Models of Disease (MoD) Boot Camp

Models of Disease (MoD) Boot Camp

For more than a decade, clinical fellows who are completing their clinical training at the HMS-affiliated hospitals have enrolled in the Models of Disease Boot Camp as they begin their basic/translational postdoctoral research fellowships.  This popular course is offered annually in July over a three-week period (five mornings/week), and consists of a variety of  group activities that include interactive lectures presented by HMS faculty, topical updates in biomedical science, and panel discussions on topics ranging from academic-industry interactions to work-life balance. Fellows enrolled in the MoD Boot Camp also have sessions with department chairs to discuss job-negotiating strategies and grant-writing skills, and take part in career workshops with senior research fellows and junior faculty across Harvard. The course sessions will be held in person at HMS.

After each daily class session (8:30am – 1:00pm), the MoD Boot Campers are free to spend their afternoons and evenings getting research projects underway in the labs of their research mentors.

Successful MoD applicants will have had substantive prior basic research experience and plan to continue basic or translational projects in their research fellowship. Applications will be reviewed as they are submitted. Space is limited, and once the course is filled with qualified applicants, enrollment will be closed. Interested students are advised to submit their applications as soon as possible.

The deadline for applications is Friday, May 19, 2023. 5:00pm ET, but we anticipate that the course will be filled well before then.

Over the years, Models of Disease Boot Camp students have come to our class from all of the major Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals and from many different clinical subspecialty training programs. Graduates of the Boot Camp have shared enthusiastic reviews about their experiences, and many have gone on to faculty positions at Harvard and across the country. If you would like a list of Models of Disease Boot Camp graduates in your field or at your institution, please contact the course coordinator Katie Rumizen for additional information.  The course director is Thomas Michel, MD, PhD, who can be reached at thomas_michel@hms.harvard.edu.

Session dates

Monday, July 10, 2023 – Friday, July 28, 2023

Time commitment

Five weekday mornings per week for three weeks.

Audience

Scientific dialog, topical updates, career planning, faculty networking, and community building for clinical trainees beginning their basic/translational postdoctoral research fellowships.

Eligibility

Current Harvard teaching hospital-based clinical trainees with substantive prior basic/translational research experience who plan to continue basic or translational projects in their postdoctoral research fellowships in 2023.

Fee

Tuition-free. The course is supported by Harvard Catalyst and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.