Our Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), entering its 28th Year July I, 2006, is designed to provide trainees with specialized preparation for research-oriented careers in academic medicine. MSTP offers rigorous training in both basic and clinical sciences leading to the combined M.D., Ph.D. degrees. Twelve trainees with outstanding credentials and research backgrounds are recruited each year from a national pool of applicants. Admission to the MSTP is highly competitive and UCSF has been very successful in attracting students over the past 27 years. There are currently 68 trainees and 94 graduates. The general features of the training program are summer laboratory rotations, two years of preclinical medical school coursework integrated with one or two core graduate courses followed by either a clinical clerkship or another laboratory rotation. The trainee then completes three to four years of graduate courses and research, and a final 18-24 months of clinical training. During the first two years, trainees attend a weekly MSTP course designed to provide exposure to research faculty at UCSF. During their graduate research years, the trainees participate in an MSTP preceptorship designed to maintain their clinical skills. Trainees select Ph.D. thesis advisors from a pool of internationally recognized investigators. The program is administered and trainee progress is monitored by an Advisory Council composed of clinical and basic science faculty with outstanding research records who maintain a strong commitment to our program. A major goal of the MSTP is to integrate clinical and basic research training without compromising the quality of either degree. This training program is designed to optimally train physicians for careers in biomedical research. By optimally preparing such individuals for such integrated careers, we will establish a group of physician scientists who will contribute to more rapid progress in medical research and will be in a better position translate of such research towards the better diagnosis, management and treatment of human disease.
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