Exploring Penn Medicine’s Master’s Programs: A Q&A with Emma A. Meagher, MD
Emma A. Meagher, MD, plays many roles at the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM), including Professor, Medicine and Pharmacology; Vice Dean and Chief Clinical Research Officer; Senior Associate Vice Provost for Human Research; and Director, Translational Research Education.
She is also the Associate Dean, PSOM Master’s and Certificate Programs, where she manages and grows the School’s evolving professional education opportunities.
“The PSOM Master’s and Certificate Programs offer a wide portfolio of training options for the entire Penn community and beyond, inclusive of medical students, residents, postdocs, faculty, and staff interested in further education in all aspects of healthcare,” she says. “You may be surprised to learn there are 12 master’s degrees in the school and we are continuing to grow in response to workforce needs.”
While you have been at Penn, how has medical training changed, and how are the master’s programs contributing to that?
I have been at Penn for 26 years. During this time, I have participated in the reinvention of our medical education programs that allow medical students to personalize their education experience.
One example of this is the increased number of opportunities for the MD+ individualized programs. Last year, 49 percent of medical students graduated with an additional certificate or master’s degree. This is an incredible advantage of being at PSOM, and many students are availing themselves of these additional training opportunities. In these programs, medical students are learning alongside people from heterogeneous backgrounds who are at varying stages of their professional degrees, which significantly enriches their learning experiences.
What type of feedback have you gotten from participating students?
Students will invariably report how the experience opened their eyes to view challenges from different perspectives. Students who participate in research-focused master’s programs will report that the precision of their thought processes and ability to analyze and critique data are more finely tuned. Most will report that participation in master’s programs gave them a significant advantage in getting to the next stage of their career. The best evidence of this is the word-of-mouth recruitment they do for us! Based on their experience, they refer their colleagues and mentees to the programs. We are also encouraged by the career progression of our students who move on to fulfill their career goals and make a meaningful impact in healthcare.
What are Penn Medicine’s 12 master’s degrees?
We offer a Master of: Bioethics; Biomedical Informatics; Health Care Innovation; Science in Medical Ethics; Science in Clinical Epidemiology; Science in Genetic Counseling; Science in Health Policy Research; Public Health; Regulatory Affairs; Science in Regulatory Science; Science in Translational Research; and Science in Medical Physics.
How do these programs enrich and inform one other and our integrated healthcare system?
By training professionals who can apply their knowledge, focus their research in new areas, and improve clinical practice. Each degree supports an important aspect of health care and provides further evidence of Penn Medicine as a true learning health care system.
For example, when we consider an innovation in health care, such as a new drug for a rare genetic disease, the process from discovery to dissemination in the clinic will require multiple professionals, many of whom will have PSOM-level master’s training.
The Master of Science in Translational Research student may identify the target for the new drug; the Master of Regulatory Affairs student may organize the FDA submission for the drug approval; the Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology student may run the clinical trial to test efficacy; the Master of Science in Genetic Counseling student may identify patients with the genetic disorder that would benefit from the drug; the Master of Bioethics student may assess how pricing of the drug will affect patient access; and the Master of Public Health student may determine how best to communicate this new therapeutic to patients in need.
In any of your roles at Penn, what makes you proudest to work here?
The students drive my love of education. It is very rewarding to mentor students, to provide learning environments that allow students to thrive, and to see science transforming patient care with innovation happening every day in the clinic. All of this makes me incredibly proud of our trainees. This workforce will be the next generation of leaders in health care and continue the amazing work being done at Penn Medicine.
How can alumni, parents, and other Pulse readers follow up, get involved, or learn more?
I’d encourage everyone to visit our website to learn more about the Master’s and Certificate Programs at the Perelman School of Medicine. Our contact information is on that website — we welcome questions and interaction. We are always glad to share information about these important programs.