The PhD degree is our flagship program for sub-specialty physicians, leading to both clinical board eligibility in a medical discipline and the PhD.
Candidates take one year of full-time didactic instruction after an initial training year in a medical or surgical subspecialty. This provides the scientific grounding for subsequent original research. GTPCI faculty and a preceptor from the fellow's SOM home division or department jointly mentor thesis research. Fellows already enrolled in a clinical fellowship program at Johns Hopkins usually apply during their first year of clinical training.
PhD candidates must complete 90 credit hours of instruction, including one full year of full-time coursework, with additional specialized coursework during the following two years, during which thesis research is conducted. A comprehensive exam is given at the end of the didactic year.
Candidates must satisfy all University requirements for the PhD, including preliminary oral examinations and thesis preparation and defense.

