 |
| Melinda Tyler |
 |
Program Philosophy
MD/PhD Training Program
Scope and Philosophy
You are now considering the MD/PhD path for your career, and considering your opportunities at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. Welcome!
We have a relatively young MD/PhD program with a fifteen year history. Graduates from this program have moved into the fields of academic medicine at several presigious institutions. Our scientific and clinical training programs are excellent, and many arenas of exciting research are ongoing at Upstate Medical University.
Influx of new faculty over recent years has kept the pace with the latest advances in the fields, and our scientists and clinicians compete very effectively for outside funding from governmental or foundation sources. We would like to share with you some history and philosophy about the MD/PhD training path, which is still evolving at this time on a national basis.
The Concept Behind the Dual Degree
The concept of the combined medical and scientific training
programs (MD/PhD) began in the early 1960s when it became
apparent that scientific training would fertilize the growth of
medical knowledge and patient care. In the other direction as well,
medical training clearly influences the focus and clinical relevance
of scientific research. At that point the need to train academic
clinicians who embrace clinically relevant research as part of the
daily program of their discipline evolved into a National Institutes
of Health initiative called the Medical Scientist Training Program
(MSTP). Since 1970, the MSTP mechanism has funded several MD/PhD
training programs in the U.S. Upstate Medical University's
MD/PhD Program is modeled after these programs.
The changing role of the clinical scientist
With the exponential growth of medical and scientific knowledge over the last two decades, the role of the clinician scientist has begun to change. Previously, clinician scientists could manage both careers simultaneously and with excellence. More recently, the rapid expansion of the scientific literature, increasing time constraints, marked changes in health care economics, and the intensifying of competition to acquire extramural grants from government agencies is causing some things to shift.
It is now the case that a significant proportion of trainees will decide whether to pursue a career that is clinically based with an emphasis on clinically-oriented research or one that is centered at the bench and the conduct of basic research on diseases or therapy-related issues. Furthermore, trainees are being counseled to make a critical career decision whether or not to pursue the same breadth of training earlier than would have occurred a decade ago.
The philosophy of the MD/PhD programs remains the same except that many trainees will focus their academic development in one area, clinical or basic research. This is not a sole exclusion, but a decision that allows the individual the potential to have the greatest impact with their evolving skills and interests. As a consequence of this shift some clinical disciplines are currently restructuring to assist clinician-scientists or scientist-clinicians to maximize their potential in the academic environment. Consequently, basic science departments in medical schools will see an increasing number of scientist-clinicians in primary faculty roles.
The landscape is changing, and the MD/PhD program at Upstate Medical University hopes to embrace these changes as we look forward to the evolution of our program over the next two decades.
| 
