MD-PhD Program

www.med.upenn.edu/mstp

Combined Degree

and Physician Scholar Programs

www.med.upenn.edu/educ_combdeg

School of Medicine

www.med.upenn.edu

Biomedical Graduate Studies

www.med.upenn.edu/bgs

University of Pennsylvania

www.upenn.edu

The University of Pennsylvania values diversity and seeks talented students, faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds.

The University of Pennsylvania does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity,

religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, or status as a Vietnam Era Veteran or disabled veteran in the

administration of educational policies, programs or activities; admissions policies; scholarship and loan awards;

athletic, or other University administered programs or employment. Questions or complaints regarding this policy

should be directed to: Executive Director, Offi ce of Affi rmative Action and Equal Opportunity Programs, Sansom Place

East, 3600 Chestnut Street, Suite 228, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6106 or by phone at (215) 898-6993 (Voice)

or (215) 898-7803 (TDD).

Flexibility

While the above schedule is optimal for most biomedical science PhD

students, there are some for whom other alternatives would be better.

Students in graduate programs other than the laboratory sciences usually

follow a diff erent curriculum. The program is fl exible and works with

students individually to develop the most appropriate curriculum plan.

CurriculumDescription of a Typical Curriculum

Combined Degree

and Physician Scholar Programs Offi ce

University of Pennsylvania

Suite 100 Annex, Stemmler Hall

Philadelphia, PA 19104-6087

215 898.8025

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Integration of medical and graduate

education is something we emphasize

from the beginning of the program.

At any given time a student may spend

most of his or her time in medical school

or graduate school, but at all times

there are courses or other experiences

organized by the program that emphasize

the integration of the two parts of the

training.

Students typically start the program with

the fi rst two years of medical school,

which includes all of the pre-clinical

curriculum and six months of full time

clinics. There is time for research in the

summer between years 1 and 2, and we

expect everyone to do a graduate course

in the fall and spring of year 1 and the

fall of year 2. Course options include

two that are organized by the MD-PhD

program: Topics in Molecular Medicine

and Case Studies in Translational Research.

Beginning in the third year, our students

focus on graduate studies, but they get to

experience the life of a physician-scientist

through the Clinical Connections program,

which is also run by the combined degree

program. Throughout this time students

also participate in our monthly event

series and our advising program. Students

have abundant access to physician-

investigator role models and mentorship.

YEAR 1June – August Research before beginning medical school (optional)

Fall and Spring Medical school courses One graduate school course per term (Topics in Molecular Medicine in the Fall and another course or directed reading in the Spring)

SummerResearch

YEAR 2Fall Medical school course work One graduate seminar (Case Studies in Translational Research)

Spring and Summer Six months of clinical course work Boards (Step 1) Another scholarly activity

YEAR 3Full-time graduate school course work

Research

Selection of thesis mentor

Preliminary exam

YEARS 4-6Thesis research

Clinical Connections

YEAR 7Thesis defense (typically in Fall semester)Clinical warm-up course

Resume clinical clerkships and electives

YEAR 8Clinical course work

Boards (Step 2)

Apply and interview for Residency

Additional research (optional)

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MD-PhD ProgramMD-PhD ProgramU N I V E R S I T Y O F P E N N S Y L V A N I A

Medical SchoolThe University of Pennsyslvania is home

to one of the top medical schools in the

country, widely renowned for our long-

standing commitment to education,

research, and patient care. The innovative

MD curriculum is composed of three

semesters of basic science training, twelve

months of core clinical clerkships, and

additional time for the sub-internship and

advanced clinical electives.

Each graduate is prepared to enter

post-graduate training programs having

competencies in the science of medicine,

technology and practice of medicine, and

bioethics and humanism.

Research Opportunities and EnvironmentBiomedical Graduate Studies

Penn is a leader in biomedical research and research training. We

are consistently in the very top of the national rankings in research

funding and training grant funding from the National Institutes of

Health.

Most MD-PhD students are members of one of the Biomedical

Graduate Studies (BGS) programs. BGS serves as the academic

home for approximately 700 graduate students, including MD-

PhD and VMD-PhD students. The program is organized into seven

graduate groups: Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Cell

and Molecular Biology, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Genomics

and Computational Biology, Immunology, Neuroscience, and

Pharmacological Sciences. These graduate groups consist of faculty

with shared interest in training PhD students. Graduate groups are

not founded on any one academic department but are composed of

faculty from multiple departments to provide fl exible, broad-based,

interdisciplinary training. The BGS faculty currently includes over

500 scientists and educators representing more than 30 academic

departments.

