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Indiana University School of Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
MD Education Program

Scholarly Concentrations Program

The Scholarly Concentrations Program is an optional, co-curricular opportunity that takes place alongside and complements the core medical school curriculum. It empowers students to explore specialized topics of personal and professional interest such as public health, business of medicine, rural health, quality and innovation in health care, medical education and more.

Students engage in targeted coursework, complete a scholarly project, and produce a manuscript they submit for publication along with a poster presented at IU School of Medicine Education Day. Students benefit from:

  • Skill development in research, communication, and scholarship
  • Access to the statewide network of experts and resources through IU School of Medicine and other partners
  • Unique mentorship opportunities
  • A competitive edge for residency applications and long-term professional development

Concentration Benefits

Scholarly concentrations allow students to customize their education by choosing an area of emphasis that aligns with their interests and career goals. Scholarly concentrations enable MD students to gain knowledge and participate in multidisciplinary scholarship and community engagement — all without adding time or cost to their MD degree.

Students who complete a scholarly concentration:

  • Earn eight weeks of non-clinical elective credit toward graduation
  • Receive a designation on their academic transcript
  • Gain material suitable for residency interviews and their CV
  • Are recognized at graduation

Graduating students report that their concentration experiences are frequently discussed during residency interviews and serve as distinctive accomplishments.

2024-2025 Annual Report

See highlights from student projects and outcomes in the 2024-2025 Scholarly Concentrations Annual Report.

Focused Areas of Study

IU School of Medicine offers a wide range of scholarly concentration topics that leverage local, national and international expertise across its nine campuses. Students applying to IU School of Medicine are encouraged to consider regional campuses that host these concentrations when submitting their campus preference during the Admissions process.

Map of indiana shows locations of scholarly concentrations around the state. Bloomington: human sexuality and health, medical education. Evansville: Quality and innovation in health care. Fort Wayne: Health Care Integration and Healthy Aging. Indianapolis: Biomedical research, genetics in medicine, and medical humanities. Muncie: Health promotion and disease prevention. Gary: Urban medicine and health care disparities. South Bend: Ethics, Equity and Justice. Terre Haute: rural health. West Lafayette: Biomedical engineering and applied medical technology, care of hispanic/latino patients. Statewide: Business of medicine, public health, religion and spirituality in medicine.

Explore Each Concentration

Biomedical Engineering and Applied Medical Technology

Biomedical Research

Business of Medicine

Care of Hispanic/Latino Patients

Ethics, Equity, and Justice

Genetics in Medicine

Health Care Integration and Healthy Aging

Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

Human Sexuality and Health

Medical Education

Medical Humanities

Public Health

Quality and Innovation in Health Care

Religion and Spirituality

Rural Health

Urban Medicine and Health Care Disparities

Program Curriculum

All concentrations include the following core requirements:

  • An online foundational course on research and scholarship
  • A scholarly project related to the selected concentration
  • A final scholarly product: a manuscript submitted for publication (publication not required)
  • Concentration-specific courses and experiences
  • Presentation of a poster at IU School of Medicine Education Day.

Concentrations have required or recommended pathways that align well with the medical school curriculum and calendar. 

Typically, most students begin a concentration during the summer between the first and second year of medical school. Some start during the first year. All continue through to their final year. See each concentration description to learn about its requirements and find one that aligns with your interests.

Example student journey shows a typical pathway in a scholarly concentration, although they may vary for each student. In Phase 1 Year 1, students complete a topic specific course. During summer beak, a second topic specific course is completed along with Fundamentals of Research and Scholarship. The student also begins their project in the summer, and work will continue until the end of Phase 3. In Phase 1 year 2, the student completes the third topic specific course. In Phase 3, the student completes their product and presents at Education Day.

Video

Deeb Omari

Pediatrics resident, McGraw Medical Center of Northwestern University

Urban Medicine and Health Care Disparities Scholarly Concentration graduate

Joseph Cooper

MS3, Genetics in Medicine

"I have had a great experience working with [my mentor], and we are well on our way to completing a great research project [on perceptions of pharmacogenomics among low-income residents of central Indiana]. I have presented at two conferences [already]. I have also submitted an abstract to the 2024 ACMG conference in Toronto [the major society for medical genetics]... the next step is selecting a journal to write for and beginning work on our manuscript."

Michael Weber

Psychiatry resident, IU School of Medicine

Health Care Integration and Healthy Aging Scholarly Concentration graduate

“I’m interested in the physical, emotional, and psychological changes that occur as people age and how health care systems might improve to optimize well-being throughout the stages of life. Participating in this scholarly concentration will help me become a better member of an interprofessional health care team, as well as gain a stronger understanding of the unique needs of an aging population.”

Michael Weber

Tari Kurman

Pediatrics resident, Colorado School of Medicine

Human Sexuality and Health Scholarly Concentration graduate

"I think the scholarly concentration will make me a better physician regardless of what field I go into, because I believe the clinical practices we use to improve health care for LGBTQ+ patients can be applied to improve health care for all patients."

Read what current students, graduates, and mentors have to say
Tari Kurman

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Scholarly concentrations is an optional program that’s available to medical students at IU School of Medicine.

Currently enrolled IU School of Medicine MD students can apply to the Scholarly Concentrations Program during the application window, Dec. 5, 2025 to Jan. 4, 2026. Students on the West Lafayette, South Bend, and Northwest-Gary campuses can apply to those concentrations in August/September 2025. Applicants to IU School of Medicine are encouraged to preference campuses that have scholarly concentrations in which they're interested. They'll have a chance to apply after matriculation in 2026.

No. Concentrations are completed within the traditional four-year medical curriculum. Students typically begin the summer between their first and second years of medical school or during their first year. After that, the program is longitudinal and occurs alongside your core medical education.

No. There are no additional fees or tuition associated with completing a concentration.

No. In order to have a robust experience, students may only participate in one concentration. 

Yes, although this require careful planning and coordination with academic advisors. The scholarly concentrations in Public Health and Business of Medicine can lead to a master’s in public health and MBA, respectively as those programs will count scholarly concentration work toward the dual degree. Students in dual degree programs must still fulfill all scholarly concentration requirements in order to receive IU School of Medicine non-clinical elective credit and the Scholarly Concentrations Program designation. For information about the MD-MPH program, contact program director Bill Tierney, MD. For MD-MBA program information, contact Kate Hussey, associate director, Evening MBA Program, Kelly School of Business, at klhussey@iu.edu or (317) 274-0832.