Polish Clinical Scholars Research Training

P-CSRT is an immersive and rigorous training program that will expand skills and knowledge in clinical research methods. Exploring the latest advancements and best practices, participants will collaborate with talented peers to create a deeper and more enduring understanding of the topics. 

By attending P-CSRT, learners will improve their ability to: 

• Design and perform observational and experimental clinical research
• Analyze, interpret and present clinical research data
• Write and revise at least one publication-quality manuscript and prepare an additional contribution that could be developed into a manuscript
• Learn how to design and implement research projects

Focused on team-based learning, learners collaborate, discuss and problem-solve in teams while learning from one another. Throughout the year, participants also will have access to program faculty for guidance and support.

The comprehensive curriculum features interactive webinars and more than 85 recorded online lectures. During the program, participants will also have access to the Harvard Medical School Countway Library digital holdings.

Upon fulfilling the P-CSRT program requirements, participants will receive a Certificate of Completion. Learners can also apply to become an Associate Member of Harvard University Alumni Associations. As a member of the HMS alum community, participants will be invited to attend Harvard Medical School Postgraduate Medical Education alum events.

“Clinical research fuels new insights into disease mechanisms and new therapies enabling improved patient outcomes,” said Ajay K. Singh, senior associate dean for postgraduate medical education at Harvard Medical School. “By making high-impact clinical research skills training and education available  in Poland, we advance the HMS mission to nurture a diverse, inclusive community dedicated to alleviating suffering and improving health and well-being.”

Curriculum

The P-CSRT curriculum is designed to enable participants to expand their knowledge and strengthen their skills in clinical research methods.

Foundation, Elective and Concentration Courses

Each module allows participants to build a broad base of expertness in clinical research and then overlay specialized information in their concentration of either Advanced Epidemiology or Clinical Trials. Both concentrations require participants to take the foundation courses and their choice of elective courses.

Program Modules 

• Introduction
• Biostatistics
• Advanced Biostatistics
• Epidemiology
• Epigenetics and Epigenomics
• Advanced Clinical Trial Topics
• Basic in Translational Sciences
• Writing Papers and Grants
• Leadership and Teamwork

Publication Creation Process

The Publication Creation Process module is designed to help develop skills to craft a compelling clinical or basic science article. These concepts will help you master the writing process, from ideation to final submission, including:

• Communicating science in a strong and impactful way
• Selecting the most effective writing structure and communication approach
• Shaping the right research question
• Understanding editor and reviewer priorities
• Avoiding pitfalls that reduce the likelihood of a paper being accepted
• Writing compelling abstracts and conclusions
• Incorporating reviewer feedback
• Presenting data in tables and figures effectively
• Searching the biomedical literature
• Ensuring publication integrity
• Understanding and navigating journal publishing options

Leadership/Teamwork

The Leadership/Teamwork module emphasizes the importance of leadership in clinical research. Faculty will discuss:

• Concepts on leadership for the purpose of leading research teams
• Sharpening personal leadership, negotiation and communication skills 
• Using the Harvard Business School Case Method to illustrate different leadership scenarios in interactive case discussions 
• Cultivating a network of collaborations to offer support after completion of the P-CSRT program 

Capstone 

The overall aim of the Manuscript Capstone project will be to guide participants in writing one publishable scientific manuscript and develop an outline for a second manuscript. Throughout the process, participants will receive feedback from Harvard Medical School faculty to improve their manuscripts. For the first manuscript, participants will pitch their research ideas in a one-minute elevator pitch, submit an outline, a first and second draft, and a final draft. Participants will receive feedback on their outlines and first and second manuscript drafts. The final draft will be evaluated for a pass/fail score on their Capstone project. To promote continued high-quality scientific productivity, participants will also work on developing an outline for a second manuscript that they can continue after they have graduated from the program. Participants will submit their research ideas in the form of an outline for a second manuscript and will receive feedback on their outlines.   

Preferably, learners who enroll in the program will already have access to a dataset or source ready for analyses and manuscript writing. Alternatively, one of the manuscript options will be a systematic review/meta-analysis, validating a questionnaire within a country/population or a study based on a publicly available dataset. Options for publicly-available datasets will be offered during the first workshop. Generally, to gain access to these datasets, a brief overview of the proposed study design will be submitted by each participant. The P-CSRT program will guide the learners through the manuscript writing process and support them as they gain access to and understand the dataset.
Throughout the Capstone project, participants will learn the different ways to communicate their research ideas, write a publishable manuscript, write a response to their reviewers, and select a journal for publication.  

Assessments (Exams/Quizzes) 

Participants will be required to pass all assessments with a grade of 70% or higher. At the end of each module, participants will need to pass a multiple-choice quiz to receive credit for completing the module. 

A multiple-choice midterm exam will be administered after the first two modules, and a final exam consisting of multiple-choice and open-response questions will be administered a month prior to the final workshop. Assessments will evaluate the content covered in the learning modules (pre-recorded lectures). 

Who Should Apply 

This program is designed for clinicians working in clinical research at the faculty level (or equivalent). Candidates holding Polish academic credentials equivalent to:

• MD
• PhD
• MBBS
• DMD
• DDS
• PharmD
• DNP
• MPH or an equivalent degree 

The review committee will consider candidates with a bachelor’s degree with extensive research experience for admission on a case-by-case basis.

Application Deadlines:

Final Application Deadline: September 7
Program Begins: November 18

Notice of Admittance

Notice of Admittance P-CSRT will acknowledge receipt of all applications and maintain all application information in strict confidence. 

Participants can expect to hear a decision on their application around the second half of September from the date on which all application materials were submitted.