Launch A Career As a Medical Researcher
Ordinarily, doctors focus on healing one patient at a time, but a physician scientist’s primary task is to investigate the causes of illness and wellness.
Through research, physician scientists occasionally discover life-saving cures and treatments, and they collectively work to increase knowledge about human health.
One way to prepare for a career as a physician scientist is to attend an M.D.-Ph.D. program, which combines medical school with graduate school. Here are 10 ways to identify the M.D.-Ph.D program that is the best fit with your personal and professional goals.
1. Funding
One key way to differentiate between M.D.-Ph.D. programs in the U.S., experts say, is to see which programs are funded by the National Institutes of Health, which only supports programs that meet its quality standards.
The federal agency provides grants to medical schools which subsidize the cost of tuition, fees and stipends for M.D.-Ph.D. students whom the schools appoint as trainees.
“You’re basically getting paid to go to medical school,” says Dr. Christopher Kontos, director of the federally-funded Medical Scientist Training Program at the Duke University School of Medicine.
2. Location
Experts say the location of a medical school is a critical factor for prospective M.D.-Ph.D. students to consider, because M.D.-Ph.D. programs typically last at least seven years.
Andrea Lanahan, the assistant director of Duke’s Medical Scientist Training Program and the director of admissions at its medical school, says prospective students should ask: “Is this somewhere I can see myself for seven to eight years and someplace I can be happy?”
Osama El-Sayed, an M.D.-Ph.D. student at the University of Illinois–Chicago, says the city afforded his wife ample career opportunities.
3. Balance Between Clinics, Research
Prospective M.D.-Ph.D. students should assess their personal preferences about how much time they want to spend on clinical training as opposed to academic research, experts say.
Preferences about how much to prioritize research vary enormously between M.D.-Ph.D. students, experts say, and there are M.D.-Ph.D. programs that suit students on either end of the spectrum.
El-Sayed said because he was more interested in research, he focused on medical schools that excelled there, but M.D.-Ph.D. students who want extensive clinical experience should target schools that provide top-notch clinical training.
4. Expertise in a Specific Discipline
Some prospective M.D.-Ph.D. students have a clear sense of the topics in medicine that they are most interested in, experts say, and those students should choose medical schools that have produced high-impact research in their desired discipline.
“If you are interested in neuroscience, you want to choose schools that have the strongest neuroscience department,” Dr. Jimmy Lin, the founder and president of the Rare Genomics Institute, said in an email. “If you don’t know specifically what one area of research you want to engage in, look for schools that have the strongest programs in your top few areas of interest.”
5. Academic Breadth
Experts say prospective M.D.-Ph.D. students who are uncertain about their research focus should choose an M.D.-Ph.D. program that is strong in multiple disciplines.
One indicator of a medical school’s versatility is the total amount of grant money that NIH has given the school, says Dr. Michael Donnenberg, senior associate dean for research and research training at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and director of its M.D.-Ph.D program.
“You couldn’t really get a huge number and be good in only one area,” Donnenberg says. “To get a huge number, you have to be very good in many areas.”
6. Early. Clinical Training
Experts say it’s ideal when M.D.-Ph.D. programs allow students to get hands-on clinical experience and interact with patients before starting their medical research projects.
“This really allows us to make an informed and smart decision about driving our research,” says Megan Kelly, an M.D.-Ph.D. student at Duke.
Kelly says treating patients is a source of inspiration in conducting Ph.D. research.
7. Multiple Potential Mentors
Experts say it’s unwise to choose an M.D.-Ph.D. program simply because a famous professor you’d love to work with is there.
M.D.-Ph.D. students won’t necessarily get their first-choice laboratories and mentors for their Ph.D. projects, experts say, and prominent medical school professors often switch universities.
“Sometimes these great scientists may not be the best mentors,” Kontos of Duke says. “They may have a very large lab that isn’t conducive to graduate student training.”
Kontos says it’s best to choose an M.D.-Ph.D. program with a diverse and talented faculty that has a history of mentoring students successfully.
8. Satisfied Students
Confirm an M.D.-Ph.D. program is worth the time investment by checking in with current students, experts suggest.
Kelly says, when she visited Duke as a prospective student, she was comforted by how happy current M.D.-Ph.D. students appeared to be. She recommends that all prospective M.D.-Ph.D. students visit the schools they are considering.
Current M.D.-Ph.D. students are typically eager to talk about their medical school experience, Lanahan of Duke says. “The students are very, very transparent about what’s going well and what’s not going well,” she says.
9. Successful Alumni
Experts say it’s important to find out whether an M.D.-Ph.D. program’s recent alumni are doing high-level medical research and whether any were hired in an academic position. Prospective students should also inquire about a medical school’s residency placement rate, experts say.
One particularly positive sign, El-Sayed says, is when one of a school’s recent graduates is a principal investigator of a research project that received a significant federal grant.
10. A Culture That Fits
Experts say the culture of a medical school can influence whether an M.D.-Ph.D. student is successful.
“The fit of you as an individual or a prospective student with the particular ethos and culture of that institution is really, really important,” says Santa Ono, a professor and the president and vice-chancellor of the University of British Columbia who has a Ph.D. in experimental medicine and has taught at multiple U.S. medical schools.
Ono, who teaches at the University of British Columbia’s medical school, says some M.D.-Ph.D. programs have a highly competitive culture and a “sink or swim mentality,” whereas others are more collaborative.
More on Medical School
Learn how to demonstrate your research skills to medical schools, and identify medical schools that teach evidence-based medicine, which uses research to inform treatment decisions. Access our complete rankings of the 2018 Best Medical Schools.
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10 Ways to Identify the Right M.D.-Ph.D. Program originally appeared on usnews.com
