Program Overview & Mission Statement
Program Overview
The Medical Scientist Training Program at Rochester has a long tradition of excellence training physician scientists, with the 2024-2025 academic year marking our 66th year training physician-scientists and 51st year of continuous NIH funding. At Rochester, we emphasize an integrative, evidence-based approach throughout the program. The medical school exemplifies this by incorporating George Engel’s biopsychosocial model of medicine and by the Double Helix Curriculum. In this curriculum, medical students will be exposed to basic science and clinical training throughout all four years of medical school. The MD/PhD curriculum extends this to integrating research throughout the program, including laboratory rotations, the Scientific Reasoning in Medicine (SRM) journal club, regular dinner seminars, Medical Scientist Research Symposia (MSRS), annual retreats, regional MD/PhD Student Conferences, and participation in the American Physician Scientist Association (APSA).
Furthermore, the Rochester MSTP’s strengths include rapidly expanding opportunities for basic and translational research, highly qualified and motivated students who take an active role in program administration, and a highly livable city for when you aren't working in the clinic, the classroom or the laboratory.
Mission Statement
The MD/PhD program at the University of Rochester trains a diverse community of students dedicated to the advancement of biomedical sciences and practice of compassionate medicine. The unique combination of the Double Helix curriculum, rigorous training in scientific research, and acquisition of clinical skills prepares students to be independent, visionary physician-scientists who promote human health through the integration of basic and clinical sciences.