HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL - 2014 Admissions Bulletin
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HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL
2014 Admissions Bulletin
To Our Applicants
Harvard Medical School is dedicated to continuing a long-standing tradition of training leaders in
every conceivable aspect of medicine today, and innovators who will shape
the practice of medicine in the future. Each incoming class is selected
to bring together a diverse and talented group of students possessing
complementary intellectual passions, with the expectation that they will
learn from each other as well as learning from our faculty. Whether your
interest evolves into biomedical engineering, genomics, global health,
health policy, primary care, or any other emerging field of interest, you
will find a uniquely fertile and supportive environment at Harvard. Here,
you will study with dedicated and renowned mentors as you explore the
foundational sciences of medicine and learn the art of translating medical
knowledge into the best possible care for patients.
We are delighted that you are interested
in learning more about Harvard Medical
School and look forward to receiving
your completed application.
Sincerely yours,
Robert J. Mayer, M.D.
Faculty Associate Dean for Admissions
Professor of Medicine
What It Means to Be a Harvard Doctor
Innovating to Be Prepared 2
Harvard doctors are prepared to function and excel in
a rapidly changing world of medicine
Educating to Be Compassionate 8
Harvard doctors maintain lifelong commitments to
the ideals of the medical profession
Discovering to Be Explorers 14
Harvard doctors conduct research that changes
the nature of medicine
Leading to Be Visionary 20
Harvard doctors impact the world
What It M to Be Prepared
W
hat does it mean to be a Harvard doctor? A Harvard Medical School (HMS)
education will prepare you to excel in the rapidly changing landscape of
modern medicine. It will do so through a curriculum grounded in the study
Harvard Medical School’s
Department of Systems of leading biomedical science and clinical experience, a rich diversity of
Biology (DSB) is one of the
first department-level
degree program choices, and a history of innovation that continues to set the
systems biology programs
in the nation.
standard for excellence in medical education in the United States and around
the world. Within these halls, you will experience the medical profession in
all its dimensions. At HMS, you can pursue your individual interests, find
your calling, and discover how you can change the fabric of medicine.
2
HMS Departments
Ambulatory Care
The HMS Integrated the clinical realm, and are joined by their and Prevention
Curriculum HST classmates in years three and four. Biological Chemistry and
Molecular Pharmacology
Throughout its history, Harvard Medical Cell Biology
School has influenced the design of In year three, individual clerkships in the
Genetics
medical school education. From Harvard major disciplines of medicine (medicine, Health Care Policy
University President Charles Eliot’s surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, Microbiology and
Molecular Genetics
19th century reform — developing the psychiatry, neurology, radiology) unify in a
Neurobiology
concept of a medical school as we know “Principal Clinical Experience,” which provides
Pathology
it today — to the innovative Health opportunities for longitudinal experiences Stem Cell &
with patients and faculty members as well Regenerative Biology
Sciences and Technology Program in 1971
Social Medicine
and the ground-breaking New Pathway as an interdisciplinary curriculum that
Systems Biology
curriculum of the 1980s, HMS has been in integrates the scientific and clinical aspects
Hospital-based clinical
a continual process of growth and change. of important diseases. Throughout the departments in Anaesthesia,
four years of medical school, students work Dermatology, Medicine,
Neurology, Obstetrics/
In 2006, HMS implemented enhancements one-on-one with faculty members. In this
Gynecology/Reproductive
to its curriculum specifically designed to vein, a capstone experience for our students Biology, Ophthalmology,
is a several year, faculty mentored, in-depth Orthopedic Surgery,
meet the needs of 21st century medicine.
Otology/Laryngology,
The HMS Integrated Curriculum builds on scholarly experience culminating in a written Pathology, Pediatrics,
the strengths of both the New Pathway and work product. Such exploration of a topic Physical Medicine/
Rehabilitation, Psychiatry,
the Health Sciences and Technology (HST) in-depth allows students to participate with
Radiology, Radiation
Means
curricula by further integrating the clinical faculty in the excitement of discovery and Oncology, and Surgery
and basic sciences across the curriculum, scholarship. In the final year, students pursue
HMS Program
developing new models for clinical education, special concentrations and participate in
in Medical
and mentoring the engagement of students advanced elective clerkships. Students elect Education
through in-depth scholarly experiences. clerkships from our 17 affiliated institutions, M.D. Programs & Curricula
and may participate in exchange clerkships New Pathway M.D.
Health Sciences &
The curriculum begins in mid-August for all with other institutions both domestic Technology (HST) M.D.
students with Introduction to the Profession, and international. The HMS Integrated Five-Year Option
an intensive two-week course designed to Curriculum prepares graduates to function M.D.-Ph.D. Program
introduce students to the profession, the in an increasingly multicultural landscape Other Joint
Degree Programs
practice of medicine, and the experiences that undergoing radical scientific, social, economic, M.D./M.B.A.
lie before them as they embark on the process and technological transformation. HMS M.D./Master of Public Health
of becoming physicians. Students spend years seeks to ready students for this new world by M.D./Master of Public Policy
one and two focused on the basic biological providing them with the ideal educational Other Degree Programs
on HMS campus
and population sciences that underlie clinical environment and carefully integrated
Division of Medical
medicine. In April of year two, New Pathway global experience to foster their growth as Sciences Ph.D.
