Become a health professions educator, scholar, and leader
The PhD in Health Professions Education (HPEd) program prepares clinicians and other health professionals without a research degree to make contributions to the scholarship of teaching and learning. The program meets the faculty requirement for doctoral-level expertise in numerous health professions. Specifically, graduates will be able to:
Design health professions curricula and evaluate program outcomes
Lead change and innovation in health professions education
Obtain intramural and extramural support for research projects
Engage in peer-reviewed scholarship in an area of expertise
Contribute to interprofessional education and practice leading to improved health outcomes
The PhD in Health Professions Education is approved by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education and The New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).
Students pursuing the PhD in HPEd can choose from the following concentration tracks:
You will work with an advisor and dissertation committee to conduct cutting-edge research on a topic of your choice. You will graduate having produced three publication-quality pieces of scholarship.
Blended instruction and research balances the flexibility of distance learning with onsite instruction to develop your scholarship. We will help you plan your research around your work schedule and integrate it into your clinical setting.
Take the next step to becoming a leading expert in your field. Master literature pertaining to your chosen topic, identify knowledge gaps, and conduct research to fill them. Achieve synergies based on our partnerships with the Center for Medical Simulation and the Harvard Macy Institute.
PhD Program Curriculum
The PhD program incorporates and builds on the Institute's Master of Science in Health Professions Education (MS-HPEd) by providing additional part-time (or full-time) blended learning with outcomes commensurate with a research-based PhD. Candidates from similar MS-HPEd programs are welcome to apply.
Applicants can earn their PhD through one of two paths:
Post MS-HPEd PhD: 33 credits
Combined MS-HPEd and PhD: 66 credits
All required courses in the MS-HPEd degree: 33 credits (PhD students who have already completed this or a comparable master's degree can waive this portion of the requirements)
Core required doctoral courses in educational sciences, research methods, and implementation science: 18 credits
Onsite seminars: 2 credits
Dissertation seminar and mentored research spread over several semesters (with built-in gaps to enable IRB reviews and data collection): 7 credits
To learn more about costs, click the "Tuition and Fees" button below and refer to the Center for Interprofessional Studies and Innovation section of the main tuition and fees page.
Roger A. Edwards, ScD, Chair, Health Professions Education, Professor
"Teaching motivated individuals who love what they do is inspiring. When that motivation is present in both students and faculty colleagues it is especially enriching, and that is the case with the HPEd program."
Janice C. Palaganas, PhD, RN, NP, FSSH, ANEF, FAAN, Associate Director of the PhD Program
"I'm passionate about using health care simulation as a platform for interprofessional education (IPE), and am currently developing the world’s first interprofessional virtual campus as the principal investigator of a board grant awarded by the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation."
Podcast: What's Your Delta? MGH Institute's 3 Tips for Faculty Development
This podcast is brought to you by the Master of Science and PhD in Health Professions Education Programs at MGH Institute of Health Professions. Thought leaders and IHP employees Drs. Janice Palaganas and Peter Cahn discuss popular topics in faculty development and offer 3 tips for each episode.
Podcast: Interprofessional Innovations in Health Professions Education
The Interprofessional Innovations in Health Professions Education podcasts are recorded monthly, and hosted by Dr. Janice Palaganas. These sessions highlight student research from both the MS and PhD programs in Health Professions Education at The IHP. Guests are students working in their degrees at The IHP.
Additional Resources
Check out a podcast episode by some of our MS-HPEd students focusing on educational technology adaptations during the COVID-19 pandemic in three groups of learners: (1) classroom (2) clinical workplace, and (3) procedures, along with wellness tips for teachers and learners.
Recent Student Publications:
Dadario, N., Bellido, S., Restivo, A., Kulkarni, M., Singh, M., Yoon, A., . . . Jafri, F. (2021). Using a Logic Model to Enable and Evaluate Long-Term Outcomes of a Mass Casualty Training Program: A Single Center Case Study. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2021.66
Jafri, F. N., et al. (2020). A Microdebriefing Crisis Resource Management Program for Simulated Pediatric Resuscitation in a Community Hospital: A Feasibility Study. Simulation in Healthcare: Journal of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. https://doi.org/10.1097/sih.0000000000000480.
Klein, R., et al. (2020). Association of gender with learner assessment in graduate medical education. JAMA network open, 3(7), e2010888-e2010888. http://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.10888.
Jafri F. N., et al. (2021). “The Addition of High-Technology Into the Stop the Bleed Program Among School Personnel Improves Short-Term Skill Application, Not Long-Term Retention.” Simulation in Healthcare: Journal of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. 16 Feb. https://doi.org/10.1097/sih.0000000000000546.
Polansky, M. N., et al. (2021). Exploring Residents' Perceptions of PA and NP Roles and Barriers to Collaboration. Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, 34(5), 42–43, 48-50. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.jaa.0000742972.71042.72
