The two-year Measurement and Regulatory Science (MaRS) Fellowship is the only program in the United States where you get on-the-job training while building and strengthening your research skillset in COA, stated-preference research, and patient-centered research.

Fellows will:

1. Engage in coursework and self-directed research projects, and are exposed to real-world regulatory issues related to patient-centered research
2. Train one-on-one with expert Duke faculty who’ve developed measurement tools that are being used globally
3. Get real-world experience through mentor-guided industry research
4. Develop research skills that are disease- and setting- agnostic and can answer regulatory questions
5. Build a professional network from our industry partners and Duke’s world-renowned faculty

MaRS Fellowship Core Skillset

• Designing, selecting or evaluating clinical outcomes assessments (COAs)
  • Best practices for survey design
  • Measurement theory and models
  • Qualitative methods for concept elicitation
  • Qualitative methods for cognitive testing
  • Quantitative methods for evaluating psychometric properties of COAs  
• Integrating COAs in clinical trials
  • Endpoint positioning of COAs
  • Analytic considerations for COA endpoints  
• Survey methods for valuing outcomes and assessing preferences
  • Random-utility theory and models
  • Economic models for choice under uncertainty
  • The use of preference data for patient-centric benefit-risk analysis  
• Patient-focused drug and device development
  • Engagement of stakeholders throughout development programs
    • Best practices for patient engagement
  • Conceptual models relevant to a development program (e.g., of disease, endpoint model, context of use)

Program Structure The term of the appointment is two years. Eighty percent of the time in Year 1 is spent training in Durham, NC with the Postdoctoral Appointee functioning under the supervision of a Duke faculty mentor, while the remaining 20% is spent receiving mentoring from an industry partner. In Year 2, 80% of the Fellow’s time is spent training with an industry partner, and Duke faculty will provide mentoring for the remaining 20%.

Year 1 is focused on strengthening skills via training and participation in ongoing studies involving COAs. During this time, fellows will attend graduate-level courses offered through Duke's Department of Population Health Science's graduate program or other courses offered throughout Duke. The Fellow will participate in a mentored research project on health outcomes measurement.

Year 2 is focused on real-world, experiential patient-centered research. The Fellow will continue to conduct a mentored project that is both related to patient-centered research and can contribute to regulatory decision-making and policymaking, under the guidance of an industry mentor and a Duke faculty mentor. At the end of the two years, the postdoctoral fellow is ready to transition to work in patient-centered research in an industry or regulatory science setting.

The Postdoctoral Appointee should hold a PhD or equivalent doctorate (e.g. ScD, MD) in public health, psychometrics, education measurement, biostatistics, medical sociology/anthropology, nursing, medicine, or related fields.