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Apply for a scholarly concentration

Welcome to the Scholarly Concentrations Program application site for current medical students.

Applications to the Scholarly Concentrations program will be available and accepted from Dec. 6, 2024, until Jan. 5, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ETA link to the application will be on this page on Dec. 6. See details about available concentrations below.

Students typically begin their concentration between the first and second years of medical school, or during the first year, and continue into their fourth year. There may be opportunities to begin a concentration during the second year of medical school; however, this can be very difficult. The program is longitudinal and occurs alongside your core medical education. Before applying to a concentration, it is critical that you talk with the concentration co-directors and your lead advisor to determine if the plan of study will work in your schedule and aligns with your interests. See available concentrations below for details about recruitment, location requirements, and what you can expect to do in summer 2025.

Students who complete a concentration earn eight weeks of non-clinical elective credits toward graduation, a scholarly concentration designation on their transcript and are recognized at graduation.

Learn more about the program

Questions?

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Available concentrations: details, expectations for summer 2025

Available spots for 2024-2025 application cycle: 8-10

Home campus is Indianapolis. All coursework and scholarly work (except the online Fundamentals of Research and Scholarship and the Clinical Research Methods course) takes place at the Indianapolis campus.

Acceptance to and completion of IMPRS Summer Research Program is required for this concentration.

Be prepared to do the following during summer and fall 2025:

Date Course
05/22/2025–07/31/2025  Fundamentals of Research and Scholarship 
05/22/2025–06/30/2025  Clinical Research Methods
05/22/2025–07/31/2025 Research Topics in Medicine
05/22/2025–07/31/2025 Complete IMPRS research project that serves as launching pad for scholarly concentrations project
TBD Fall 2025 Immersion in Clinical and Patient-Oriented Research

View more information, including requirements, course descriptions and overall timeline for this concentration.

Co-Directors Contacts

Erika R. Cheng, PhD, MPA | echeng@iu.edu | 317-278-0552
Lisa G. Yazel, EdD, MCHES | smithlg@iu.edu | 317-278-0552

Available spots for 2024-2025 application cycle: 25

All coursework is online. Scholarly project locations vary by project but focus on Indianapolis area.

Be prepared to do the following during summer 2025:

Date Course
05/22/2025–07/31/2025  Fundamentals of Research and Scholarship 
06/01/2025–07/30/2025 

Value Creations and Financial Performance of Health Care Systems

06/01/2025–07/30/2025

Business Management of the Patient Experience

View more information, including requirements, course descriptions and overall timeline for this concentration.

Co-Directors Contacts

Kyle Anderson, PhD | kyjander@iu.edu | 317-274-0150

Janelle Cissell | cissellj@iu.edu | 317-278-6280

Available spots for 2024-2025 application cycle: 5

Home campus is Indianapolis. All coursework (except the online Fundamentals of Research and Scholarship, Genomic Medicine Journal Club, and Online Clinical Case Review) and scholarly project takes place at the Indianapolis campus.

Be prepared to do the following during summer and fall 2025, and academic year 2024-2025:

Date Course
05/22/2025–07/31/2025  Fundamentals of Research and Scholarship 
05/19/2025–07/31/2026  Online Clinical Case Review
05/19/2025–07/31/2026 Essential Laboratory Translation in Genomic Medicine
05/22/2025–07/31/2025 Effective Communications in Genomic Medicine
05/19/2025–01/31/2028 Work on scholarly project
05/19/2025–12/15/2027
Genomic Medicine Journal Club

View more information, including requirements, course descriptions and overall timeline for this concentration.

Co-Directors Contacts

Brittney-Shea Herbert, PhD | brherber@iu.edu | 317-274-6147

Available spots for 2024-2025 application cycle: 6

Home campus is Fort Wayne. However, all coursework is online. The scholarly project work occurs in Fort Wayne or Indianapolis.

Be prepared to complete or start the following during summer and fall 2025:

Date Course
05/22/2025–07/31/2025  Fundamentals of Research and Scholarship 
05/19/2025–04/11/2026  Population and Public Health Approaches to Aging
05/19/2025–04/08/2026 Health Care Integration and Healthy Aging
08/04/2025–04/08/2026 Journal Club
Summer 2025 Work on scholarly project

View more information, including requirements, course descriptions and overall timeline for this concentration.

Co-Directors Contacts

Bob Sweazey, PhD | rsweazey@iu.edu | 260-257-6863

Leslie A. Hoffman, PhD | lesahoff@iu.edu | 260-257-6842

 

Available spots for 2024-2025 application cycle: TBD

Home campus is Muncie. Coursework is both online and on the Muncie campus. The scholarly project work typically takes place on the Muncie campus.

Be prepared to do the following during summer 2025:

Date Course
05/22/2025–07/31/2025  Fundamentals of Research and Scholarship 
05/19/2025–08/01/2025  Introduction to Public Health
TBD Lifestyle Medicine

View more information, including requirements, course descriptions and overall timeline for this concentration.

Co-Directors Contacts

Larry Fromm, PhD | lfromm@iu.edu | 765-751-5111

Michael Litt, PhD | mlitt@iu.edu | 765-751-5110

Lynn Witty, MD | lwitty@iu.edu

Available spots for 2024-2025 application cycle: 2-4

Home campus is Bloomington and all concentration work (except the online Fundamentals of Research and Scholarship course) occurs in Bloomington.

