Graduate Course Description Form

Doctoral Requirements


Emerging Infectious Diseases:

Website: http://www.usuhs.mil/eid
 
Program Director:
Dr. Christopher Broder
301-295-3401
cbroder@usuhs.mil
 
Administrative Contact:
Pat Sinclair
301-295-5749
 
This interdisciplinary program has three academic tracks within the field of emerging infectious diseases: microbiology and immunology, pathology, or preventive medicine/parasitology, with primary interest in the pathogenesis, host response, pathology and epidemiology of infectious diseases. Research training emphasizes modern methods in molecular biology, cell biology and interdisciplinary approaches.
 

Molecular and Cell Biology:

Website: http://www.usuhs.mil/mcb
 
Program Director:
Dr. Mary Lou Cutler
301-295-3453
mcutler@usuhs.mil
 
Administrative Contact
NeTina Finley
301-295-6642
 
This interdisciplinary Ph.D. program offers training to address many of the fundamental questions of modern biology ranging from protein-nucleic acid interactions to cytokines, growth factors, and developmental biology. Prospective students should have a background in biological or chemical sciences. Study for the M.S. degree is available to uniformed officers.
 

Neuroscience:

Website: http://www.usuhs.mil/nes/home.html
 
Program Director:
Dr. Regina Armstrong
301-295-3205
rarmstrong@usuhs.mil
 
Administrative Contact
NeTina Finley
301-295-3642
 
This is an interdisciplinary Ph.D. program for students with strong training in the biological, behavioral, and/or physical sciences. Research includes development, regeneration, and plasticity in the nervous system, molecular neurobiology, and adaptive responses of the nervous system to stress, injury, and a changing environment. Integrated instruction in the development, structure, function and pathology of the nervous system and its interaction with the environment is provided.
 

Medical & Clinical Psychology:

Website: http://www.usuhs.mil/mps/
 
Program Directors:
Medical Psychology
Dr. Tracy Sbrocco
301-295-9674
tsbrocco@usuhs.mil
 
Clinical Psychology
Dr. Michael Feuerstein
301-295-9677
mfeuerstein@usuhs.mil
 
Administrative Contact
Corinne Simmons
301-295-9669
 
Doctoral programs and research in medical psychology emphasize the application of psychology to behavioral medicine and to clinical psychology. Study in applied areas on the interface of health, psychology, and behavior, and in basic areas of psychology is offered. An American Psychological Association-accredited clinical psychology Ph.D. program is offered to selected members of the Uniformed Services.
 

Preventive Medicine and Biometrics:

Website: http://www.usuhs.mil/pmb
 
Program Director
Dr. David Cruess
dcruess@usuhs.mil
 
Administrative Contact
Tina Thompson
301-295-1977
 
Graduate programs in public health are offered at the master's and doctoral levels. The Master of Public Health (MPH), Master of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (MTM&H), and the Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) programs are designed for students with at least 3 years of experience in a health-related field. The Doctorate in Public Health program prepares individuals for leadership roles in research, teaching, or policy development in the field of public health. Two Ph.D. programs are offered: Medical Zoology, for students with a master's degree in entomology or parasitology who wish to pursue further study in field-oriented medical parasitology or vector biology; and Environmental Health Sciences, which includes environmental health science research particularly in the area of military-relevant exposure assessment.
 
The mission of the PMB Graduate Programs in Public Health is to enhance and protect the health of members of the Uniformed Services by producing knowledgeable and highly skilled public health professionals and by promoting evidence-based policy making, research, and service initiatives that support the global mission of the Uniformed Services.
 

Physician/Scientist (M.D./Ph.D. Program)

Contact for Information
Office of Medical School Admissions
1-800-772-1743
admissions@usuhs.mil
 
or
 
Office of Graduate Education
1-800-772-1747
graduateprogram@usuhs.mil
 
The M.D./Ph.D. Program at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) was established to train outstanding, dedicated, military officers as independent physician-scientists to carry out both clinical investigations and biomedical research in the basic sciences. The Program combines a rigorous basic science graduate curriculum with outstanding clinical training, and special integrated M.D./Ph.D. activities that qualify students for careers in academic medicine, biomedical and clinical research, as well as clinical practice.
 
The decision to enter this Program is formidable and requires the student to dedicate 7-8 years to complete this challenging combination of medical and scientific training. Entering students must demonstrate a high level of preparedness, outstanding academic credentials, motivation and commitment to the goals of the Program. Matriculants to the M.D./Ph.D. Program must maintain all requirements necessary to be commissioned into the United States military throughout the Ph.D. portion of his/her training.
 
Financial Support and Military Service
 
Students admitted to M.D./Ph.D. Program will receive a graduate stipend from the Graduate Program for the first three years. In most cases, the M.D./Ph.D. student will be commissioned in the United States military as an O-1, at the end of the third year in the program. Commissioning will mark the beginning of the student's military service.
 
Application and Admission Procedures
 
Applicants interested in the M.D./Ph.D. Program will first apply directly to the F. Edward H�bert School of Medicine using the Association of American Medical Colleges Application Services (AMCAS). Applicants from whom a secondary application to the M.D. program is requested will indicate their interest in the M.D./Ph.D. Program and return a completed USU PhD. Program application (GRE scores not required) along with the secondary Medical School application materials. The Admissions Committee for the Medical School Program will review the application and, if deemed acceptable for admission into the M.D. Program, forward the file to the Graduate Education Office. The Admissions Committee of the appropriate Graduate Program will review the graduate application and determine if the applicant is acceptable for the Ph.D. Program. If the applicant is not accepted into a Ph.D. Program, they may continue the medical school application process.
 
The Curriculum
 
The curriculum combines and integrates the requirements for both the M.D. and the Ph.D degrees. The M.D./Ph.D. Program consists of three phases to be completed in seven to eight years. The first or Graduate Program phase will generally last three years. The M.D./Ph.D. student will complete this initial phase as a civilian, under the guidance of the Graduate Program director, thesis advisor, and M.D./Ph.D. Advisory Committee. The student will complete all required courses for the Ph.D. during the first and second years and many of the courses required for the first 2 years of the Medical School curriculum. The qualifying examination for advancement to candidacy will be taken at the end of the second year and a doctoral thesis proposal subsequently submitted to the thesis advisory committee. The third year will be a research year.
 
The transition phase begins after the third year and will last two years. The student will complete all requirements to be commissioned in the United States military and will attend Officer Basic Training. As a uniformed officer, the student will complete the remaining requirements of the first and second years of the Medical School curriculum. The student will also continue to spend significant time on thesis research, finalize the thesis project, and prepare and defend his/her doctoral dissertation.
 
The final phase of the M.D./Ph.D. Program is the clinical phase over the 6-7th years of the Program. The student will begin full participation in the Medical School curriculum and complete all required clinical rotations and clerkships. Subsequent to the completion of all requirements, the student will be awarded both the M.D. and the Ph.D. degrees and commissioned as an active duty officer (O-3) at commencement.
 

Contact Information

e-mail: graduateprogram@usuhs.mil