Harvard School of
students transition from the classroom to clinicians, scholars, discoverers, and leaders. Dental Medicine
Doctor of Dental Medicine
Harvard School of
HMS Community Snapshot: 2012–2013 Public Health
Doctor of Public Health
Master of Science
709 Medical
Students
9,376 Master of Public Health
Doctor of Science
150 Dental
Students
For more information on
582 Graduate 582 courses, faculty, and degree
Students 709 options, please visit:
9,376 Residents,
Interns, and
Postdoctoral http: //hms.harvard.edu/departments/admissions
150
Fellows
3
Innovating
Dr. Jeffrey S. Flier
Dean of the Faculty
of Medicine
Jeffrey S. Flier, Harvard’s George
C. Reisman Professor of Medicine,
became the 21st Dean of the
Faculty of Medicine at Harvard
Many Paths: A Diverse and quantitative curriculum, you’ll focus
University in 2007. Dean Flier
explains his vision for HMS in
Medical Program on biological, chemical, physical, and
terms of graduating cutting-edge How to employ new information and engineering sciences and collaborate
researchers and clinicians:
“Investigation and generation of technology, think on your feet, draw on with Harvard and MIT faculty on
new knowledge are, alongside
clinical medicine, a core element
a solid base of scientific knowledge, care substantive, groundbreaking research.
of the HMS ethos.” for patients, continue learning — each You can take courses at both Harvard
Indeed, Dean Flier is familiar
path of the HMS medical program Medical School and MIT, and will be
with scientific breakthroughs. A
leading researcher in molecular offers an education in these skills. part of a select group — only 30 students
causes of diabetes and obesity,
Flier’s discoveries in leptin per year are admitted into HST.
expression have fundamentally
shaped the discourse of the field, New Pathway M.D. Program: A tutorial
with applications in industry.
environment defines the New Pathway Clinical Education: An extraordinary
“I have a track record of productive
collaboration with industry in the Curriculum. For the first three and one- variety of courses are offered at HMS and
conduct of metabolic research,”
Dean Flier explains, “and I’m very half semesters you’ll learn in small group its affiliated hospitals. Core clerkships
much interested in maximizing
discussions analyzing patient cases to are offered in the principal clinical
the translation of basic discoveries
into clinical impact.” Flier’s honors master fundamental medical concepts. specialties. All students complete
include a five-year $500,000
Unrestricted Metabolic Research Classmates become colleagues and teach clerkships in medicine, surgery, and
Grant by Bristol-Myers Squibb.
each other. The New Pathway curriculum women’s and children’s health (pediatrics
Prior to becoming Dean, Dr. Flier
spent 29 years on the Harvard encourages taking responsibility for your and obstetrics/gynecology), and elective
faculty at Beth Israel Hospital and
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical own learning — your time in the library experiences can include more specialized
Center, where he served as Chief
of the Diabetes Unit, Chief of the searching for answers is as important as clerkships such as hematology, emergency
Endocrine Division, and Chief your time studying biomedical sciences care, and dermatology; advanced
Academic Officer, responsible for
research and academic programs. and medical procedures through pathophysiology courses in areas such
He has authored over 200
scholarly papers and reviews and the laboratories, conferences, and as oncology and infectious diseases;
has held many editorial positions,
including the Editorial Boards of lectures that augment your tutorials. and laboratory and field research.
leading endocrinology journals
and the American Journal of
Medicine. He is currently on the M.D.-Ph.D. Program: The overall mission
Health Sciences and Technology (HST)
Board of Consulting Editors of
Science Magazine. M.D. Program: Combining the extensive of the M.D.-Ph.D. program at Harvard
Regarding his vision for HMS, resources of Harvard Medical School and Medical School is to train its students to
Dean Flier explains that “expertise
as physicians is our bedrock goal. Massachusetts Institute of Technology lead the next generation of physician-
While some students may have
outstanding research careers, others (MIT), the Health Sciences and Technology scientists, with representation across a
will have outstanding clinical
careers, and yet others will blend (HST) M.D. Program will prepare you variety of clinical disciplines and research
research and clinical activity.” The
HMS program, Flier explains, “is
for interdisciplinary research careers in areas from basic and translational sciences
flexible enough to prepare all of academic medicine. Through a rigorous bioengineering to the social sciences.
our students to excel.”
4
Innovating
Zachary Scott Morris
A former Goldwater Scholar, Zachary
Morris graduated from Ripon College with
degrees in Biology and Chemistry. After
Zach was accepted into the M.D.-Ph.D.
program at HMS, he deferred his enrollment
to spend two years at Oxford University as
a Rhodes Scholar, earning Master’s degrees
in Medical Anthropology and the History of
Science, Medicine, and Technology.
But medical school had been Zachary’s
goal since childhood. “With a fair bit
of family history in cancer,” he said, “I
became interested in trying to develop cures
rather than applying medical knowledge.”
During his two undergraduate research
fellowships at Argonne National
Laboratory, Zachary examined structure-
function relationships in photosynthetic
bacterial membrane proteins. Today,
his research focuses on the regulation
of certain growth factor receptors at the
cell membrane by another protein, the
product of the NF2 tumor suppressor
gene. Under the direction of Dr. Andrea
I. McClatchey, Department of Pathology,
Zachary is examining how mutation of
the human NF2 tumor suppressor gives
rise to the familial cancer syndrome,
Neurofibromatosis type 2, which features
the development of nervous system tumors
and often leads to hearing loss.
“It was amazing to come to Harvard and
interact with professors whose books I’d
been reading at Oxford,” Zach observes.
“HMS offers phenomenal breadth of
research expertise, with faculty at the
cutting edge in virtually every area of
science. The research community is huge,
with more than 5,000 labs to choose from,”
he explains. “It’s sometimes difficult to
grasp how much is going on around here.”
HMS’s New Pathway curriculum offers
morning lectures followed by tutorial
learning. “Our tutorial system is similar to
Oxford’s,” Zachary explains. “It’s a case-
based, interactive curriculum in a highly
collaborative and interactive environment.
Students freely email notes and study
guides — so everyone reaches a very high
level of medical knowledge.”
5
Innovating
Dr. Nancy Oriol
Associate Professor of Anesthesia,
Associate Dean for Student Affairs,
Director of Faculty Development
for the Department of Anesthesia
and Critical Care at Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center
“What is truly unique about
Harvard is the incredible diversity
of experiences and perspectives
our students bring to the world of
medicine. It’s not unusual to find
bankers, Olympic athletes, published
authors, Peace Corp volunteers,
Jesuit priests, and watercolor artists,
all in the same class,” says Dr. Nancy
Oriol. “You find yourself part of an
astonishingly broad community
of talent and passion.”
Dr. Oriol is a renowned anesthesiologist
who has been part of the HMS faculty
for more than twenty-five years.
She is an innovator whose medical
breakthroughs range from inventing
the “walking epidural” — a type of
labor pain relief that does not interfere
with the progress of labor — to creating
an ingenious device for newborn
resuscitation. Deeply committed to
community service, she is the founder
of The Family Van — a mobile health
program in Boston that has served as
a model for mobile health outreach
in cities across the nation.
