University of Massachusetts Medical School and UMass Memorial Health Care

Director: Jacalyn Coghlin-Strom, MD, MPH
Family and Community Medicine
55 Lake Avenue North
Worcester, MA 01655
Phone: 508.856.5615
Fax: 508.856.1212                                                   Email:  jackie.coghlin-strom@umassmed.edu             Internet: www.umassmed.edu/fmch/preventive/

Total Number of Residents: 7

Tracks/Areas of Emphasis:
Clinical Preventive Medicine
Community Medicine
Epidemiology
Health Care Organization & Administration
Public Health Practice

Post Graduate Prerequisites: Completion of an ACGME accredited clinical year (PGY1)

Academic Year: Tuition is waived for residents

Degree(s) Awarded: MPH

Combined Training with Other Specialties:
Family Medicine

Program Description: The U-Mass GPM Residency Program is a fully accredited two year program which provides training in epidemiology, disease prevention, and health promotion in clinical, community, and public health settings. Individuals with previous training in family medicine, internal medicine, or pediatrics may prepare for specialized academic or clinical careers in their fields.

At least one year of clinical training in the U.S. or Canada must be completed before entering the program. Applicants with an existing MPH degree or equivalent may be considered for a one-year practicum program. Residents in the two-year program pursue academic training leading to the MPH degree in epidemiology. The MPH courses may be obtained on the Medical Center Campus in Worcester and/or from the U-Mass School of Public Health (Amherst). Academic and practicum experiences are offered concurrently throughout the two-year program, although most residents focus primarily on academic course work during the first year and clinical and field experiences during the second year. Residents are required to complete a major research project which may be an original epidemiologic study or the development and evaluation of a prevention program. Most residents participate in a primary care clinical practice 1/2 day per week and develop teaching skills by assisting program faculty in community health and epidemiology courses for medical students.

Many educational and research opportunities exist for residents at U-Mass Medical Center and at other institutions in the region. Department faculty are actively engaged in research and teaching in epidemiology, clinical prevention, community health promotion, health services delivery, environmental health and occupational medicine. The Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine in the Department of Medicine offers opportunities for training in cardiovascular and nutritional epidemiology and in a variety of approaches to individual and community-based behavior modification. Many other field experiences are available to residents in four family health centers affiliated with the Department, in state and local departments, of public health, and in two large HMOs.