The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus MD/PhD Program was established in 1983 and obtained NIH/MSTP funding in 1993. This is the 5th competitive review, with essentially a fixed number of slots (15-16) for the past 20 years. The goal of this Program is to train a diverse cadre of dual-degree students to become outstanding physician-scientists and future leaders in biomedical research. To accomplish this goal, we select students from an increasing national applicant pool, seeking out those candidates whose record of research, academic, and leadership achievements are exemplary. Our pool size has increased significantly, from 154 in 2007 to 397 in 2016. We matriculate ~11 students annually, with plans to increase to 15/year in the next funding cycle. Our current roster of 75 students (45% female; 12% URM; 8% disability; 15% disadvantaged; and 9% 1st generation college) come from across the nation, from elite universities, and with ~30 months of prior research experience and ~60% with prior publication(s). The selected MSTP students enter a flexible, yet highly rigorous training program that interdigitates graduate and medical school courses in the first two years, by substituting graduate for medical school courses, and vice-versa, followed by one required MSIII clinical clerkship, with an option for a second. They then complete ~4 years of thesis work, followed by 16-24 months of MSIII/IV clinical work. An MSTP-specific Molecules to Medicine course, Seminar Series, and a Longitudinal Clinical experience during the thesis years have been specifically developed for our students. For thesis research, students choose from 193 total MSTP faculty in 15 graduate training programs, with the 100 faculty selected for this submission having $590K grant income/yr. MSTPs train at three sites: the new Anschutz Medical Campus, National Jewish Health, and the University of Colorado-Boulder, which have a combined grant income of ~$1B. To enhance the success of our MSTP students, we provide career guidance beyond the PhD thesis years, and we work diligently to place our graduates in elite residencies and fellowships. Since 1983, 214 students have matriculated, 28 are URMs, 19 left the program, 124 graduated with both degrees in 8 years, and 85 completed all of their training with 50 pursuing research in academics, the NIH/CDC, or industry, 32 in private practice, and 3 lost to follow-up. AMC has provided increasing support to MSTP, totaling $12.6M during the last funding cycle. The new Campus provides state-of-the-art education, research and clinical facilities, and enjoys significant momentum with ~$480M in grants, $450M in philanthropy and ~$100M in clinical income to fund research and programs. The SOM Dean John Reilly has funded 5 new basic/clinical collaborative Translational Research initiatives that will recruit ~15 new faculty. In sum, the continuous improvement of the Program, applicant pool, recruited students, training faculty and plan, student outcomes, institutional support, and research funding and environment justifies our request for 20 slots/year.
Clinical disorders, such as Alzheimers, auto-immunity, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, obesity and genetic diseases result in significant human suffering, and unnecessary morbidity and mortality. To mitigate the negative impact of these diseases, it is critical to train a cadre of physician-scientists who can identify the most important questions in medicine, and then apply the most rigorous scientific investigation tools to discover disease mechanism, novel treatments, and optimal prevention strategies. Trainees supported by this grant will become the future biomedical physician-scientists who will work towards increasing our understanding of fundamental pathogenesis of disease and cutting-edge approaches to treat patients.
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