But what she is most passionate
about is teaching. “We believe that
medicine is a language and the only
way to become fluent in it is by using
it — by sharing your knowledge with
those around you,” says this recipient
of numerous HMS teaching awards.
“Collaboration, teamwork, and group
discussions allow our students to
understand different worldviews.
It teaches them to communicate
with — and respect — difference,
and to become more compassionate.
Those are the qualities that
distinguish great physicians.” http://hms.harvard.edu/
content/admissions
6
HMS tutorials help
students become
self-directed,
lifelong learners.
The Academy
Teaching and Learning Honors and Awards
A body committed to
on an Unsurpassed Scale Gary Ruvkun, HMS professor of genetics in
training and rewarding
the Department of Molecular Biology
You’ll learn from them in small group at Massachusetts General Hospital, outstanding teachers,
received the Dan David Prize from The Academy at Harvard
tutorials, research collaborations, in lectures
Tel Aviv University, which recognizes Medical School reinforces
and seminars, and on rounds — in many innovative research that cuts across the learning environment
traditional paradigms. Performing
places on this campus. With more than by providing resources to
research to define the genetic basis of
enhance the teaching role
11,000 faculty members drawn from aging, Ruvkun has discovered in animal
models a set of hormonal signals and of faculty and innovation
the basic science departments as well as pathways that regulate aging and lifespan. in medical education.
our affiliated hospitals and institutions, Matthew Nock, a professor of psychology at
FAS, received the MacArthur Fellow for Approximately half of the
Harvard Medical School provides a M.D. student body pursues
his studies in suicide and self-injury in
teaching and learning environment of adolescents. While collaborating with a joint degree program
the Massachusetts General inpatient or enrichment activity
tremendous breadth and depth. Choose psychiatric unit, Nock was able to that not only takes them
any medical specialty or research field combine epidemiology, lab experiences,
beyond the traditional
mental health associations, and
and it’s more than likely you’ll find an four years of study, but
biological psychological assessments
for breakthrough research in enlarges the scope of
HMS faculty member in it. Further, they
predicting and preventing suicide. their medical education.
serve as mentors and advisors in our Jack Szostak, a professor and member of the
innovative Academic Societies — which Department of Genetics at HMS and the
Department of Molecular Biology at MGH,
break the student population into five received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or
small communities. Your Society will Medicine, along with Elizabeth Blackburn
and Carol Greider, for the discovery of
shape your course of study, provide a how chromosomes are protected by
telomeres and the enzyme telomerase.
home base and structure of support,
Paul Farmer, the Maude and Lillian Presley
and guide you from orientation to Professor of Global Health and Social
securing the residency of your choice. Medicine at HMS, was appointed deputy
special envoy by former president
Bill Clinton, the United Nations
Special Envoy to Haiti. Farmer is a
co-founder of Partners in Health, the
largest healthcare provider in Haiti.
7
WhatC It Means to Be Compassionate
HMS Student Medical
Service Projects
ompassion — It may be the most vital aspect of patient care. A Harvard doctor
A few of the many service is simply one who cares. Someone who brings empathy to the treatment of
projects include:
• Creating a phone-based tool
patients in communities as close as Boston and as far away as Vietnam.
for community health workers
in a resource-poor setting
Enrichment and Global Awareness — Our clinical care to patients in underserved
• Developing a team-based model
for the integrated management long-standing commitment to service and communities. Open evenings for
of chronic pain in primary care
research moves students beyond traditional patients’ convenience, the clinics have
• Documenting caregiver-reported borders of the medical profession. Whether five sites in the greater Boston area that
unmet needs and the impact of
social context on families caring it’s working with AIDS patients in South help patients who have difficulties in
for medically complex children
Africa, putting together swimming programs maintaining long-term primary care.
• Evaluating the DNA damage
response in naïve and primed for asthmatics in Chinatown, or spending
human pluripotent stem cells
time with underprivileged kids in Appalachia Department of Global Health and
• Improving obstetric referrals
through process improvement
you will learn to overcome obstacles and Social Medicine — Under the leadership
efforts in developing countries think creatively about solutions. HMS of Dr. Paul Farmer, this department
• Providing care to understand students are creating partnerships, conducting applies social science and humanities
communities in the Boston
area working side-by-side research, rebuilding neighborhoods, research to constantly improve the practice
with Harvard faculty at the
Crimson Care Collaborate or and serving those most in need. of medicine and the development of
with the Harvard Family Van
healthcare policies locally and worldwide.
Crimson Care Collaborative — Launched It is Harvard Medical School’s central
by HMS students, the Crimson Care structure to help organize global health
Collaborative provides opportunities for activities. More information can be found
http://hms.harvard.edu/ students supervised by faculty to provide at http://ghsm.hms.harvard.edu/.
content/admissions
8Educating
Dr. David Urion
Associate Professor of
Neurology/Director, Division
of Service Learning, Children’s
Hospital Boston
Doctors, by their very nature, want
to help people. As Dr. David Urion
is helping future doctors develop
compassion and empathy to the
fullest extent, he’s also following
Harvard’s philosophy of doing
something that will have a lasting
impact on all of humanity. As
director of the Division of Service
Learning, Dr. Urion helps students
make connections between learning
and doing through service projects
and enrichment programs.
“Harvard understands the social
responsibilities that leadership and
medicine entail — and doesn’t just
give it lip service. We offer students
unparalleled opportunities to
make a real difference domestically,
nationally, and internationally
because of the infinite number of
connections that we have.
“Most of our students come with
impressive backgrounds in
community projects. At Harvard,
they get to take that interest in the
direction of service learning work.
