Pictured: Rebecca Rodriguez, a graduate of the UH JABSOM Master’s in Clinical and Translational Research Program, discusses her project, at the 2018 JABSOM Biomedical Sciences and Health Disparities Symposium in April. She is working on her PhD.
Class schedules are designed to accommodate the needs of working professionals Hawai’i jobs in medical science projected to skyrocket by 2020
By UH Med Now
Are you interested in a new career? You can get the education you need to prepare for an exciting new career, or advance in your current one, even if you already work full-time.
Applications are being accepted for the two-year Master’s in Clinical and Translational Research (CTR) Program at the University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM). Class schedules are designed to meet the needs of working professionals. Full-time, part-time or individual courses are available.
“I was interested in this program because it was in clinical and translational research. It wasn’t online. It was in a classroom setting and it was right here in Honolulu,” said Munirih Taʻafaki, a graduate student in the JABSOM Clinical & Translational Research Program.
By 2020, Hawaiʻi projects a 34% increase in jobs for medical scientists, plus a 14% increase in computer and math-related occupations. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. as a whole will see an 8% boost in science-related jobs during that same period.
Rebecca Rodriguez, currently pursuing a doctorate, also endorses the program. “I love the program because it’s one-on-one education, small, I get what I need and I can do it while I continue to work,” said Rodriguez. She is the Lead Clinical Research Coordinator and Site Supervisor for a non-profit clinical research program in support of military relevant infectious diseases in collaboration with military and government partners.
The two-year Clinical and Translational Research Program is geared toward the working professional.
“Do I sacrifice work or do I go back to school,” Rodriguez recalls asking herself. “The fact that I can go back to school one day a week and get my questions answered, get that one-on-one, face-to-face education and talk to my professors, for one day a week–you can’t ask for more,” said Rodriguez.
Taʻafaki, who is currently a manager with the Biostatistics Core at UH JABSOM, was inspired to work toward her Master’s degree after raising her children.
“I got married young, I had my children young, and it was always in the back of my mind that when I had the opportunity I would go back to school as soon as I could so this is a dream come true for me to be able to do this. It adds to my learning and the enjoyment of my work to be able to continue to develop my education,” said Taʻafaki.
Applications for the Fall Semester are due by May 30, 2018. Fill out the application online at http://msctr.jabsom.hawaii.edu.
Watch a short JABSOM video about the CTR Program: