The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Rehabilitation Sciences program at the MGH Institute of Health Professions trains scientists to conduct research in health and rehabilitation-related fields. Students may be clinicians in a health or rehabilitation field (e.g., physical or occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, nursing, medicine) or scientists, engineers, or other professionals seeking advanced graduate study and interprofessional research training. Graduates from the program are well prepared to pursue a research-oriented career in academic, research, and/or health care settings. The program provides students the opportunity to work with internationally renowned experts in the heart of the Boston-based, U.S. medical community.
A hallmark of the program is the interdisciplinary composition of its faculty, curriculum, and student body. Students typically come from a mix of rehabilitation-related disciplines, including but not limited to physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, nursing, engineering, health analytics, and/or physiatry/rehabilitation medicine. The focus on clinical research and the interdisciplinary structure of the program are well-aligned with national priorities in health care and rehabilitation (e.g., NIH Roadmap), which increasingly emphasize evidence-based practice and interdisciplinary approaches to patient management and research.
The PhD Program Executive Committee (EC) oversees the operations of the Program. The EC is chaired by the Program Director and comprised of the Associate Director and members of the doctoral-level Program Faculty who have experience in supervising PhD students, a history of external research grant support, and/or a history of peer-reviewed publications (including involvement in the research grant and/or publication process as a reviewer). The EC oversees and make decisions about all the critical aspects of the program including, but not limited to: 1) developing, reviewing and modifying all necessary program-specific policies and procedures, 2) approving faculty for participation in the Program, 3) approving Research Mentors for students, 4) assigning Faculty Advisors (if needed) 5) approving the membership of faculty committees for the qualifying examination and dissertation, and 6) tracking the progress of students throughout the program.
The academic policies of the MGH Institute of Health Professions are published in the Catalog which is available online at the Institute’s website (www.mghihp.edu). Academic policies of the PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences Program are presented in this Policies and Procedures Manual (P&P Manual). Students are required to familiarize themselves with and adhere to the policies and procedures contained in both the Catalog and this Manual.
The MGH Institute of Health Professions is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution and prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, status as a parent, or national origin. The Institute respects and values the diverse backgrounds of all people and welcomes all students to participate fully in all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to the Institute community.