Educational and Research Activities

The Clinical Research Scholars Program provides rigorous, high quality, didactic instruction for individuals who are interested in developing a career in clinical investigation. It is designed to complement a closely mentored research experience. The CRSP leadership and the research mentor work as a team to ensure comprehensive education of the Scholar. The curriculum includes courses and seminars specially tailored to meet the expected clinical and scholarly backgrounds of health care professionals, in addition to existing courses offered throughout Case Western Reserve University.

CRSP is a Master's "Plan A" program that requires 36 credit hours including a formal thesis for the award of Master of Science in Clinical Investigation degree. The Scholar's typical program includes a two-year curricular and research experience. Four required courses (12 credit hours) are common to each of the four tracks (see below) in the program. These include Introduction to Clinical Research (CRSP 401),Epidemiology and Study Design (CRSP 402), and Biostatistics for Clinical Research (CRSP 403). CRSP courses 401-403 are offered in the summer and fall semester of year 1. In addition, CRSP scholars are required to complete a course in Research Integrity and Ethics.

Scholars typically differentiate into one of four self-selected areas of concentration or specialty tracks: Clinical Trials; Health Services/Outcomes Research; or Multidisciplinary/Translational Research. Each track has additional required coursework and suggested electives while also retaining flexibility to meet diverse career goals in clinical research. The clinical scientists leading the tracks possess a broad perspective of  the particular research area and explicit knowledge of one or more technical fields within the area. A faculty "CRSP mentor" interacts closely with the Scholar and his/her research mentor to formulate a focused career plan and monitor progress.

Scholars are required to satisfactorily complete a research thesis before the award of the M.S., Clinical Investigation. With the guidance of his/her CRSP and research mentors, the Scholar identifies a thesis committee to help shape and approve the thesis research and oversee its completion, which includes both an oral and written defense. Scholars may receive up to 18 hours of credit for thesis research.

DEFINITION OF CLINICAL RESEARCH

Clinical research is viewed as a continuum that embraces studies involving interaction with patients, diagnostic clinical materials, and patient-oriented data or populations in any of the following categories: translational research; disease detection; diagnosis and natural history of disease; therapeutic interventions including clinical trials; prevention and health promotion; behavioral research; health services or outcomes research; epidemiology; and community-based and managed care-based research. Underlying this diversity is a common set of disciplines with which the modern clinical investigator needs to have working knowledge. CRSP provides this core material in a complementary fashion with the specific technical research tools that Scholars learn during their individual mentored research experience.

MENTORED RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

The CRSP program consists of three parts: formal coursework; a year-long seminar series, and an intensive mentored experience centered on a specific clinical research problem. It is based on the premise that carrying out excellent clinical research requires that the Scholar not only be firmly grounded in the professional knowledge of the discipline to be examined, but also know how to design and perform research, and to apply it to clinical practice. He/she also needs to understand how advances in areas or fields other than his/her own can be effectively incorporated. The Scholar's research mentor will provide detailed knowledge of the discipline to be examined as well as the necessary technical skills required to perform the research projects. The CRSP faculty will provide the conceptual information regarding the tools common to all forms of clinical investigation.

CRSP Scholars are individuals who have completed their clinical training and want to develop a professional career based upon clinical investigation. It is expected that applicants will have identified a research interest and chosen a potential research mentor prior to entering CRSP. If a research mentor has not been identified, the CRSP mentor, assigned at the Scholar's matriculation into the program, will assist the Scholar in identifying an appropriate mentor by the end of the first semester.
 

COURSES REQUIRED ACROSS TRACKS
(ALL IN YEAR 1)

SUMMER

CRSP 401 Introduction to Clinical Research
(3 credit hours)

View Previous Summer Courses/Topics

View ILLUSTRATIVE Calendar for Summer (Updated Semi-Annually*)

FALL

CRSP 402 Epidemiology and Study Design
(3 credit hours)

CRSP 403 Biostatistics for Clinical Research
(3 credit hours)

CRSP 412 Communication in Clinical Research I
(1 credit hour)

View ILLUSTRATIVE Calendar for Fall (Updated Semi-Annually*)

SPRING

SELECTED COURSES PER CRSP FACULTY ADVISER

CRSP 413 Communication in Clinical Research II
(1 credit hour)

View ILLUSTRATIVE Calendar for Spring (Updated Semi-Annually*)

*For the current course offerings/class schedules, please refer to the searchable "Schedule of Classes" at http://www.cwru.edu/provost/registrar/registrar/html and enter "CRSP" in the appropriate field.

RESEARCH TRACKS

Scholars typically have special interests in a particular area of clinical research, both clinically and methodologically, at the time of their matriculation into the CRSP program. CRSP facilitates pursuit of different methodologic interests by tailoring four separate research tracks, each with its own focused coursework and related mentors and guided by seasoned Case research faculty. The four research tracks are listed below, along with links to relevant requirements, faculty, and typical programs of study:

Clinical Trials
(Director: Susan Redline, M.D., M.P.H.)

Health Services Research/Outcomes
(Co-Directors: David C. Aron, M.D., M.S. and Randall D. Cebul, M.D.)

Multidisciplinary/Translational Research
(Co-Directors: Randall D. Cebul, M.D. and Ralph O'Brien, Ph.D.)

CORE CURRICULUM

The curriculum of the CRSP Master's Program (CRSP MS) offers both focus and flexibility. Focus is provided through a core curriculum highlighting clinical research methods, the ethical conducts of research, and a seminar series that introduces the skills necessary for scholarly success. The core curriculum comprises only 13 of the 36 credit hours required to complete the Master's Degree; the remaining credit hours are dedicated to focused electives and mentored research.

Faculty-coordinated specialty Tracks provide focus for elective course work in Health Services and Outcomes Research, Multidisciplinary Clinical Research, and Clinical Trials. Completion of the MS also requires successful defense of a research thesis, both orally and in writing.

ELECTIVE COURSES 

In addition to the Core and track-specific requirements, there are elective courses from which to choose.

These courses are also available to individuals who are not pursuing a degree. A full description of these and the name of the instructor to contact can be found at:

            Elective Course Descriptions

ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS AND ACADEMIC UNITS

The program resides in the Center for Academic Clinical Research in the Division of General Medical Sciences of the School of Medicine. The academic units involved include the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Management, and Dentistry. The faculty is primarily drawn from the Departments of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Biostatistics and Epidemiology from the School of Medicine. CRSP faculty is selected for expertise and commitment to teaching and mentorship in clinical investigation. The program is administered by Dr. Regis McFadden with the assistance of an Executive Committee.