Welcome from the Program Director
Welcome to Case Western Reserve University’s (CWRU) Master of Science in Clinical Research (aka the Clinical Research Scholars Program, or CRSP). CRSP was created in 2001 in response to the National Institutes of Health’s request to enhance training in clinical research skills.
Our program embraces the National Institute of Health’s definition of clinical research:
- Patient-oriented research, meaning research conducted with human participants (or on material of human origin) for which an investigator directly interacts with human participants: e.g., mechanisms of human disease, therapeutic interventions, clinical trials, development of new technologies.
- Epidemiologic and behavioral studies.
- Outcomes research and health services research.
Our educational goal is to provide high quality, rigorous training for individuals seeking to develop a career in clinical research and who strive for leadership roles in academia, government, and private industry. In addition to the specific skills in research design and statistical science to conduct clinical research, our program also provides its students with training in professional skills critical to being a successful clinical researcher: grant writing, communicating your science through oral presentations and working with the mass media, leadership of clinical research teams, team science. Our program culminates with an individually tailored, mentored research experience (formal thesis or capstone project)
Since the Master’s in Clinical Research program’s start, we have added other programs to support clinical research. In 2013, the Graduate Certificate in Clinical Research was initiated, followed by the PhD in Clinical Translational Science in 2015. As originally designed, CRSP targeted persons with advanced clinical and graduate degrees. However, in 2019, the Capstone pathway was added to our master’s program for individuals with a bachelor’s degree interested in receiving training in clinical research methodologies. Whether certificate, masters, or doctorate, all of these programs meet the ever-growing need for well-trained clinical investigators and other members of the clinical research team.
With over 5400 undergraduate and 6500 graduate students, CWRU remains a top university in Medicine, Arts & Sciences, Nursing, Dental Medicine, Law, Engineering, Applied Social Sciences, and Management. We provide our students with the opportunity to learn in multiple clinical settings at some of the best teaching hospitals in the region and country, including the Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth Medical Center, University Hospitals of Cleveland, and the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center. Located in Cleveland, our students also enjoy diverse offerings in theater, arts and culture, sports, culinary arts, a number of parks, and one great lake to enjoy life outside the university. I look forward to welcoming you to Clinical Research at CWRU!
Jim Spilsbury, PhD, MPH