Program Philosophy

Why obtain a combined MD-PhD degree?

Most students approach the option of MD-PhD with some uncertainty. Clearly both the practice of medicine and scientific discovery are rewarding, but difficult and challenging activities that demand one’s full attention. Many applicants ask themselves, “If I become an MD-PhD won’t I just be half as good at each as someone who does them full time?” The answer to this question lies in understanding the natures of science and medicine and how a creative synergy of two different perspectives can become greater than the sum of its parts.

Medicine is not a science. Medicine is a practical endeavor whose objective is to do the best for the patient. While obtaining knowledge is frequently necessary, knowledge in itself is never the goal of medicine. In fact, the good clinician must always balance the benefits of diagnostic testing against the costs, time and risks that come with it. Because of the need to act before it is too late, uncertainty must be tolerated. The clinician must have a basic knowledge of the broad scope of medical science, but rarely has time to go into great depth.

The biomedical researcher is a scientist. At its purest, the purpose of scientific research is knowledge itself. Questions are approached in great depth, and while absolute certainty is almost never possible, getting as close as you can is always the goal. Ever more creative and inventive control experiments are at the heart of scientific progress. By necessity, scientists are true experts at their fields, but frequently are only vaguely aware of whole disciplines outside their specific field.

The interface of medicine and science is an area of great promise where the problems of the patient inspire and inform research, and the fruits of research are applied for meaningful and tangible benefit. Unfortunately, the very different goals, approaches, cultures, and even languages of Medicine and Science hamper the productivity of this critical interface. It is here that the dually trained MD-PhD makes a unique contribution. She or he combines the breadth of the physician with the depth of a scientist and can seamlessly function and communicate in both worlds. This powerful combination creates individuals who occupy a special niche in the biomedical enterprise. They work on different problems, see clinical connections and applications and serve as the glue opposing the centrifugal forces keeping medicine and science apart. If you want to be a researcher who is different than a PhD or an MD, and not just the sum of two activities, then MD-PhD may be for you.

Philosophy of the UTMB Program.

At UTMB we believe that the purpose of the Program is to make you a well trained scientist, an excellent physician, but most of all to help you understand that you are always a physician-scientist, and not merely an individual sequentially taking two unrelated courses of study. To achieve this goal we have designed a curriculum which has you engaged in both medical and scientific activities throughout. During the first two “medical school” years, special MD-PhD and graduate level courses are taken to allow you to approach the material from the perspective of a scientific investigator. During the middle “graduate school” phase of the Program you engage in medical activities which keep you tied to the practical medical issues and help you to develop your own mechanisms to intellectually merge your research and practice activities. You are never a Medical Student or a Graduate Student. You are always an MD-PhD student.

Career Development.

The career development of an MD-PhD student is critically important and extends out well past the date of graduation with the dual degrees. The UTMB MD-PhD Program carefully guides and nurtures students throughout the Program. Early in the Program, critical issues are mentor selection and choice of a graduate program. MD-PhD students meet regularly with a faculty advisor, a student “big sibling” and members of the advisory committee. Opportunities to be exposed to research opportunities are provided through Program activities as well as the scientific activities on campus. Once students are established in their labs, they are guided through their research by a mentor and dissertation committee. For MD-PhD students, selection of the dissertation committee is essential and our Program requires students to include a member who is an MD scientist who can assist in residency selections. As thesis defense approaches students design their optimal clinical experiences with members of the MD-PhD committee to maximize chances to obtain the types of residency training that will be most compatible with further development as a physician scientist. The Program runs career guidance seminars to alert students to many of the important issues, pitfalls and milestones that they will need to navigate in the future. These include the pros and cons of short-track residencies, the need for additional postdoctoral training, and how to select and negotiate a first faculty appointment. The UTMB MD-PhD graduate is thus well positioned to make the most out of the advantages that MD-PhD careers offer.