Be prepared to do the following during summer 2025:

Date Course
05/22/2025–07/31/2025  Fundamentals of Research and Scholarship 
06/03/2025–06/28/2025  Introduction to Human Sexuality
06/03/2025–06/28/2025 Critical Issues in Sexuality and Health
Summer 2025 Work on scholarly project

View more information, including requirements, course descriptions and overall timeline for this concentration.

Co-Directors Contacts

Charles N Rudick, PhD  | crudick@iu.edu | 312-833-2120

Justin R Garcia, PhD | jusrgarc@iu.edu | 812-856-1504

Jessica J. Hille, JD, PhD | jhille@iu.edu | 812-855-404

Available spots for 2024-2025 application cycle: 30 or more

All concentration coursework is entirely completed online. The scholarly project work occurs in the student’s campus city and/or region or a mutually agreed upon site.

Be prepared to do the following during summer 2025:

Date Course
05/22/2025–07/31/2025  Fundamentals of Research and Scholarship
05/19/2025–08/01/2025
Introduction to Public Health
05/19/2025–08/01/2025 Population Health for Clinicians
Summer 2025 Identify mentor; Choose scholarly project topic; Work on scholarly project

View more information, including requirements, course descriptions and overall timeline for this concentration.

Co-Directors Contacts

William Tierney, MD | wtierney@iu.edu | 317-278-9531

Amanda Benaderet, MD, MPH | abenader@iu.edu | 317-948-2700

Priscilla Barnes, PhD | prbarnes@iu.edu | 812-855-4789

Jordan Holmes, MD | jorholme@iu.edu

Available spots for 2024-2025 application cycle: 10

Home campus is Evansville. Most coursework and scholarly work (except the online Fundamentals of Research and Scholarship course) takes place at the Evansville campus.

Be prepared to do the following during summer 2025:

Date Course
05/22/2025-07/31/2025  Fundamentals of Research and Scholarship
06/02/2025-06/06/2025 Introduction to Health Care Innovation and Implementation
 06/09/2025-07/31/2025  Learn Six Sigma for Healthcare Professionals
 06/02/2025-07/31/2025  Scholarly Concentration Project

View more information, including requirements, course descriptions and overall timeline for this concentration.

Co-Directors Contacts

Kara Garcia, PhD | karagarc@iu.edu | 812-909-7230

Art Chlebowski, PhD | achlebow@iu.edu | 812-464-1881

Available spots for 2024-2025 application cycle: 8

All coursework is online. Scholarly project locations vary by project and by agreement.

Be prepared to do the following during summer 2025: 

Date Course
05/22/2025–07/31/2025  Fundamentals of Research and Scholarship 
06/02/2025–06/27/2025  Survey of Spiritual Traditions and Concepts in Health
06/30/2025–07/25/2025 Survey of Spiritual Care Practice and the Research of Spirit
During summer Work on scholarly project
Please note that summer courses occur Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:30 p.m.–5 p.m. and Fridays, 3 p.m.–5 p.m.

View more information, including requirements, course descriptions and overall timeline for this concentration.

Co-Directors Contacts

Alex Lion DO, MPH | alion@iu.edu | 559-709-8228

Mona Raed MD | 440-667-3045

Available spots for 2024-2025 application cycle: 8

Home campus is Terre Haute. This concentration is open only to students at the Terre Haute campus. All coursework is online. Scholarly project work can occur in any rural community.

Be prepared to do the following during summer and fall 2025:

Date Course
05/22/2025–07/31/2025  Fundamentals of Research and Scholarship 
05/19/2025–08/01/2025  Introduction to Public Health
05/23/2025–8/01/2025 Introduction to Rural and Agricultural Health
08/19/2025–12/13/2025 Rural Health Journal Club

View more information, including requirements, course descriptions and overall timeline for this concentration.

Co-Directors Contacts

Ellen Ireland, PhD | eireland@iu.edu | 812-237-8323

Robin Danek, MPH | rdanek@iu.edu | 812-237-2469

Interested in applying for IMPRS or another summer experience?

It may be possible to do both a scholarly concentration and the IMPRS Summer Research program and  during the summer between your first and second years of medical school. IMPRS can serve as a great launching pad to a longitudinal scholarly concentration project that must lead to a manuscript. The IMPRS project alone does not qualify as the scholarly concentration project. Participants must be interested in a topic and research project that can be pursued longitudinally. The same goes for the summer IU School of Medicine AmeriCorps or other summer research programs.

The chart below indicates which scholarly concentrations align well with IMPRS. If you are interested in pursuing both a scholarly concentration and IMPRS, you must get in touch with the scholarly concentration co-director(s) and complete the IMPRS interest form. Having conversations about how any of these activities align and that your project works for both is hugely important.

Also, keep in mind that IMPRS has a significant time requirement during the summer — 40 hours per week. Most concentrations offer their courses and have students begin work on their project during the summer. Doing both programs is like working a full-time job during the day (IMPRS) and taking classes at night (scholarly concentration). You won’t have time to complete IMPRS in the summer and do a separate Scholarly Concentrations project and product.

Disclaimer: If you are applying to IMPRS, please note that there is no guarantee of being accepted to IMPRS. Acceptance into IMPRS doesn’t impact acceptance into a scholarly concentration. However, the Biomedical Research concentration requires participation in IMPRS.

Does my concentration align well with IMPRS?
Yes No Maybe
 Biomedical Research  Business of Medicine  Human Sexuality and Health
Genetics in Medicine

Religion and Spirituality in Medicine
Health Care Integration and Healthy Aging
 
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
 
Public Health
 
Quality and Innovation in Health Care
   
Rural Health
   

Have an issue? Email the Scholarly Concentrations team