA analysis, protein purification).

For more information about participating in this program, please see Stanford at the Tech in the Stanford Dept of Genetics Outreach Programs

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Find a Mentor via CAP – Community Academic Profiles

The Stanford School of Medicine’s Community Academic Profiles (CAP) is an excellent resource for finding a mentor, research jobs and connecting with colleagues.

Learn about the interests of faculty, researchers and students; explore connections across topics, and discover new opportunities to collaborate.

Be sure to log in with your SUNet ID to view complete information in CAP Network.

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