PhD in Health Professions Education
Interested in a PhD for Simulation in Health Professions Education?
Learn about the program here
Interested in a PhD for Leadership in Health Professions Education?
Learn about the program here
Lead change and innovation in health professions education
Collaborate with colleagues around the globe
Customize your program of research
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:
- Leadership [1]
- Interprofessional Education [2]
- Simulation [3]
- Customized concentration
The IHP Advantage
Arrow image.svg [4]
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.
MSSLP.svg [6]
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) [7] 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
Required Courses: 60 credits
Electives: 6 credits
Curriculum Plan (66 credits)
Comparable prior coursework (up to 12 credits) may be eligible to apply toward degree requirements.
Download the two-page guide to Health Professions Education Programs. [8]
HPEd PhD Curriculum [10]
Costs & Funding
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.
Learn from Experts. Meet Our Faculty.
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 [17] and Peter Cahn [19] discuss popular topics in faculty development and offer 3 tips for each episode.
View all episodes [20].
Podcast: Interprofessional Innovations in Health Professions Education
The Interprofessional Innovations in Health Professions Education podcasts are recorded monthly, and hosted by Dr. Janice Palaganas [17]. 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
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 [21]
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 [22].
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 [23].
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 [24].
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 [25]
