We are requesting funds for the continuation and expansion of the Medical Sciences Training Program (MSTP) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The goal of the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) is to provide outstanding, integrated training to physician-scientists. A core philosophy of the Program is that the rigor and caliber of both the M.D. and the Ph.D. training is equivalent to those of single degree candidates, as we believe this provides a strong foundation for long-term, successful academic careers. Three physician-scientists, each of whom is active in research, graduate training, and clinical activities, lead the MSTP. The MSTP Steering Committee includes faculty from the major Colleges and Schools of the University, reflecting the breadth of training opportunities available to students at UW-Madison. The Program works to ensure that students take full advantage of the remarkable resources and opportunities present at UW-Madison for both medical education and graduate research training. The usual student does two years of Medical School training while at the same time becomes acquainted with research opportunities and participates in research rotations. Research mentors and graduate programs are chosen in the second year. Before embarking fulltime on graduate work, the student does a clinical rotation. During the graduate years, the student attends a bimonthly clinic. The last two years of Medical School are done after completion of the Ph.D. thesis. The majority of student theses are in areas that require strong training in the traditional biological sciences (e.g., identification of a disease-related gene), but we admit and foster students working in less traditional areas (e.g., learning how perception of health influences behavior). Students produce substantial theses that usually result in important publications. Activities that foster program cohesiveness include a weekly seminar/journal club, yearly retreat, yearly symposium, and regular social gatherings. To provide a cohesive and dynamic group of students, we are targeting a class size of 10 students for an overall program size of 80 students. Our long-term goal is to train physician-scientists who will have major impact on biomedical research and the practice of clinical medicine, and hence, will be future leaders in Academic Medicine.
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