An ongoing project involves HIV
education and assessment within the
school, public health, and medical
school realms in Vietnam. We have
had medical students do assessments
of province-level secondary hospitals
for the establishment of AIDS
outreach programs. We’ve had people
go to Cuba and work in an HIV
hospital doing narrative history
collection. In terms of domestic
projects, one person established an
after-school training program for
children with asthma in the Chinese-
American community. We’ve had
people provide dance and nutrition
programs working with young
women’s health and esteem. The
opportunities are as diverse as the
students’ interests.”
http://hms.harvard.edu/
content/admissions
9Educating New Clinical Skills Center at Harvard Medical School
HMS continually strives to develop facility also has objective-structured
effective new methods to educate the next clinical examinations that incorporate
generation of physicians and scientists. patient actors, radiological images, and
Through a rigorous approach and state-of- other clinically relevant materials.
the-art facilities we teach students how to
incorporate the art and science of medicine Smart Classrooms: From interactive
Medical education is transformed into practice to meet the rapidly increasing whiteboards to high-resolution flat
through collaborative innovation demands of the healthcare profession. screens, patient-simulation technology to
between students and faculty, as Following are but a few examples. a simulated clinical exam room, and video
well as discovering the resources and teleconferencing capabilities, new HMS
to ensure their work goes on to
Clinical Skills Center: The new smart classrooms are facilitating team-
make a difference in the world
5,500-square-foot Clinical Skills Center based learning and “just-in-time” teaching
through development and
commercialization. provides HMS faculty and students with approaches. The classrooms support
some of the latest in teaching technology. medium and small-group interactive
Just ask Dr. Randall King, who,
Our 18 clinical exam rooms for interviewing teaching, peer teaching observation,
along with collaborators Dr. Daniel
Finley (HMS professor of cell and physical examination have video teaching and evaluation of clinical skills,
biology, and Byung-Hoon Lee cameras for faculty to record and review and simulation of clinical situations
(HMS research fellow) were able to and pathophysiological processes.
patient-student encounters. This new
improve the uptake and potency of
a compound (10 times more potent Center for Primary Care: Boston is an
then their previous compound) that
epicenter of medical research and world-
could help degrade proteins linked
class patient care. At the new Center for
with Alzheimer’s disease. The work
Primary Care, HMS students work in teams
resulted in a major agreement with
a biotech company. at our 18 affiliated centers across Boston
to leverage technology to improve patient
Randall King ’97, care while lowering costs. Policy experts at
M.D., Ph.D. the center involve students as they provide
Associate Professor of Cell Biology
insight into the critical area of healthcare
Department of Cell Biology,
Harvard Medical School delivery in the United States. Fourth-year
students are offered an elective in primary
care leadership and management.
10Unlimited
Opportunities:
HMS Affiliated
Hospitals
Showcasing Student Research: For Varieties of Patient Care Beth Israel Deaconess
more than 70 years, Soma Weiss Student Experience at HMS Medical Center
Research Day has given HMS students Brigham and
Affiliated Hospitals and Institutions: Women’s Hospital
effective networking opportunities with Our substantial network of clinical affiliates Cambridge Health
faculty, staff, and peers from the greater offers you considerable breadth and Alliance
Harvard community. Students are able to Children’s Hospital Boston
depth and nearly unlimited opportunities
showcase in-progress or completed research The CBR Institute for
for clinical learning in leading national Biomedical Research
in bench and clinical research, outcomes hospitals, health care facilities, and health The Dana-Farber
and health delivery projects, public policy institutes. Among them you’ll uncover Cancer Institute
research, service learning, and systems The Forsyth Institute
a tremendous diversity of medical
improvements both in the U.S. and abroad. Harvard Pilgrim
experiences, courses, and specialized Health Care
clerkships. These experiences not only Hebrew SeniorLife
provide an “on the wards” education Joslin Diabetes Center
in disease and treatment, but will Judge Baker
Children’s Center
immerse you in the human relations
Massachusetts Eye
so central to providing quality care. and Ear Infirmary
Massachusetts
General Hospital
Patient-Doctor: Students learn how
McLean Hospital
to take thorough patient histories and
Mount Auburn Hospital
perform physical examinations through the
Schepens Eye
three-year course designed to enhance their Research Institute
Student presentations at Soma Weiss Research Day clinical expertise and add an experiential Spaulding Rehabilitation
Hospital
dimension to their pre-clinical preparation.
Scholars in Medicine: From basic science VA Boston
In videotaped sessions, you will evaluate Healthcare System
to primary care, medical humanities to your progress, gain exam skills, and begin More information about
health care policy, HMS students complete Harvard’s affiliated
your evolution to the clinical years. teaching hospitals is
a scholarly project during medical school. available on the web at
http://hms.harvard.edu
Through the course Pursuing Inquiry
Clinical Clerkships: HMS third- and
in Medicine, you will gain guidance
fourth-year students come together
on scholarly inquiry and learn how to
for an education in direct patient care For more than a decade,
seek mentors, develop proposals, and five of the top 10
through clinical clerkships. Your study
communicate research aims, methods, independent hospitals
of pathological principles will come to
and results. HMS students then identify a funded by the National
life, and real people will replace textbook
Institutes of Health (NIH)
mentor and draft a proposal for a project
theory and case study. Learning by have been Harvard affiliates.
that most will pursue the following summer.
doing in each of the major fields of
medicine will offer invaluable lessons
on becoming an effective practitioner.
11A Change Community To learn more about the Office of
HMS Student Groups Life beyond the lecture halls and labs at Recruitment and Multicultural Affairs,
Alternative Spring Break please visit: www.hms.harvard.edu/orma.
American Medical Student
HMS offers a stimulating mix of people
Association
and opportunities. You’ll live among
American Medical Women’s
Association
an active and diverse community, one HMS Student Services
Art & Literature Magazine
Asian Health Association HMS offers a full array of student services
comprised of students from a variety
Black Health Association to meet your personal and health needs,
Christian Medical and of ethnic, sociocultural, and economic
Dental Society including a Student Health Plan that
Coffee House backgrounds. Harvard Medical School is
Dermatology Interest Group
provides coverage for hospitalization
Emergency Medicine Club
also home to students with a fascinating
and care on and off the HMS campus,
Family Medicine/Primary mix of intellectual and scientific interests,
Care Interest Group dental insurance, disability insurance, and
First-year Educational creative talents, and passionate pursuits.
Adventure Trip (FEAT) services for students with disabilities.