Other programs

The University of Pennsylvania is located on one, closely-connected

campus. Penn prides itself on being a well-integrated University

that values and encourages interdisciplinary scholarship. The School

of Medicine, the School of Arts and Sciences, the Wharton School

of Business, and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

are all located within a few minutes walk. Our multidisciplinary

philosophy, this geographical proximity, and the outstanding

scholarship taking place in each of Penn’s Schools allow the MD-PhD

program to off er dual degree opportunities across a wide range

of disciplines. Currently, approximately 10% of our students are

engaged in graduate work outside of the BGS groups in programs

such as bioengineering, health economics and policy, and history &

sociology of science.

Application and Financial InformationWe are looking for candidates who show outstanding

potential as future physician-investigators, as

demonstrated by:

■ Academic excellence – including, but not limited to,

strong grades and MCAT scores; successful applicants

in the past few years have had an average GPA of 3.8

(3.6-4.0) and MCAT scores of 37 (31-44)

■ Sustained research experience and passion for

investigation and medicine

■ Outstanding letters of recommendation, particularly

from the faculty with whom you did research

■ Well-articulated goals that are a good match for our

program goals

The preliminary application must be submitted via

AMCAS. Eligible applicants will then complete the

secondary application online for Penn.

Off ers of admission normally come with a full funding

package that includes tuition, health insurance, most

fees, and a stipend. This support remains in eff ect for the

duration of the program, as long as the student remains

in good standing.

Campus and CityPenn is located in the heart of Philadelphia, one of

America’s most historic and livable cities. The Penn

campus provides students with easy access via

public transportation to a great variety of attractions:

numerous museums, art galleries, music venues,

fi lm houses, professional sports arenas, renowned

gourmet and ethnic restaurants and food galleries,

the world’s largest city park system, and a wealth of

historic and architectural landmarks.

Penn has one of the oldest and largest Medical Scientist Training Programs in the

country, with over 150 students currently enrolled. We typically accept 20 or more new

students each year. Penn receives substantial support from the NIH through our Medical

Scientist Training Program (MSTP) grant.

The program’s long standing mission is to provide integrated training in both medicine and

research to students who want to become physician-investigators engaged in medically

related research. After completing post-graduate training, many of our graduates become

faculty members at medical schools, universities, and research institutes such as the NIH.

Regardless of where they eventually end up, our students are being prepared for careers in

which they will spend most of their time doing research, often in combination with patient

care, teaching, and administration. It is a busy, challenging, and hugely rewarding career that

off ers opportunities to do good for many people by advancing knowledge, developing new

treatments for diseases, and pushing back the boundaries of the unknown.

We pride ourselves on being a well-integrated training program that combines the best

medical training with outstanding graduate training leading to PhDs in traditional areas of

biomedical laboratory research, as well as in fi elds such as biomedical engineering, health

care economics, and history & sociology of science. Our goal is to help our students fuse the

diff erent parts of their training together in ways that will bring a physician’s perspective to

the questions they ask as investigators. Highlights of the curriculum include early exposure

to graduate school as well as medical school and the completion of six months of full time

clinical training before beginning thesis research.

Five essential features of our program:

1. Training: Helping you learn the skills needed to be a successful physician-investigator

2. Faculty access: Helping you take optimal advantage of the huge depth and breadth

of research opportunities at Penn

3. Integration: Making Medical School and Graduate School work together for you

4. Guidance: Providing the advice, role models, and mentoring that will help you prepare

for your future career

5. Community: Building a community to share life along the way

www.med.upenn.edu/mstp www.med.upenn.edu/mstpwww.med.upenn.edu/mstp

Primary vascular smooth muscle cell

Identifi cation of a gene expression signature that

predicts protection against breast cancer

MD-PhD students with guest speaker Nobel Laureate Dr. Michael Brown (center front)

at our annual retreat

In situ hybridization of Heart of

Glass mRNA in mouse embryo

CHAMP peptides are

computationally

designed soluble

peptides that target

the transmembrane

regions of membrane

protein (Lab of William DeGrado)

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