Welcome and History
In 1998, Einstein created its first terminal Master’s degree program, leading to an M.Sc. in Clinical Research Methods. (BTW, “terminal Master’s” refers to a degree that is an end in itself rather than a way-station toward a Ph.D., not a Master’s degree that will kill you.) Like many research-intensive medical schools, Einstein was interested in building its portfolio of clinical research, which required a well-trained workforce to conduct that work; and there were very few training programs around the country that were equipped to do that.
We were lucky to have two brave groups within our institutional setting: a talented and dedicated group of faculty with the knowledge and skills to teach this material and the willingness to dedicate the effort required to develop a curriculum comprising entirely new courses; and 12 intrepid souls (11 physicians and 1 pharmacist) ready, willing, and able to undertake this demanding work without any way of really knowing exactly what it would entail.
Students and faculty were therefore partners in this endeavor, and learned together. The national landscape changed around us as well, spurred by recommendations made by the NIH Director’s Panel on Clinical Research, which led to new initiatives that would provide more opportunities to support this sort of education (e.g., the K30 grant mechanism), these sorts of investigators (e.g., the K23), and, ultimately, the infrastructure required for this work (e.g., the CTSA program).
In the two decades that have passed, the program has seen many changes — new courses, new curriculum, new leadership — but the mission remains the same: “to identify, educate, and mentor clinician scientists for productive careers in clinical research.” So do the principal features that have made our program work: a group of Scholars who are deeply engaged in answering important research questions; mentors across our institution who guide these Scholars; clinical departments and administrative units that support the Scholars’ time; and a committed and dedicated group of faculty who unselfishly share their time and knowledge. As we celebrate our successes on the occasion of our 25th anniversary, we are grateful to so many across the Montefiore Einstein community who have made this possible.
CRTP Director
CRTP Graduating Classes Through the Years
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As we all know, clinical and translational research is a challenging endeavor, even more so for junior investigators. By donating to the CRTP Alumni fund you will be contributing to the success of the next generation of clinical-translational researchers by providing a flexible pool of funds to support various research activities, such as travel to conferences, publishing costs, pilot studies and anything else that furthers the development of CRTP scholars in training.
