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HMX Fundamentals goes public

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Charting new territory in online medical education, Harvard Medical School has launched for the first time an online program for aspiring clinicians as well as the general public.

The certificate program, called HMX Fundamentals, offers coursework in four foundational subjects: physiology, immunology, genetics and biochemistry.

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Offering wider access to the knowledge and acumen of some of HMS’s top physician-scientists, the program is open to students of all ages. Incoming HMS students have used the courses to prepare for the school’s demanding curriculum, but HMX courses are designed for any students considering or beginning health care careers who want a preview of medical school instruction, or for individuals training for nursing, pharmacy and physician assistant programs.

“With this program, I have access to the high level of knowledge and education that I need to pursue a career in medicine,” said Celeste Barker, a current undergraduate at Bucknell University and an HMX student.

The program, HMS leaders said, represents the democratization of medical education.

The HMX Fundamentals program is now accepting applications for its inaugural summer course, which begins June 20. The application window for the summer courses remains open through May 30.

For a single HMX Fundamentals course, tuition is $800; for a pair of HMX Fundamentals courses (either HMX Immunology and HMX Genetics or HMX Physiology and HMX Biochemistry), combined tuition is $1,000; for all four HMX Fundamentals courses, combined tuition is $1,800. Partial scholarships are available on a limited basis.

For more information and application details, visit onlinelearning.hms.harvard.edu/hmx.