Doctorate for Physicians PhD and Post-MD Program in Brain Research
Goal
The program’s goal is to train the next generation of research physicians in the area of Neuroscience. The program will allow physicians to acquire knowledge and develop innovative research tools for implementing scientific and groundbreaking research in the field of Neuroscience.
Unique Doctoral Program
The program’s focus is on Neuroscience from a multidisciplinary and computational perspective, using Machine Learning.
The program is relevant to physicians from a variety of fields and specialties, such as Anaesthesiology and Neurology, including Pediatric and Geriatric Neurology, Neurological Rehabilitation, Epileptology, Psychiatry, with a focus on nervous system conditions: Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Tourette's syndrome and others, as well as Ophthalmology.
Doctors studying in the program will conduct in-depth research in their area of focus and will explore it in basic, translational or clinical aspects, while acquiring tools and skills for independent scientific research that will form a direct link to the global scientific community.
The program provides capabilities and tools for building innovative scientific research groups in the medical field, professional advancement and a true contribution to the development of an advanced scientific environment in medical centers, while developing new and effective treatments for patients.
Who Should Enroll?
This track is intended for physicians at any professional stage (before/during internship, and for specialists) who have an interest in scientific, basic, or translational research, and whose hospital or health fundsupports their application to the program. The program aspires to have the participants who complete it as well as their internship, integrate into the hospital's leading research team, in addition to their clinical work.
Selection of Participants
Physicians who are interested in participating in the program, and have received In-Principle Consent from the hospital, should submit their application to the Head of the Multidisciplinary Center for Brain Research. The Head of the Center and the Head of the Advanced Degrees Committee will examine the candidates' credentials. After this review, the head of the program will invite outstanding candidates who meet the required criteria to appear before the full Graduate Degree Committee. The committee may, at its discretion, invite experts in the proposed research area to serve as advisors on the proposed research topic.
The Admissions Committee will hold a vote on candidate acceptance. After this procedure, candidates who are accepted will be able to join the program.
An important factor is the willingness of the candidate to devote the time required for conducting high-level research.
Reaching out to potential supervisors and obtaining their consent to supervision during the application stage is recommended.
If candidates are accepted to the program without selecting a supervisor, the decision on their acceptance will be based on personal achievements.
Final acceptance is subject to the candidates’ selection of a supervisor and fulfilling the conditions detailed below in the "Supervisor Approval" section.
If a supervisor is selected, he or she will be able to participate in the discussion in which the future research plan is presented. The supervisor will not be present at the other committee discussions or in the vote on the candidate's acceptance into the program.
Timeframe
The duration of the program is 6-8 semesters, similar to the standard program for the Doctor of Philosophy degree, in addition to receiving a scholarship, according to relevant faculty regulations. Full-time dedication requires devoting at least four full working days to research and one day to clinical work, as detailed in section 7 below, "Dedication of time to research".
Academic Requirements
The curriculum allows offers specializations in a Biology, Computation or Psychology-Linguistics track (a total of 4 core courses).
Students studying in the track are required to fulfill all academic obligations required of students for a doctoral degree.
The Admissions Committee may require the candidate to take additional courses, based on the candidate's academic background and at its discretion.
Supervisor Approval
The candidate will choose a supervisor. The supervisor will be asked to present an initial research plan and schedule. The committee will approve the supervisor after verifying that he/she is capable of supervising the candidate and that the initial research plan is of a sufficiently high level and can be implemented, subject to the candidate's qualifications and schedule.
Dedicating Time to Research
Program participants will be required to participate in the curriculum of research students at the faculty, including: Laboratory research, group meetings, faculty seminars, courses, etc. during regular faculty hours, at least four days a week - by prior arrangement with the supervisor. During the rest of the week, participants will be able to maintain collaboration with the department at the medical institution by taking part in department meetings, shifts, etc. Program participants are prohibited from engaging in additional work during the week, with the exception of one day of work per week in a clinical setting as stated above, in order to maintain clinical skills. A physician who chooses to do so may engage in clinical work during the weekend, provided this is done with the supervisor's consent and is confirmed by the supervisor’s signature on the appropriate form.
Note: Additional work, beyond research, that is not in the area of Medicine will NOT be approved.
Hospital Commitment to Participants
The hospital/health fund will allow program participants to devote their full time to studies and research for four years, without any requirements for presence at the hospital, except for one day a week. After studies are completed, the hospital will allow participants to return to their internship or work. The Department Director will sign a commitment for allowing the physician to allocate the time required for the program, and accepting the physician back into the work/internship framework at the end of the track.
Study Scholarship
During the studies, the participants' internship or work will be limited to the clinical framework, and therefore, program participants will not receive an intern/specialist salary from the hospital/health fund, with the exception of compensation for one working day a week (according to Section 6). However, participants will receive a subsistence scholarship. The scope of the scholarship for students in this track is identical to the one received by students in the regular study track. Participants can apply for an external scholarship or an internal excellence scholarship according to the updated criteria and regulations at the Faculty of Advanced Degrees during their studies.
Signing an Intellectual Property Agreement Form
A candidate who has been accepted to the program will be able to begin his/her studies only after signing an Intellectual Property Agreement Form issued by the hospital to which he/she belongs, in addition to the signature of the authorized stakeholder in that institution.
Application
Candidates interested in enrolling in the program should submit the following to the head of the program:
- Resume
- Academic transcripts
- Letter detailing the motivation for enrolling the program and areas of interest.
Application Deadline
Applications can be submitted throughout the year.
Email: Gondabrain.center@biu.ac.il
For details and registration please contact:
Tami Rubenov | 03-5317755 tami.rubenov@biu.ac.il
