The goal of the University of Michigan Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) is to train physician scientists primarily for careers in academic medicine with a focus on basic biomedical research. Such individuals are uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between basic and clinical medicine, and hence to connect basic discoveries to improvements in human health. We request 36 predoctoral positions. The total training is typically 8 years. The University of Michigan Medical Center is one of the world's largest one-site complexes devoted to health education, research and patient care, with over 4 million sq ft of space dedicated to education and laboratory research. The Michigan MSTP provides an integrated curriculum of MD/PhD training. Matriculants have a strong history of academic success and research experience, and are graduates of outstanding colleges from all parts of the US. There are currently 91 trainees and 190 graduates. The curriculum begins with the two basic science years of medical school. A graduate level biochemistry course is taken as part of the 1st year of medical school. Trainees undertake a research rotation after the 1st year of medical school and one or two rotations after the 2nd year. Trainees select a PhD field during the 2nd year of medical school; core participating departments include Bioinformatics, Biological Chemistry, Biophysics, Cancer Biology, Cell & Developmental Biology, Cellular & Molecular Biology, Human Genetics, Immunology, Microbiology & Immunology, Molecular & Cellular Pathology, Molecular & Integrative Physiology, Neuroscience, and Pharmacology. Other fields are possible; for example, currently there are trainees in our Schools of Engineering and Public Health, as well as in our Departments of History, Anthropology and Economics. Trainees take a leave of absence from medical school after the 2nd year or after the first 2 to 3 months of the 3rd year to continue graduate studies full time. During these research years, trainees can participate in clinical preceptorships to maintain and enhance their clinical skills and knowledge. Upon successful completion of the thesis defense, trainees complete their clinical training. All trainees take a clinical refresher tutorial shortly before the return to the clinical phase of medial school. The 3rd year of medical school can be entered any month within the first 5 months of the academic year to accommodate variations in thesis defense dates, and the 4th year medical school requirements are truncated to 20 weeks. The academic and clinical training are complemented by monthly program activities including seminars, social events and an annual off-site scientific retreat.
Trainees receive both an MD and a PhD in a medically-relevant field of research. Program graduates are optimally prepared to establish research-based careers in which the goal is to improve the public's health.
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