Healthcare Research

The program emphasizes the need for understanding the health care system, using evidence to advocate for change and adopting scientific methods to serve the interests of patients.The program develops skills for the design, conduct, evaluation, and presentation of peer reviewed clinical and health services research and informes change in the U.S. health care system by conducting research in health and health care to create new knowledge, pushing science forward.

Shared required courses

Critical Issues in Health & Health Care 
Continual Improvement of Healthcare 
Inferential Methods & Systematic Review 
Epidemiology & Biostatistics I 
Current Status of Practice Variation Research        

Distinctive required courses

Epidemiology & Biostatistics II 
Survey Research Methods & Principles 
Take at least one of the following practicum project courses:

• • Advanced Methods in Health Services Research 
• • Decision & Cost-Effectiveness Analysis 

Culminating experiences

Each student completes an individual:

• • capstone project (written and oral presentations), providing students with an opportunity to apply principles and skills learned in the classroom to create a submission-ready proposal for a research grant to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Note: Students with a well-developed research question or strong research background may move beyond the proposal stage to undertake a research project.
• • practicum project, providing students with an opportunity to complete more advanced project work in one of two research methods courses. 

Elective courses

Statistical Measurement & Analysis for Quality Improvement 
Design & Improvement of Clinical Microsystems 
Geographies of Health & Disease 
Pharmaceuticals, Health, and Health Policy 
Medical Care and the Corporation 
Qualitative Methods Toolbox 
Patient Safety: Reducing Medical Errors 
Practical Approaches for Today’s Health Care Ethics Challenges 
Current Issues in Health Policy: Understanding Health Reform 
Patient-centered Health Communications 
International Perspectives on Health Care Systems 
Dartmouth electives (at Tuck, Thayer, or Geisel)

Education
A bachelor's degree must be conferred before attending Dartmouth. There are no specific course requirements to be completed at the undergraduate level.

Experience
None required but work experience, community service experience, and/or volunteer experience are encouraged.

A complete application file consists of

• personal statement (the heart of the application)
• application form
• two letters of recommendation (College seniors & recent college graduates:  Two letters of recommendation must come from your professors who can assess your academic abilities. Applicants who have been out of college at least 3 years: Your letters of recommendation should come from employment supervisors and/or professors who can assess your academic abilities)
• resume
• official transcripts (All applicants must submit official transcripts for all academic work towards any degree earned, including all undergraduate and graduate degrees. If you are currently enrolled in a degree program, you are required to submit a current official transcript of courses completed and work in progress)
• standardized test scores (Choose which to submit: either GRE or MCAT or GMAT. GRE, GMAT or MCAT results must not be more than five years old. All nonnative English speakers must submit either the TOEFL or IELTS to demonstrate proficiency in English. Results must not be more than two years old.  This requirement is waived for applicants who received a degree from an institution outside the U.S. where instruction is in English. The minimum required TOEFL scores for the different exams are as follows:
Internet based exam: 100
Computer based exam: 250
Paper based exam: 600
IETLS minimum score: 7) 
• an application fee.

Dartmouth Graduate Studies Graduate Community Award

The Graduate Community Award is designed to recognize outstanding community service undertaken by graduate students on behalf of the entire Dartmouth graduate community. The Graduate Community Award will be awarded annually to the graduate student(s) who best exemplify a deep commitment to serving the Dartmouth community. Successful recipients may have contributed in diverse ways such as participating in student governance, serving on campus-wide committees and in the development and promotion of programs that enhance the academic and social options of the entire community. The individual should combine personal qualities of dedication to inclusiveness, integrity and enthusiasm with effective service on behalf of the Dartmouth community.

The recipient(s) will be selected by the Graduate Studies Office. Departments, individual faculty members or administrators, and graduate students are eligible to make a nomination in the form of a letter of nomination. Students currently enrolled in good standing in Dartmouth Master's and Doctoral programs are eligible for the award. All nomination letters must be submitted to the Graduate Studies Office (to the attention of Kerry Landers) no later than March 28. Each nominee will then be asked directly by the Graduate Office to submit a curriculum vita and a brief summary of their community service activities.

The recipient(s) of the award will receive a cash prize of $1,000.

Dartmouth Graduate Studies Graduate Alumni Research Award

Due to the generosity of a number of loyal graduates of Dartmouth's graduate programs, the Alumni Fund and the Office of Graduate Studies have received donations which have been placed into a special alumnae/i graduate fund. The Graduate Office has decided to make a certain proportion of these funds competitively available each year to our current graduate students to support their research. Here are the rules and regulations governing the dispersal of these alumnae/i funds:

1.       Currently enrolled graduate students, engaged in thesis research at Dartmouth College can apply for an Alumni Research Award during the spring term of each calendar year (Deadline: May 5)

2.       The maximum amount of each award will be limited to $1,000.00, but no more than $500.00 of this can be used for travel. A detailed budget is required.

3.       Requests for travel to attend a scientific meeting or to purchase computers, peripherals, or other forms of laboratory equipment will not be considered. The award is designed to enhance your thesis research activity. Thus, your request must propose something that you might not readily accomplish otherwise. Some examples that come to mind are:

1. • provide access to a library archive to examine an original manuscript,
   • provide access to a specialized item of equipment not readily available at Dartmouth,
   • provide payment for additional subjects, or perform field work at a distant site that might add an interesting perspective to data collected from your existing, local field site(s).

4.       The award is not intended to defray normal laboratory expenses for consumable supplies.

5.       Your application must include a letter of support from your advisor which must include a statement of funds available to you for your research.

6.       Recipients of Graduate Alumni Research Awards will be required to submit to the Graduate Office a one page synopsis of the activity they conducted with their award within 30 days of completion of their funded project.