Tapping in to new understandings of the fundamental importance of immunology in combatting a host of diseases, from cancer and diabetes to Crohn’s disease and neurological disorders, a new Master of Medical Sciences (MMSc) in Immunology program is currently seeking applicants for its inaugural class, set to begin in the fall semester of 2014, according to the Harvard Medical School Office for Graduate Education.
The new degree program is based in the Program in Immunology at Harvard Medical School. Its mission is to provide a solid instructional and research-based foundation in both basic and clinical immunology. Courses, taught by faculty members of the Program in Immunology, will begin with the fundamentals and rapidly progress to cutting-edge knowledge.
“Modern medicine is going through a therapeutic revolution driven by a more detailed understanding of the immune system and our growing ability to manipulate it,” said Shiv Pillai, director of the new MMSc program as well as a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a geneticist at the Center for Cancer Research at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Pillai recalled that when he started teaching medical students at Harvard in the mid-1990s one of his rheumatology colleagues would typically bring patients to the class with severe rheumatoid arthritis to demonstrate a deformity called “claw hand.”
“It is very hard to find such patients in Boston any more, because newer therapies based on an improved understanding of the underlying biology of the immune system have changed the face of diseases like rheumatoid arthritis,” Pillai said.
Following a year of course work, students in the program will participate in a year of research in a Harvard Immunology laboratory, culminating in the presentation of a research thesis.
Developing a research question, and designing, executing and evaluating experiments will be a crucial part of the learning process, said Michael Carroll, HMS professor of pediatrics at Boston Children's Hospital’s Immune Disease Institute and head of the PhD graduate program in immunology at HMS. He will also serve as co-director of the MMSc program.
“To have a successful outcome, you need to understand what goes into the experiment,” Carroll says. “If it fails, a student will need to be able to evaluate whether it’s an engineering failure or if their hypothesis was just wrong.”
Between the coursework and the research project, students will be taught how to master skills and concepts that will provide a strong foundation for pursuing a career in basic research or in the pharmaceutical or venture capital industries, Carroll said.
The MMSc program will serve the needs of students who have a strong undergraduate biology background and an interest in medicine who are seeking deeper knowledge of immunology, as well as academic physicians and scientists from a range of specialties who are seeking an in-depth knowledge of immunology to further their professional goals and research expertise, Carroll and Pillai said.
Individuals who have a bachelor’s degree with a strong background in biology and an interest in immunology or biomedical research are invited to apply, as are clinical fellows in almost every specialty of medicine, and research-oriented transplant surgical fellows and others who already possess a medical degree (MD or MBBS), a doctoral degree (PhD or ScD), or a degree in a health professions-related field.
For more information visit the program website.