First-year Urban Neighborhood Among your classmates, you might meet
Campaign (FUNC)
Harvard Health Caucus
Harvard International
a student who is researching a cure for
Living at HMS:
Health Organization
Health and the Environment
kidney disease, another who is pursuing
Vanderbilt Hall
HMS/HSDM Athletics Club a black belt in kung fu, and another with
You can take advantage of the convenience
HMS/HSDM Soccer Club
a degree in electrical engineering. HMS of living on the HMS campus by booking
HMS Student Council
Holistic Medicine students are varied and energetic people
Kinsey 2-6ers (gay, lesbian, and
a room in Vanderbilt Hall, a residence
bisexual student association) who commit themselves equally to their complex next to the Medical School. The
LIFE Committee (students
organizing activities to academic and social pursuits. They are hall provides a comfortable atmosphere
welcome new students)
Life Drawing world-changers — no matter what they do. in which to forge friendships with your
Longwood Players
Maimonides Society (Jewish classmates, study, and relax. You’ll find:
student association)
Massachusetts Medical Society Historic Diversity n Rooms for approximately
Medical Students for Choice 320 men and women
Medical Students of Las For more than 30 years, HMS has been
Americas (MeSLA–Latino n A library and study lounges
student association) successfully building a campus community n An athletic center with full-size
Medical Student Section of the
American Medical Association that reflects the changing face of America. gym, tennis court, racquetball
Multicultural Student Alliance courts, squash courts, weight room,
Music Society Harvard’s commitment to diversity is not and exercise and locker rooms
Native American Single rooms with connections
Health Organization
only reflected in the variety of institutions n
for telephone and web access
Physicians for Human
Rights/Amnesty
from which students are accepted, but also
n A darkroom, music rooms,
Physicians for in the ethnic and economic backgrounds of and a computer lab
Social Responsibility
Religion & Spirituality the student body. In 1969, HMS
Second Year Show
Social Committee established the Office of Recruitment
Social Hour
Society Olympics and Multicultural Affairs to recruit and
Student Association of
Medically Oriented South
provide supportive services to individuals
Asians (SAMOSA)
Student Council Community
from groups underrepresented in medicine.
Service Organization
In the years since, HMS has graduated
Student Interest Group
in Neurology
over 1,000 physicians from minority
Student National Medical
Association groups underrepresented in medicine,
Students for Global Health
and Justice and there are over 171 underrepresented
Surgical Interest Group
minority students currently enrolled.
12A sampling
of Academic
Institutions
Boston College
Boston University
Brandeis University
Boston Harvard University
Harvard Medical School’s prime location in tapestry of people, history, cultural life, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology
the Longwood Medical Area of Boston will and entertainment — and it’s all less than
Northeastern University
put you in touch with one of the country’s a mile from the HMS campus. Boston is Tufts University
most distinctive cities. Big enough to be also an ideal place for students: it houses Wellesley College
cosmopolitan and interesting, yet small many of the most highly regarded colleges, A sampling
enough to be manageable, Boston offers a universities, and institutes in the U.S. — a of Cultural
Institutions
charm and character all its own. From the wealth of academic resources influenced Boston Symphony Orchestra
stately brick townhouses of Beacon Hill to by Harvard’s long historical reach. In this Institute of
Contemporary Art
Fenway Park, from the harbor where the colorful city, Harvard medical students
Museum of Afro-
American Revolution witnessed some of find abundant personal and professional American History
Museum of Fine Arts
its most famous moments to the Common opportunities that shape their lives.
Museum of Science
and Public Garden, you’ll discover a rich New England Aquarium
Professional
Sports
To Do Bruins
Celtics
n Explore over n Discover n Stroll through n Step back in time n Hop aboard Patriots
100 years of Boston’s rich Public Garden, along Boston’s the Old Town Red Sox
Red Sox history reading culture a horticultural Freedom Trail, Trolley or Revolution
with an inside with a tour of the “museum” and a 2.5-mile path Beantown
look at Fenway distinguished the nation’s oldest connecting the Trolley for a Day Trips
Park, the nation’s Boston Public botanical garden. city’s historic narrated journey
Historic Salem, site of the
oldest ballpark. Library, sights from that takes in over witchcraft trials of 1692
the nation’s n Cheer on the Boston Common 100 interesting
Walden Pond — Thoreau’s
n Shop for first public Celtics or the to the Bunker sights. Inspiration
designer brands library — and Bruins at The Hill Monument,
Skiing and winter sports
or acquire a new then peruse the TD Banknorth and with a stroll n Delve into the
in the Berkshires and
coiffure on lively city’s numerous Garden, and through the legacy of our White Mountains
Newbury Street, bookstores. check out Beacon Hill 35th president
North & South Shore
Boston’s own the Sports neighborhood. at the John F. Seacoast Towns — Maritime
“Rodeo Drive.” Museum of New Kennedy Library and Whaling History Sites
England while and Museum. Cape Cod, Nantucket,
you’re there. & Martha’s Vineyard
13More than 800 doctors, graduate
students, and staff performed research
last year in the 525,000-square-foot
New Research Building, designed to
accelerate medical progress by aligning
scientists from many disciplines in one
shared state-of-the-art facility. It is
where the world’s foremost scientists
work to solve some of the biggest
medical challenges of our time.
What It M to Be Explorers
As the recipient of a
five-year Clinical and
Translational Science
Award (CTSA) from
the National Institutes
of Health, Harvard
A
Harvard doctor makes significant contributions to biomedical science.
You’ll explore new scientific frontiers by participating in a legacy of
belongs to a select
network of Clinical and research that resonates on a global scale. Harvard Medical School has
Translational Science
Centers (CTSC) based at been home to 15 Nobel Laureates and many nationally and internationally
academic medical centers
recognized researchers and medical scholars. Here, you will collaborate
nationwide. This unique
grant is helping bond with some of the leading medical scientists in the world who teach and
together a bench-to-
bedside translational and demonstrate not only state-of-the-art research techniques, but a passionate
clinical research system
dedication to improving human life through scientific discovery.
that enables Harvard’s
entire medical and
science community to be
larger and more effective
than the sum of its parts.
