Medical Scientist Training Program

Enter the text here that is the new abstract information for your application. This section must be no longer than 30 lines of text. The University of Pennsylvania MD/PhD and VMD/PhD programs were established in 1958 and 1969, and united as a single medical scientist training program in 1977. The program currently enrolls 218 MD/PhD and 22 VMD/PhD students, 95% of whom are training grant eligible. Program guidance is provided by a committed team of faculty and staff that has been in place since 2014 and was recently joined by a medical educator experienced in program evaluation. Our primary goal is to identify, train and mentor a group of outstanding physician-scientists who will become leaders of biomedical research and translational medicine, as well as being successful clinicians, role models and mentors. To meet this goal, we have established flexible, evidence-based training plans that integrate research and clinical training in preparation for careers that use both. Penn’s institutional commitment is reflected in a large annual investment that provides resources, enrichment activities, and support for program administration, as well as an institutional culture that values physician-scientists, promotes scientific rigor and a safe learning environment, and expects good mentorship. Admission is open to recent college graduates and current Penn MD, VMD and PhD students. Admission decisions emphasize research experience, creativity, and commitment to a physician-scientist career as well as academic excellence. The average time to degree is 8.1 years. There are 12 affiliated graduate programs: 7 in Biomedical Graduate Studies plus Engineering, Economics, Chemistry, History & Sociology of Science, and Anthropology, with protocols to add more when appropriate. The training faculty includes 161 junior and senior scientists and physician-scientists including 3 NIH intramural investigators who hold adjunct faculty appointments at Penn. Policies are in place to acquire and maintain training faculty membership and to resolve conflicts. Each student’s individualized curriculum emphasizes the integration of clinical and research training, responsible conduct of research, scientific rigor and reproducibility, and mentorship. It also includes MSTP-directed courses in Years 1 and 2, Clinical Connections during graduate school, Return to Research in the final year and, because our responsibilities do not end with graduation, the Hand Over Curriculum, which guides students in the selection of physician-scientist-friendly residencies and careers. 81% of recent graduates who have completed further training are employed by academic centers, research institutes, the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, the NIH, and federal agencies. Most have research funding from the NIH and other sources. Our objectives for the next 5 years include: 1) fostering the next generation of physician-scientists, 2) assisting trainees in exploring physician-scientist career options in addition to academia, 3) managing upward pressure on total training time, and 4) improving mentorship skills for faculty and trainees. These objectives are linked to an outcomes rubric that defines success, and a logic model whose metrics will enable continuous improvement.