Biomedical Graduate Programs

Translational and Health System Science (MS and certificates)

Preparing clinicians and researchers to translate scientific findings into improvements in human health and the health care system.

Wake Forest’s online degree program in Translational and Health System Science (MS and certificates) provides a unique constellation of methodological and professional skills to implement rigorous research in the health care system and the community to disseminate findings that improve human health. Training in our program has evolved over the past 30 years to meet the evolving needs of clinical and health system researchers wishing to expand their skill set and become independent scientists.

The ideal candidate for THSS:

A clinician who is interested in leading their own research
Medical students and fellows who want to complete a year of research during their clinical training
Wants to lead their own extramural research program
Committed to implementing findings in clinical and community settings to improve patient and population health
Seeks an online, flexible format

Key Program Objectives

Develop meaningful and feasible research questions
Critically review and appraise the scientific literature
Design and execute studies to answer research questions
Perform and interpret statistical analyses and collaborate effectively with biostatisticians
Ensure that research or quality improvement adhere to the highest ethical and regulatory standards
Write grant applications, protocols, manuscripts, abstracts, and prepare presentations
Collaborate productively in multidisciplinary scientific teams
Implement innovations in community or health care settings to ensure the systematic uptake of research findings

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Admissions

Our program invites applicants who have completed a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, or are scheduled to complete their degree prior to their planned enrollment term. The program is open to all applicants meeting this criteria. We welcome students from diverse backgrounds, including students that the National Institutes of Health defines as under-represented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields or medical practice. Our process for application reviews are holistic, designed to see the potential in every applicant. Our goal is to identify candidates that, through the completion of our program, can successfully embrace a role as an independent investigator in translational and health system science.

The program awards a Master of Science degree, but also maintains a joint degree with the Wake Forest University School of Medicine MD program. Potential or current MD students may review specific information about the MD/MS in Translational and Health System Science joint degree offering. The program also works closely with fellowship programs to ensure completion of the MS degree during graduate medical education.

All enrolled MS students do need to commit to a minimum of 3 academic terms in this virtual program. We offer an accelerated 12-month curriculum who can devote their time solely to the graduate program. We also offer a 21-month full-time option and part-time enrollment.
The full list of application requirements, and the deadlines for individual academic terms, can be viewed on our How to Apply page. Standardized tests are not required as part of the admission process.

Competitive applicants

While there are no application minimums to have an application reviewed by the program, competitive applicants to the program generally have many of the following attributes:

Clinical training (MD, DO, nurses), including those in the fellowship or residency phase of clinical training
Strong performance during the pursuit of prior degrees
Vested in pursuing a career as a clinical and translational scientist
An overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or above
Institution leadership commitment to adequate release time to pursue the degree

Competitive applicants are interviewed by the admission committee to assess fit for the program.

Here’s What Our Alumni Have to Say

“It’s no exaggeration to say that I owe any success I’ve had in my research career to participation in this master’s degree program. Translational research is neither basic science, nor clinical research; it takes a broad understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of many research methods and study designs. But more importantly, in this era of team science, it takes tremendous colleagues to create an outstanding team. No one can be expert in every methodology or technique, but the ability to understand the needs of each member of the scientific team and communicate effectively is absolutely essential. The experiences and ties to faculty in other departments built during my degree pursuit allowed this to happen for me.”

— Kevin P. High, MD, MS - Executive Vice President, Health System Affairs, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist; Professor of Medicine/Infectious Diseases, Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

“My MS training equipped me to bridge academia and operations, apply a learning health system approach, translating research, quality science, and population-based thinking into real-world improvements across emergency medicine and now hospital-based specialties. This work advances enterprise goals by strengthening interdisciplinary leadership, accelerating innovation, and reimagining how hospital-based care is coordinated and delivered. Absent this academic foundation, the system would lose a critical engine for integrating evidence into practice and scaling impact across the enterprise. This foundation has been central to advancing enterprise priorities in quality, access, and performance across hospital-based specialties; without it, system-level integration and innovation would be slower and less effective.”

— Chad Miller, MD, MS – Service Line President, Emergency Medicine | Southeast Region, Advocate Health; Professor and Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

The THSS program empowered me to successfully obtain an NHLBI K23 award to conduct a clinical trial focused on preventive cardiovascular care in our emergency department. The program provided me with outstanding translational research skills and a world-class mentoring team.

— Nick Ashburn MD, MS, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine

My research is in abdominal adhesions, the scar tissue that develops in the abdomen following surgery. This is a global problem, affecting patients all over the world and costing the US health care system billions annually. There is much unknown about the epidemiology of abdominal adhesions and reliable prophylactics are urgently needed. AHWFB and the greater Advocate network is in a unique position to both develop and test new drugs and devices to address this global problem... THSS was absolutely foundational and formative to my ability to do this work!

— Samuel P. Carmichael II, MD PhD FACS, Associate Professor of Surgery, Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Curriculum

The program has two specific tracks: Clinical and Translational Investigation, and Learning Health System Science, as well as a corresponding graduate certificate in each track. Each MS student is required to select a track and meet its requirements in order to successfully complete the program.

Coursework emphasizes biostatistics, epidemiology, bioinformatics, implementation science, organizational change, the learning health system, clinical trials, and applied clinical and population research methods, along with the responsible conduct of research and scientific writing. Courses are primarily taught by faculty within the Division of Public Health Sciences and the Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute.

Learn More About The Program Curriculum

Leadership and Faculty

Led by Dr. Lindsay Reynolds and Dr. Kristie Foley, the program draws primarily on faculty in the Division of Public Health Sciences, dedicated to providing focused education and research in all areas and departments within the division.

Lindsay M. Reynolds, PhD

Assistant Professor, Epidemiology and Prevention, Public Health Sciences (Winston-Salem)

Kristie Long Foley, PhD, MS

Chair, Implementation Science, Public Health Sciences (Winston-Salem)
Professor, Implementation Science, Public Health Sciences (Winston-Salem)

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These degree programs are administered by Wake Forest University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and located on the Bowman Gray Campus alongside Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Technology Transfer and Commercialization

Research Focus Areas

Translation to Care

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Translational and Health System Science (MS and certificates)

Key Program Objectives

Ready to Apply?

Questions?

Admissions

Competitive applicants

Here’s What Our Alumni Have to Say

Curriculum

Leadership and Faculty

Lindsay M. Reynolds, PhD

Kristie Long Foley, PhD, MS

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