Harvard Longwood Campus, Boston, MA
By helping researchers improve their skills in clinical research in a highly interactive environment, this program will promote personal and professional growth and help participants become more effective in their work. We also expect that the interactive environment of the program will promote connections between participants and help foster future collaborative, multi-center projects.
Prof. Fregni is a Professor of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School and a Professor of Epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He leads a large clinical research laboratory (Spaulding Neuromodulation Center) and is currently investigating techniques to guide and measure neuroplasticity in brain injury.
He has been at the forefront of advancing neurorehabilitation science to treat conditions such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease and chronic pain. He holds a MD and PhD from University of Sao Paulo, Brazil and three Master’s degrees from Harvard University (two Master’s degrees in clinical research from Harvard Medical School and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and one Master’s degree in education from Harvard Graduate School of Education).
He has more than 580 peer-reviewed publications and has been leading this international training program since its foundation in 2007 with some colleagues from University of Sao Paulo (Dr. Marta Imamura, Dr. Wu Hsing, and Dr. Linamara Battistella). PPCR has been intensively developed over these 16 years to offer an optimized learning environment for clinical researchers globally. Currently more than 4,700 participants have been trained in PPCR. PPCR alumni have become successful clinical researchers and continue the mission of teaching clinical research thus perpetuating the mission of PPCR. We welcome you to be a part of this journey with us! PPCR is currently offered by the Department of Executive and Continuing Education at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Clinical research is vital for advancement in medicine, yet in most medical specialties – and in many countries – its tools are used inappropriately, resulting in invalid results.
This program blends live and online interaction via the web and on-site centers. Participants attend weekly three-hour interactive videoconference sessions, which are broadcast live on Zoom.
During the program, participants will develop skills in two main domains: design and conduct of clinical research, and interpretation and critical understanding of published research.
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This program covers the basics of clinical research (how to formulate a research question, select study population, randomization and blinding methods) to statistical methods (data distribution and classification, statistical tests, sample size calculation, survival analysis, missing data and meta-analysis); data collection, monitoring and reporting (include training in manuscript writing); and study designs (observational studies, non-inferior and adaptive designs and randomized clinical trials).
Our collaborative distance-learning training program in clinical research is offered to participants from Boston and worldwide. It is designed for individuals who wish to gain basic and advanced training in clinical trials before moving into the field and for those who have experience in this area and aim to broaden their role in the design, management, analysis, and reporting of clinical trials.
Learning Objectives: At the end of the program, participants will be able to design clinical trials in an effective manner, collect data appropriately, use the basic functions of a statistical software package, choose appropriate basic statistical tests, run statistical analysis, critically read and understand a research paper, develop clinical research based on integrity principles, discuss the basics of article publication and the reviewing process, and describe more complex clinical trial designs.
This program is a distance-learning program; however, participants must attend weekly live 3-hour interactive video-conference sessions with participants from the same location (for instance, participants from Dresden, Germany meet at University of Dresden for the live connection with Harvard). The videoconference sessions are broadcast from Harvard to different centers across the world (individual participants can also participate via web-conference). Participants must participate in forum discussions, read articles, complete assignments and statistical exercises. At the end of the 9-month program, there will be a recommended 5-Day Immersion Course to practice the concepts learned in this program. An optional 3-Day Advanced Statistical Workshop and Research Manuscript Writing workshops will also be held in Boston, MA.
To participate in this distance-learning program, participants will need regular access to a computer with excellent internet connection, email, a PDF viewer, and a webcam and microphone connected to the computer.
Below is the 2024 schedule for the 3-hour weekly lectures in the distance-learning Main Course component of the PPCR program. The 2025 schedule will likely be similar to the prior year, with slight variation in dates and content. Please revisit our website at a later date to view the 2025 schedule.
The 3-Day live intensive course will cover how to design and analyze studies using multiple variables (multivariate analysis), to work with data sets, fit a model, conduct statistical tests in STATA, and read and interpret the STATA output.
The Workshop will be held in Boston, Massachusetts, from July 28-30, 2025. This workshop provides additional statistical training for PPCR participants who want to acquire more advanced methods especially in how to design and analyze studies using multiple variables (multivariate analysis). Participants will review and expand their statistical knowledge and apply their skills to their own research. During the workshop, participants will learn how to work with data sets, fit a model, conduct statistical tests in STATA, and read and interpret the STATA output.
After the workshop, participants will be familiar with the challenges, limitations, and issues of analyzing data and interpreting the results, which will help them to better read the scientific literature, review manuscripts, and write their own manuscripts and grants. Agenda subject to change. Note: These dates are tentative and are subject to change.
This workshop serves as additional statistical training for participants from PPCR who wish to learn more advanced statistical methods. During the course, STATA (same platform used in PPCR) will be used. At the end of the class participants will understand how to work with data sets, how to fit a model, how to conduct statistical tests in STATA and how to read and interpret the STATA output.
The advanced statistical workshop will have lectures, discussions and practical exercises.
Topics will include tools for writing and preparing research proposals, insight into the structures, logical arguments, and narrative pathways, tools for writing clearly and concisely in English, strategies for getting published in top journals. There will be exercises to practice these concepts.
The Workshop will be held in Boston, MA from July 31-August 1, 2025. This intensive workshop introduces participants to essential concepts and tools for writing and preparing research proposals. Focusing on the PPCR research proposal, participants in this collaborative-learning workshop will gain significant new insight into the logical structures and narrative pathways of persuasive arguments that are essential to effective proposal writing. We will also illustrate the principles for writing clearly and concisely in English through constructive peer review and discussion of participants’ draft research proposals. Agenda subject to change. Note: These dates are tentative and are subject to change.
The Research Manuscript Writing workshop is an intensive two-day course offered to participants from Boston and throughout the world who enroll in the PPCR main course component or have previously completed a PPCR course.
The two-day live intensive course will host Harvard professors who will give lectures and host group discussions. Students will participate in practical exercises.
The Principles and Practice of Clinical Research 5-Day immersion course will be held from November 19-23, 2025. Please note that the 5-day Immersion Course is included in the tuition, however, travel expenses and accommodation fees are not.
The 5-Day Immersion Course will host six Harvard professors who will review and discuss material presented throughout the year of the 2024 PPCR course in a detailed and intensive fashion. One important part of the 5-Day Immersion Course is that students will review their group projects and specific questions related to their own research with the Harvard faculty. This 5-Day Immersion Course is an important component and is intended to give students hands on experience in clinical trials design and analysis. Students will also present their year-long work to the entire group after discussion with faculty. Note: These dates are tentative and are subject to change.
The 5-Day Immersion Course will offer lectures, small group discussions, individual office hours, manuscript/grant writing classes and practical exercises. Students will review their group projects and work towards an oral or poster presentation. The goal of the live course component is to allow students to interact directly with Harvard faculty, discuss specifically their questions as they relate to the course, their project or their own research and to give them an opportunity to practice the acquired knowledge.
This 5-Day Immersion Course is a live on-site program. Harvard faculty will give live lectures and offer office hours. Participants are also required to participate in group discussions and complete practical exercises. Participants will also work on their group project and present it during the course.
Below is the 2023 schedule for the 5-Day Immersion Course. The 2025 schedule will likely be similar, with slight variation in dates and content. Please revisit our website at a later date to view the 2025 schedule.
9-month distance learning main program, March 27-December 11, 2025. Includes 5-day immersion course, November 19-23, 2025
In order for participants to receive the Welcome Packet and secure their place in the program, he or she should make their payment to Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health Executive and Continuing Education as soon as possible. Please keep in mind that your place will not be secured in the program until registration and payment is completed.
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