威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校

Clinical investigation is a field in which teams of health care professionals, biostatisticians and others imagine, design, and conduct clinical research, and then take discoveries to human or animal patient populations in the health care system or in communities.

The graduate program in clinical investigation (GPCI) offers a 30-credit M.S. degree. The focus of GPCI is to provide physicians, clinical scientists, and other health care professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to conduct and translate basic science discoveries into clinical applications through patient (human or animal)–oriented research. The M.S. program trains students to help move research toward solutions for patient populations more quickly.

The curriculum draws from existing courses in the partner schools, and includes new courses developed exclusively for the GPCI. Coursework provides a solid foundation in research methods and analysis, including biostatistics, study design, and ethical conduct. Through electives and a research requirement, students pursue their own areas of specialization in patient-oriented clinical research.

Representatives from the Schools of Medicine and Public Health, Nursing, Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine, and the College of Engineering met as a task force in 2006 to design the program. They are joined by partner Marshfield Clinic as members of the faculty executive committee that guides the program.

Learning outcomes

• Lead to translation of research among the laboratory, clinic and population through technological or systems innovations, including but not limited to drug therapies, medical devices, biological materials, clinical processes, and/or behavioral interventions.
• Are appropriately patient-oriented
• Draw on the expertise of collaborators in multiple disciplines.
• Integrate clinical and translational science across multiple departments, schools and colleges, clinical and research institutes, and healthcare delivery organizations.
• Determine when it is appropriate to use a patient-oriented research design to investigate a translational clinical problem.
• Understand the principles of multidisciplinary patient-oriented clinical research protocols.
• Analyze, interpret and report research findings of clinical studies through peer-reviewed scientific channels and to a lay audience.
• Apply and foster professional, ethical and responsible conduct of clinical research.