The
National Research Council, in addressing the nation’s changing needs for
biomedical and behavioral sciences, indicates that there is a dearth of
physician-scientists. This program is designed to facilitate the progress of a
physician toward the completion of the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Biology
Program. The student will apply to the Ph.D. program and will complete all of
the requirements for the degree, except that the course schedule will reflect
credit being given for courses taken in their medical school curriculum. This
should significantly reduce the time involved in completing the formal portion
of the program. While the time required for the dissertation portion of the
program cannot be specified, it is anticipated that the program can be completed
in approximately 36 months.
Application Process
The applicant will follow the general
guidelines for all applicants to the program, except that the requirement for
the standardized test (GRE) may be waived for applicants with a M.D. from a U.S.
institution.
Degree Requirements
The program requires 72 post-baccalaureate
credit hours. Transfer credit will be assigned for courses taken in the medical
school curriculum following evaluation of the transcripts. Credit toward the
Ph.D. degree for courses transferred from a typical medical school curriculum
might include: Chem 8101 Biochemical Principles (4), Biol 8104 Integrative
Systems Physiology (4), Biol 8103 Microbiology and Immunology (4), Phil 8050
Biomedical Ethics (1). All other degree requirements for the Ph.D. degree must
be met.
The following example of a modified course
schedule reflects credit being given for many of the courses that are generally
taken in a traditional medical school curriculum.
|
Year 1, Fall
Cell
& Molecular
Biophysics
Colloquium
Rotation |
Year 1, Spring
Biotech/Bioengineering
Advanced Biochemistry
Seminar
Rotation |
Year 1, Summer
Rotation |
|
Year 2, Fall
Elective
Colloquium
Research
|
Year 2, Spring
Elective
Seminar
Research |
Year 2, Summer
Research |
|
Year 3, Fall
Colloquium
Research
|
Year 3, Spring
Seminar
Research |
|
Research until dissertation completed
Candidacy Exam (grant proposal defense)
will probably be taken at the end of the first year or first summer.
Support
Clinical Shifts: The Ph.D. candidate may
work limited clinical shifts (4-6/month), to provide a basic income while in the
program and will likely receive staff employee benefits.
Grants: The Ph.D. candidate will be
expected to submit grant applications for additional support of salary and
research costs. Some examples of relevant funding agencies include:
-
SAEM- Resident
Research Award
-
EMF- Research
Fellowship
-
Pharmaceutical
companies
-
Health Services
Foundations
-
NIH Predoctoral
Fellowships
The faculty advisor will also submit grant
applications to help support the fellow.
