Program in Biomedical Informatics
 |
 |
 |
Degree Programs | Training support | Application Process | Glossary
3
Application
Process
This section describes the application process for (1) admission to HST degree programs and (2) training fellowship positions. For other degree programs at MIT EECS and HSPH, please see their respective admission requirements.
3.1
HST Degree
programs
We currently offer a Masters in Biomedical Informatics and a Ph.D. in Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics (BIG) in the Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST) of Harvard and MIT (see degree programs). Admission to either of these programs is highly competitive.
1. The Masters in BMI requires that you already have an advanced health professional degree (MD, RN, DDS, DVD, or equivalent), or that you be a concurrently enrolled as an HST medical student. Other details of the program can be found at: http://hst.mit.edu/programs/mip.html and http://www.medg.lcs.mit.edu/training/Masters.html. Many of the postdoctoral fellows on the NLM BMI training program are enrolled as students in this degree program; the training grant provides stipend and tuition support for those students.
2. For the HST PhD degree in BIG, you must be accepted by both the HST Medical Engineering and Medical Physics (MEMP) Doctoral Program and another MIT or Harvard department (e.g. computer science or biology). BIG is a specialized track within MEMP. A training program funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute that is run by HST provides stipend and tuition support for selected students. BIG is primarily designed for quantitatively trained and talented students who are interested in developing a research career in bioinformatics and genomics in academia or commerce.
3.1.1 Application prerequisites and procedures
To be competitive for admission to either of the above programs, candidates should have:
(1) serious interest in the area of biomedical informatics, documented by at least one (and preferably two) of the following:
ง formal coursework in computer science or decision analysis
ง experience in the field and publications resulting from this experience (abstracts, proceedings of meetings, previous "internships" at informatics labs, implemented systems, etc.)
(2) letters of reference from collaborators and mentors with some degree of informatics experience who can assess the applicant's potential in this field
Financial support in the form of stipends and tuition support may be available to certain qualified candidates through the training programs identified above.
Postdoctoral fellowships in BMI can be directly applied for (see application procedures). Must be US citizen or permanent resident to be eligible. Other individuals who are not US citizens or permanent residents may be considered for fellowship status under special circumstances, but must have their own external financial support to be considered. In some cases, assistantships may be available.
Candidates for predoctoral fellowships for BMI or for BIG are automatically considered from the pool of those accepted to the appropriate degree programs who are eligible based on the above criteria, and are not separately applied for.
For individuals who are not US citizens or permanent residents, the applicant must be able to prove that he/she has sufficient financial support.
GRE is required, as well as transcripts and documentation of academic performance are required. For physicians with prior MCAT, this can be substituted for the GRE.
TOEFL: Minimum score required = 577. TOEFL waiver possible under certain conditions. All TOEFL scores must be sent to the MIT Graduate Admissions Office. The MIT reporting code is 3514.
MIT application forms can be obtained from the MIT Graduate Admissions Office, Room 3-103 (G) MIT 77 Mass. Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139. Tel: (617)253-4897, FAX (617) 258-8304.
MIT maintains a webpage for graduate applications with links for applying online, downloading a PDF application, and requesting a paper version through the mail:
http://web.mit.edu/Admissions/www/graduate/applications/index.html.
To obtain a downloadable application, access this main page, click "download the application" and then scroll down to the HST offerings. You will see a link to Biomedical Informatics or Medical Informatics in the HST section.
January 15 is the admissions deadline for the Fall semester. The deadline is October 1 for the following Spring semester for the Master's Program.
Normally acceptance notification letters are sent out by April 1 for September matriculation.
Please note that alternative degree options are available, depending on your specific areas of interest. A PhD degree in Computer Science with a focus on medical computing is offered by MIT's EECS Department. A PhD in Health Decision Sciences is offered through the Harvard School of Public Health's Department of Health Policy and Management. A HSPH MPH degree may be appropriate for some students.
3.2
Research training
programs
Research training fellowship positions are offered through the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST), with participation of a number of active research groups at Harvard, MIT, and at affiliated hospitals. Both predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships are offered.
3.2.1 Predoctoral training
Predoctoral fellows in Biomedical Informatics (BMI) are selected from accepted candidates in two degree programs: the PhD CS program in the MIT EECS Department, for focus in Medical Computer Science under the direction of Prof. Peter Szolovits: or the PhD programs in Health Decision Science through HSPH, under the direction of Prof. Milton Weinstein.
Fellows in Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics (BIG) are selected from among accepted candidates in the HST MEMP degree program and awarded from the pool of students to that program.
3.2.2 Postdoctoral Research Training in Biomedical
Informatics
Postdoctoral positions in Biomedical Informatics (BMI) can be either research-only, or may include pursuit of a masters or doctoral degree. A fellow accepted to a research position receives a stipend, as well as tuition support for courses that may be taken as a special student. Such research fellows may subsequently apply to be accepted by one of the applicable degree programs; if accepted, the fellows tuition support for the degree is also provided. In many cases, approved courses previously taken as a special student can be applied toward satisfaction of the degree requirements.
Direct application must be made for postdoctoral positions. Postdoctoral fellows are based in participating laboratories identified below. They have fellowship appointments in HST.
BMI stipends are available for US citizens and permanent residents through generous support by the National Library of Medicine. Tuition and fees, health insurance, and travel expenses are provided for supported fellows. Other individuals who are not US citizens or permanent residents may be considered for fellowship status under special circumstances, but must have their own external financial support to be considered. In some cases, assistantships may be available.
Descriptions of the participating laboratories may be found by following the links below to their respective home pages. You are also encouraged to contact the laboratory directors for more detailed information about their specific parts of the combined program.
Fellows are encouraged to take active responsibility for a project in the associated lab, and to publish and present the work at national meetings. Postdoctoral fellowships are typically for 2-3 years.
Work on the MS degree, when supported by a BMI postdoctoral fellowship, normally occurs over a two-year period, with no more than half-time per semester devoted to course work, and the remainder involving research in the associated laboratory. This research typically forms the basis for the thesis required for the MS degree.
Research fellows not in degree programs may take advantage of the wide range of courses available at Harvard and MIT.
We also conduct an active program of seminars, journal clubs, guest lectures, and interactions among the training sites. These opportunities allow trainees to learn about the variety of work occurring at the participating laboratories, at a number of collaborating laboratories in the affiliated institutions, as well as in the larger field of BMI. A number of associated faculty participate in the program through the research activities of each of the training sites. In addition to research programs already in place at the participating laboratories, we encourage the fellows to develop projects that may involve unique collaborative relationships.
Postdoctoral applicants will usually have at least one year and preferably three years of
MD fellows may devote up to one day per week to outside clinical work.
To apply for a postdoctoral fellowship, please send your CV, academic transcripts, a brief (one page) statement of goals for BMI training and future career in this area, and details of your prior computer experiences. Also have 3 letters of recommendation sent to the attention of the Program Director, Research Training in Biomedical Informatics, as noted below. The above may be sent by email and/or fax although originals of transcripts and letters of recommendation should also be mailed. An interview/visit may be requested, and in some cases the GRE or other examination may be requested.
For more information, contact the training program office:
Training Program in Biomedical Informatics
ATTN: Robert A. Greenes, MD, PhD
Decision Systems Group, Brigham and Women's Hospital
75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115
(617) 732-6281 FAX: (617) 732-6317
email: admissions@dsg.harvard.edu
3.2.3 Participating Biomedical Informatics Laboratories
The following groups participate in the BMI Training Program, which includes both predoctoral and postdoctoral training support opportunities. See description of application procedures.