14HMS Centers,
Divisions, and
Institutes
Research at Harvard Medical School: The Armenise-Harvard Foundation
Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center
A History of Achievement Harvard Center for Eating Disorders
Harvard Center for
Think of it as a city of research — turn happens at HMS, people all over the Neurodegeneration and Repair
Harvard Clinical Research Institute
nearly any corner on the HMS campus world live healthier lives. The list of HMS Harvard Division of Health Care
Policy Research and Education
and you’ll encounter a cutting-edge breakthroughs is astonishing, among them:
Harvard Division of Nutrition
research facility. Multiply that effect by Harvard Institute of Chemistry
n Introduction of insulin and Cell Biology
our numerous surrounding hospitals and into the United States Harvard Institute of Mind/
Brain/Behavior
research centers, and the impact enlarges. n Invention of the iron lung Harvard Institute of Proteomics
Drawing on HMS faculty scholars and Harvard Institute of Psychiatric
n Application of tissue culture methods Epidemiology and Genetics
prominent medical researchers from all to develop a polio virus to be used as Harvard Mahoney
the key ingredient of the polio vaccine Neuroscience Institute
over the world, HMS has a tremendous Harvard Medical International
n Mapping the visual system of the brain Programs running in
history of cultivating research that over 30 countries
n Creation of the external Harvard-MIT Division of Health
has alleviated human suffering caused cardiac pacemaker Sciences and Technology
Harvard Program on Head
by disease. As a consequence of what n Development of artificial skin and Neck Oncology
HMS Center for Biochemical and
n First successful kidney transplant Biophysical Sciences and Medicine
Means
HMS Center of Excellence
n Discovery of the gene that causes in Minority Health
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy HMS Center of Excellence
in Women’s Health
HMS Center for Health and
the Global Environment
HMS Center for Hereditary Deafness
HMS Center for Mental
Health and Media
HMS Center for Neurofibromatosis
and Allied Disorders
HMS Center for Palliative Care
HMS Division on Addictions
HMS Division on Aging
HMS Division of AIDS
HMS Division of Emergency Medicine
Research opportunities that will change HMS Division of Medical Ethics
medicine await you in the Quadrangle, HMS Division of Primary Care
HMS Division for Research and
at all of the Harvard-affiliated teaching Education in Complementary and
Integrative Medical Therapies
hospitals, and at Harvard University and HMS Division of Service Learning
HMS Skin Disease Research Center
MIT. Harvard medical students often find
HMS Division of Sleep Medicine
their research experiences among their HMS Institute of Human Genetics
HSDM and HMS Center for
most important, regardless of whether Craniofacial Tissue Engineering
Juvenile Diabetes Research
they pursue a life in the laboratory or in Foundation Center for Islet Cell
Transplantation at HMS
practice — you will as well. Understanding
MIT/HMS Center for
Magnetic Resonance
how to ask a question and how to generate
an answer will form one component
Last year Harvard Medical
of your lifelong commitment to the
School was awarded $295.3
health sciences. Another will be a useful million in sponsored research
funding. Of that amount,
and highly applicable understanding
$242.5 came from the
of the scientific basis of medicine. National Institute of Health.
15Discovering
Dr. Alvin Poussaint
Professor of Psychiatry, Faculty
Associate Dean for Student Affairs,
Director of the Office of Recruitment
and Multicultural Affairs,
Judge Baker Children’s Center
A familiar figure on campus since
1969, Professor of Psychiatry Dr. Alvin
Poussaint has played a leading role
in increasing parental and public
awareness about the harmful effects
of the increasingly sophisticated
commercial exploitation of young
children via television. Over the years,
in between teaching, writing widely
cited articles in medical and lay journals,
and consulting on issues of adult
and child psychology at the medical
institutions affiliated with HMS as
well as in public forums like The Oprah
Winfrey Show, Dr. Poussaint has also
served in a variety of administrative
roles at Harvard Medical School
As the current Faculty Associate Dean
for Student Affairs and the Director
of the Office of Recruitment and
Multicultural Affairs, he is passionate
about ensuring that HMS continues
to offer its students a warm and highly
supportive educational environment.
“Be it our flexible and innovative
curriculum or tutoring, counseling,
or other student services that we
offer, Harvard Medical School offers
individual attention, and a world of
resources, to every single student. It is a
place where you can pick up the phone,
call up Nobel Prize winners, and fix up
an appointment to talk to them about
your own professional goals. No matter
what your interests are, you’ll be able to
collaborate with faculty who are pioneers
in their fields and who really care about
you and your experience at HMS. We
may be one of the world’s leading medical
research institutions, but we are — first
and foremost — a medical school.”
http://hms.harvard.edu/
content/admissions
16Discovering Gaurav Das Gaiha,
Ph.D.
Harvard-MIT Health
Sciences and Technology
(HST) Medical Sciences
M.D. Program
While beginning experiments as
Recent Faculty and an undergraduate biochemistry
Student Research at HMS major at the University of Illinois-
Chicago, Gaurav Gaiha “came
Faculty Students to an important realization.” He
recalls, “Science was no longer
n Developed an endoscopic procedure n Studying the long-term outcomes the trite memorization of facts.
combining the reduction of fluid- and prognostic factors in locally Instead, it transformed into a
producing tissue with restoration of advanced pancreatic cancer patients challenging thought process that
normal flue circulation that avoids undergoing intraoperative required knowledge, creativity,
dependence on implanted shunt radiation therapy. and tenacity.” Gaurav decided
devices that fail over time. n Researching actigraphy-based sleep to pursue an M.D.-Ph.D. and
n Improving the health of people in characteristics as predictors of began by researching novel HIV
underserved communities through inflammatory, autonomic, and stress therapies while earning his Ph.D.
patient-centered health at Oxford as a Clarendon Scholar.
systems activation in individuals
system redesign. suffering from primary insomnia. After Oxford, Gaurav enrolled
n The discovery of a progressive n Researching the effect of tau protein in the Medical Sciences M.D.
correlation between brain function on the brain in hopes of inhibiting division of the Harvard-MIT
and size may lead to a control or cure diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Health Sciences and Technology
for schizophrenia. Program. “The biggest draw to
n Studying the effectiveness of Harvard was the HST Program,”
n The sequencing of protein from a “pulsed dye” laser techniques in the Gaurav says. “Being part of
68-million-year-old dinosaur proves it treatment of otherwise inoperable HST, I’m able to work at any
remains possible beyond one million cancer tumors. lab at Harvard or MIT — and
years, and reveals a genetic connection
n Fulbright study of an oppressed the curriculum teaches us
between the extinct reptiles and birds.
