Allan Yates, MD, PhD

Welcome to the OSU Medical Scientist Program (MSP). This challenging program, which leads to both the MD and PhD degrees, has a unique, integrated curriculum that draws on the nationally recognized educational and scientific strengths of The Ohio State University. The faculty of the OSU Medical School, the Integrated Biomedical Science Graduate Program (IBGP), and the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program (BME) collectively designed this innovative curriculum with three educational principles in mind. First and foremost, is maintaining the highest educational standards in both the medical curriculum and research training for which The Ohio State University is well known; second is the integration of medical and research training throughout the entire program and, third is efficiency of learning.

I encourage you to browse this web site as well as those of the OSU Medical School, the Integrated Biomedical Science (IBGP), the Biomedical Engineering and the Neuroscience graduate programs. You will find it very interesting to see how during the first two years the medical curriculum of our unique Independent Study Program has been used to integrate training in the basic medical sciences and patient centered medicine with the core curriculum of the IBGP, which emphasizes biological mechanisms responsible for human diseases. This coordinated curriculum provides the opportunity for students during this phase to study simultaneously pre-clinical and graduate research subjects. Students also obtain laboratory research experience that helps them to choose a dissertation research topic and advisor. During this time students also take courses in Anatomy, Patient Centered Research, Patient Centered Medicine, and Physician Development.

Beginning in the third year the educational emphasis shifts more towards graduate research training, and the choice of an area of Research Emphasis from one of the eleven available in the IBGP. In addition to courses in grant writing, MSP students take advanced graduate courses and research seminars, and become heavily involved in their dissertation research. However, medical training also continues with classes in Physical Examination, Advanced Clinical Interview, Geriatrics, and Clinical Preceptorships. Near the end of the PhD research training, and immediately before entering the Med III clinics, students receive training in Advanced Cardiac Life Support and take the course Introduction to Clinical Medicine. This provides a smooth transition to the clinics. The medical school also allows the option of receiving credit for dissertation research for up to four clinical electives. This efficient curriculum provides continuous, rigorous, integrated research, and clinical training that will prepare MSP students extremely well for successful careers as physician-scientists.

The OSU medical school realizes that this is a very long, demanding curriculum, and does not want financial considerations to be a distraction to the success of MSP students. Therefore, the program provides a generous financial package for students accepted into the MSP. This includes a complete tuition waiver for all years of study, including both medical and graduate school, and a generous annual stipend. Needless to say, admission is highly selective, and reserved for only highly talented students who are committed to an academic career as a physician-scientist with a heavy involvement in research. If you are such a person, I highly recommend that you consider applying for this program. Although it is very challenging, I can assure you that the opportunities for learning and studying with internationally recognized scientists will make the educational effort and your future career extremely rewarding.