The first of its kind in the United States, the program was created to address the growing national concern over the shortage of academic clinical investigators by training clinical fellows to be more effective clinical scientists. Participants in the program will acquire the necessary skills to design and conduct clinical investigations into emerging medical treatments and technologies, new diagnostic techniques and new approaches to the study of pathophysiology. The usual career track is a four-year program, which leads to both clinical board eligibility in a medical discipline and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Clinical Investigation. One full year of didactic instruction is ordinarily taken after an initial clinical year in a medical or surgical specialty, and provides the scientific grounding for subsequent original research. This research effort is jointly mentored by faculty from the program and a preceptor from the fellow's home division or department. Fellows already enrolled in a clinical fellowship program at Johns Hopkins may apply to enter the program during their last year of clinical training. Alternatively, applications for the program also are accepted concurrently with clinical fellowship applications for those who seek an early commitment. Program fellows normally will receive tuition and stipend support consistent with the usual level of postdoctoral support for their clinical specialties. | 
