Introduction to the Department and Program Manual for the PhD in Health Professions Education
The Department for Health Professions Education ("HPEd") has three academic offerings:
- Doctor of Philosophy in Health Professions Education (PhD in Health Professions Education)
- Master of Science in Health Professions Education (MS-HPEd)
- Health Professions Teaching and Learning Certificate (HP-TLC)
By defining PhD-HPEd program-level expectations, this manual enables scholars and faculty to work together in designing and navigating a course of study that fulfills the learning needs of the scholars, meets the program’s requirements, and aligns with the mission and vision of the MGH Institute of Health Professions ("Institute" or "IHP").
Institute-level policies can be found in the Institute’s Catalogue. Policies and procedures contained in this Program Manual supplement, but do not replace, Institute policies.
As a graduate school founded by the Massachusetts General Hospital, the MGH Institute of Health Professions (“Institute”) seeks to meet the needs of health professionals who have responsibility for teaching in academic and clinical settings. Our program fits well with the Institute’s Mission : As an independent, interprofessional graduate school of health sciences, the MGH Institute of Health Professions prepares health professionals and scientists to advance care for a diverse society through leadership in education, clinical practice, research, and community engagement.
The Department of HPEd is a notable contributor to the Institute’s Vision to be preeminent in:
• Educating graduates to be exemplary leaders in health care for a diverse society;
• Advancing innovative models of health professions education to improve health and health care; and
• Generating and translating knowledge to improve health through distinctive programs of research.
To further the Institute’s growth in alignment with its mission, the PhD-HPEd program was established in July 2012 within the Institute’s Center for Interprofessional Studies and Innovation (CIPSI) and became a department in the School of Healthcare Leadership in 2022.
The Department of Health Professions Education provides unique programs of study for clinicians/educators to gain core competencies as educators and as innovative leaders. The interprofessional learning environment and courses are aligned with interprofessional educational principles that are the basis for health professions education reform. The program is enhanced through its academic links to existing local leaders in health professions education including the Center for Medical Simulation, the Harvard Macy Institute at Harvard Medical School, and various education-oriented entities within Mass General Brigham, including Massachusetts General Hospital.
PhD in Health Professions Education Program Outcomes
The Doctor of Philosophy in Health Professions Education prepares students to become health professions educators, scholars, and leaders. The PhD program incorporates and builds on the existing Master of Science in Health Professions Education (MS-HPEd) by providing additional part-time (or full-time) blended learning for the achievement of a research-based PhD degree. Specifically, graduates of our PhD 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 program is designed for students who wish to pursue advanced coursework in a selected concentration of study, with three tracks available:
- Leadership/Administration
- Interprofessional Education
- Simulation
With permissions, students can customize a program of study that blends topics across concentrations and/or includes and Independent Study course. Through advanced coursework in research design, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and critical analysis, students will develop expertise in rigorously evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of various research methods. Under the mentorship of a dissertation committee, students will generate three original research articles of publishable quality that contribute to the body of knowledge in health professions education. A combination of distance synchronous learning technologies and synchronous multi-day seminars create a community of learning with peers, mentors, and faculty.
The PhD Program Executive Committee (EC) oversees the operation of the Program. The EC is chaired by the Program Director and comprised of selected members of the program faculty who have experience in supervising PhD students, a history of external research grand support, and/or a history of peer-reviewed publications (including involvement in the research grant and/or publication process as a reviewer).
The EC oversees and makes decisions about all critical aspects of the program including:
- Developing, reviewing and modifying all necessary program-specific policies and procedures
- Approving faculty for participation of the PhD program
- Assigning academic advisors and approving research mentors for students,
- Approving the membership of the faculty committees for the qualifying examination and dissertation
- Tracking the progress of students throughout the program
The academic policies of the MGH Institute of health Professions ("Institute" or "IHP") are published in the Catalog, which is available online at the Institute's website (www.mghihp.edu). Academic policies of the PhD in Health Professions Education are presented in this manual. Students are required to familiarize themselves with and adhere to the policies and procedures contained in both the Catalog and this manual.
Activities in the Department of Health Professions Education are aligned with the Institute’s Core Values. Hence as members of the MGH Institute community, we collectively commit to reflect the following core values in all we do:
• The highest standards of professional, academic, and scientific excellence, ethical conduct, integrity, and personal responsibility,
• An inclusive and welcoming environment where every person is treated with dignity and respect,
• Mutual trust and collegiality in our relationships with each other and those we serve in health care and the community,
• Productive partnerships among faculty, staff, and students that support learning and work, and foster interprofessional and global collaboration,
• A connected, engaged, and diverse learning community where students develop a passion for lifelong learning and become graduates of choice for employers,
• An environment that embraces and rewards inquiry, ingenuity, innovation, resourcefulness, and continuous learning,
• A rewarding work environment where talented people thrive, and
• Accountability for our work and for prudent, efficient stewardship of our resources.
JEDI Commitment to Equity and Anti-Oppression
A core value of the IHP is our inclusive and welcoming environment where every person is treated with dignity and respect. The world needs exemplary leadership to advance care for a diverse society, a cornerstone of the Institute's mission. At the Institute, we educate the next generation of health professions leaders, capable of delivering the very best care for all, locally and globally.
Our Commitment to Equity and Anti-Oppression
We define equity as seeking to ensure fair treatment, equality of opportunity, and fairness in access to information and resources for all. Addressing inequities includes making changes in professional practice, health policies, healthcare financing, and systems of care. Our aspirational goal is to develop and teach our students skills to better serve marginalized and minoritzed communities to address existing inequities.
These Core Values are congruent with adult learning principles that drive teaching and learning in all of the programs in the Department of Health Professions Education. . As a result, we firmly commit to active and experiential learning, reflective learning, and leadership in increasingly interprofessional educational contexts. Program faculty and administrators act from the premise that adult learners are most successful in environments that invoke student engagement through active and experiential learning, which are central to health professions education across the domains of knowledge, skills, and attitudes/behaviors. Adult learners arrive with varying learning preferences and embrace life-long learning for themselves and for diverse learners. They are self-motivated and take responsibility for their own learning. The faculty provide course facilitation that fosters experiential and reflective learning in a student-centric manner and guide learners to analyze evidence-based educational best practices and to synthesize these into useful tools in the learners’ own contexts.
As a dynamic and responsive learning organization, the Department of Health Professions Education expects faculty and students alike to participate in educational innovation and active inquiry and scholarship to further the field. Students and faculty partner in this educational endeavor and engage in dialogue to provide for the continuous improvement and innovative renewal of the courses, curricula, and the Program.
The Department of Health Professions Education includes courses of study leading to a Doctor of Philosophy in Health Professions Education (PhD-HPEd), Master of Science in Health Professions Education (MS-HPEd) and one certificate program, the HP-TLC (Health Professions Teaching and Learning Certificate). Each program and its academic policies are described in the sections below. Each provides a potential endpoint for a student’s engagement in the Program or may serve as a foundation for continued study.