Costa Rican population group led to how to integrate science and
n The counterintuitive discovery that a World Bank grant to provide basic engineering with medicine.”
proper drug combinations can turn medical care.
bacteria’s resistance against itself, Gaurav’s HST thesis project
offering new avenues in drug research. n Helped to discover several enzymes, is entitled “Characterization
one of which is prevalent in high-risk of HIV-specific Cytotoxic T
n Research indicating compounds (such
prostate cancer patients; another, Lymphocytes with Supernormal
as red wine’s resveratrol) that increase
when mutated, indicates the severity Killing Activity through a
the life span of yeast and fruit flies
of mental retardation. Functional Genomic Screen.”
may prevent the health-threatening Working with researchers
effects of obesity in mammals. at Harvard, MIT, and
Massachusetts General Hospital,
Gaurav explains that “the project
pulls together cutting-edge
technology with unique patient
samples. The data obtained from
this project could potentially be a
new frontier in understanding the
biology of CTLs in HIV infection.
Ultimately, we hope that this
new insight will aid in the
continued development of novel
T cell-based vaccines.”
http://hms.harvard.edu/
content/admissions
17Designed for an Optimal
Medical Education:
HMS Facilities
Extensive, in-depth medical facilities The Seeley G. Mudd Building
n Provides expanded space for
on a classical campus, the HMS research
biomedical research programs
environment offers a substantial range of
The Harvard Institutes of Medicine
well-equipped facilities for teaching and
n Inter-institutional biomedical
research, among them: research complex for HMS, Beth
With nine basic and social
Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and
science departments housed Tosteson Medical Education Brigham and Women’s Hospital
in the HMS Quadrangle, Center (TMEC)
50 clinical departments in
n Houses most HMS classrooms The New England Regional
our 17 teaching hospitals and the five Academic Societies Primate Research Center
and other affiliates, Ph.D. n Located in Southborough,
n Fitted for digital and
research training programs Massachusetts, a 140-acre tract
audiovisual technologies
offered through the Division sponsored by the National
n Case Method Room — interactive
of Medical Sciences, and Institutes of Health
tiered classroom seating 80 students
faculty who conduct research
n Student Computing Center
in a score of locations around
Boston, Harvard Medical n Home of the new Clinical Connecting with
HMS Technology
School provides unsurpassed
Skills Center, offering 18
clinical examination rooms
research opportunities.
You’ll learn with the help of a seamless
Francis A. Countway Library
combination of hardware and software
n One of the largest collections of
biomedical books in the U.S. and a that enhances MyCourses, our virtual
world-renowned historical collection curriculum. Designed to provide
n The Countway Digital Library
multimedia resources that foster student
provides access to 149 databases
for online services, over 10,000 and faculty interaction, MyCourses — along
electronic journals, and 1,114 with 50-inch, high-definition plasma
electronic textbooks
display screens — enhances the tutorial
n Study areas with network access
n Volumes: 695,749 process and provides access to a wide range
Monographs: 213,328 of supplemental learning materials, such
Journal Volumes: 482,421
copy to come? as micro-scopy slides, patient videos, and
Rare books: 212,083
articles from the New England Journal
Warren Alpert Building
of Medicine. You can also download files
David E. Cohen, M.D., Ph.D. n Houses departments of neurobiology
Associate Professor of Medicine from the web, create your own personal
and microbiology and the Center
and Health Sciences and
Technology and Co-Director of
for Blood Research web page and storage area, and coauthor
the Harvard-MIT Division of
Health Sciences and Technology New Research Building (NRB) complex documents with HMS faculty.
on the steps of Brigham and n Houses departments of
Women’s Hospital, one of HMS’
genetics and pathology
17 affiliated institutions.
n The Joseph Martin Conference Center
The Laboratory for Human
Reproduction and Reproductive
Biology (LHRRB) Building
n Houses investigators from
the departments of biological
chemistry and molecular
pharmacology, and cell biology
Smart Classroom Tosteson Medical Education Center
18A ff i l i a t e d H o s p i t a l s
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center institution devoted to the advancement
Renowned for excellence in surgery and dissemination of knowledge in oral
(including general, cardiovascular, thoracic, and craniofacial science and its relation
gastrointestinal, solid organ transplant, to systemic health and well-being.
and vascular surgery), Beth Israel
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Deaconess Medical Center is also known
In 1992, Harvard Medical School and
for treatment of cardiac conditions, cancer,
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care combined
and pulmonary and thoracic disorders,
resources to form the Department
and for expertise in neurosciences,
of Ambulatory Care and Prevention,
gastroenterology and liver disease,
distinguishing Harvard Pilgrim Health
obstetrics and women’s health, podiatry,
Care as New England’s first teaching and
and emergency and trauma medicine.
research health maintenance organization.
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Hebrew SeniorLife (HSL)
Brigham and Women’s Hospital is
Boston-based Hebrew SeniorLife
internationally known for its treatment of
(HSL) is a 100+ year-old organization
complex disorders in areas such as cardiac
committed to maximizing the quality of leader in the treatment of mental illness
care, cancer treatment, neurosciences,
older adults’ lives through an integrated and chemical dependency, research
orthopedics and arthritis, and women’s
network of housing, health care, into the cause of mental illness, and the
health, as well as offering outstanding
research, and education programs. training of generations of mental health
primary care services and the largest
obstetrical program in Massachusetts. Joslin Diabetes Center care providers. It maintains the largest
Joslin Diabetes Center is an internationally program of research in neuroscience
Cambridge Health Alliance and psychiatry of any private psychiatric
recognized diabetes treatment, research,
Cambridge Hospital is one of the founding hospital in the United States.
