A Joint Program of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School & Harvard School of Public Health.

What is the Program in Clinical Effectiveness (PCE)?

The PCE is an intensive seven-week, 15-credit summer program, which contains summer-long core courses in Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics.  All participants also select two half-summer courses from offerings in Current Issues in Health Policy, Decision Analysis in Clinical Research, Ethical Basis of the Practice of Public Health, Improving Quality in Health Care, Introduction to Methods and Applications in Health Services Research, Linear and Longitudinal Regression, Measuring and Analyzing the Outcomes of Health Care, Medical Informatics, Methods for Decision Making in Medicine and Research on Social and Behavioral Health: A Practical Guide.  For students with previous experience, second level courses are also offered in Analytic Issues of Clinical Epidemiology, Principles of Clinical Trials, and Survival Methods in Clinical Research.

The PCE is a non-degree program; however, students who apply to and are accepted into an HSPH degree program may have the credits counted toward the degree.  HSPH offers two specifically relevant degree programs: the MPH with a concentration in clinical effectiveness and the SM in epidemiology with an area of interest in clinical epidemiology.  Qualified participants enrolled in a degree program may also enroll in additional PCE courses in subsequent summers at HSPH.  For details see Additional Coursework and Degree Options.

Who should apply to the PCE?

Physician-clinicians, fellows and faculty, who are seeking the quantitative and analytic skills needed for clinical research or interested in health care administration, are encouraged to apply.  Local applicants must have a guaranteed position in a clinical department in a Boston teaching hospital.  Applicants from outside of Boston must be recommended by their affiliated medical school or teaching hospital. The PCE does not accept medical students.

The PCE encourages applications from individuals from minority groups.  Harvard University is an equal opportunity employer.

What are the expectations of the PCE?

The PCE is a fast-paced, rigorous Program that requires the full participation of the student.  Participants must be free of all clinical responsibilities throughout the Program.  In addition to three classes daily, participants may have computer labs on some afternoons, and have considerable homework; 25% of last summer’s participants spent, on average, over 20 hours each week on homework assignments.