and educational institution. Some of the
members of the Cambridge Health Alliance,
most important improvements in diabetes Mount Auburn Hospital
a unique model that incorporates public
care — including treatments for diabetes
health, clinical care, academics, and research. Mount Auburn Hospital was incorporated
in pregnancy, the development of laser
It offers a wide variety of services including in 1871 as the first hospital in Cambridge,
surgery to treat diabetic eye disease,
medical specialties, surgical specialties, Massachusetts. With a mission to improve
and the identification of markers for
obstetrics, and primary care for all ages. the health of the residents of Cambridge
“pre-diabetes” — were developed at Joslin.
and the surrounding communities,
Children’s Hospital Boston
Judge Baker Children’s Center Mount Auburn Hospital is dedicated
As the largest pediatric medical center in the
Judge Baker Children’s Center is dedicated to delivering primary and specialty
United States, Children’s offers a complete
to improving the lives of children whose health care services in a personable,
range of health care services for children.
emotional and behavioral problems convenient, and compassionate manner.
Out of its more than 100 outpatient clinics,
threaten to limit their potential. The Center
those for epilepsy, urological disorders, The Schepens Eye Research Institute
attracts some of the foremost experts in
cerebral palsy, sports medicine, and cystic The Schepens Eye Research Institute is the
the fields of developmental psychology,
fibrosis are among the world’s largest. largest independent eye research institute in
education, and child mental health.
The CHB Program in Cellular and America. Located in Boston, Massachusetts,
Molecular Medicine forms the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary the Institute was founded in 1950 by famed
Immune Disease Institute. Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI) retinal surgeon Charles L. Schepens.
is a specialty hospital providing outstanding
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute patient care for disorders of the eye, ear, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a founding
nose, throat, head, and neck. Founded in Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital is one
member of the Dana-Farber/Harvard
1824, MEEI is an international leader in of the largest rehabilitation facilities
Cancer Center (DF/HCC), a federally
ophthalmology and otolaryngology research. in the U.S., providing comprehensive
designated comprehensive cancer center,
rehabilitation and complex medical
as well as a federally designated Center for Massachusetts General Hospital
AIDS research. Providing advanced training Founded in 1811, Massachusetts General management services for patients
in cancer treatment and research for an Hospital is the third oldest general hospital recovering from a wide variety of disorders.
international faculty, the Institute conducts in the United States and the oldest and Veteran Affairs Boston Healthcare System
community-based programs in cancer largest in New England. The 875-bed, The largest consolidated VA facility in
prevention, detection, and control world-renowned medical center offers New England, the VA Boston Healthcare
throughout New England. sophisticated diagnostic and therapeutic
System encompasses three main campuses
care in virtually every specialty and
The Forsyth Institute and six outpatient clinics within a 40-mile
subspecialty of medicine and surgery.
As a collective community of educators, radius of the greater Boston area. The
scientists, support staff, trustees, McLean Hospital combined facility has 392 acute hospital
graduates, and friends, the Forsyth The first psychiatric institution in New beds, 120 nursing home beds, and 70
Institute has become the preeminent England, McLean Hospital is a world domiciliary beds for homeless veterans.
19What It M to Be Visionar y
HMS
transforms students into leaders who make significant contributions to the
practice, science, and history of medicine. Your four years at Harvard
MS students perform
H
Medical School will empower you to join this tradition and ensure you
extremely well on
NBME Parts I and II.
have what it takes to become an important part of it. In accepting the
HMS graduates obtain
residency positions at responsibility to lead, you will contribute to the history of visionary
Boston’s and the country’s
most prestigious accomplishments realized through the lives of HMS graduates and
hospitals and health
care institutions. join a long list of innovators, discoverers, educators, and leaders.
Like many HMS faculty,
Dr. Beverly Woo, Associate
Professor of Medicine, Brigham
and Women’s Hospital, and
Associate Master of the Francis
Weld Peabody Society, gives
much of her time to students.
20some HMS
Nobel Laureates
Means
Jack Szostak, 2009,
Physiology or Medicine
Discovered how chromosomes
are protected by telomeres and
the enzyme telomerase (with
Elizabeth Blackburn of UC San
Francisco and Carol Greider of
Johns Hopkins University)
Linda Buck,* 2004, Medicine
Research on the olfactory
system, explaining the sense
of smell (with Richard Axel,
Columbia University)
Joseph E. Murray,
1990, Medicine
Developed new procedures
Research at Harvard : Transforming Medicine for organ transplant (with E.
Donnall Thomas, formerly of
HMS produces national and global leaders neurosurgery, to Dr. David Kessler, former the University of Washington)
in medicine and biomedical science, head of the FDA. From the beginning, the Bernard Lown, Herbert Abrams,
Eric Chivian, and James Muller,
public policy and health care administration, Medical School has drawn the most gifted 1985, Peace
medical education, and specialists in students from across the country and Cofounders, with Evgueni Chazov,
Leonid Ilyin, and Mikhail Kuzin
numerous medical fields. The long list of the world, many of whom demonstrate from the Soviet Union, of the
International Physicians for
leading physicians and scientists among a strong desire for and experience in the Prevention of Nuclear War
HMS alumni is considerable, ranging from leadership early in the application process. David Hubel and Torsten Wiesel,
Harvey Cushing, the father of modern 1981, Medicine
Research on information-
processing in the visual system
Baruj Benacerraf, 1980, Medicine
and Physiology
Research on genetics
and immunology
In addition to our 15 Nobel
Laureates, you will find
among the faculty (living):
31 Howard Hughes Medical
Institute investigators, 65
National Academy of Science
members, and 123 Institute
of Medicine members
*Buck was awarded the Nobel Prize
for work done while a member of the
Harvard faculty. When the award was
made, she was a member of the faculty of
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
**Robbins was awarded the Nobel Prize
Paul Farmer, Chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, leads efforts to advance for work done while a member of the
teaching and research in global health equity, linking students, medical residents, and faculty to Harvard faculty. When the award was
made, he was a member of the faculty
service programs in some of the poorest parts of the world. of Case Western Reserve University.
A complete listing of HMS Nobel
Laureates is available on the web at
http://hms.harvard.edu/about-hms/
facts-figures
21You can also read
