Overview
The program focuses on a flexible curriculum that provides rigorous training in the scientific method integrated with an exceptional clinical medicine program. The Integrated Biomedical Science Graduate Program (IBGP), the Biomedical Engineering (BME) Program, and the Neuroscience Graduate Studies Program (NGSP) work very closely with the MD/PhD program at all stages, from recruiting through to graduation with both degrees. This has resulted in a curriculum that minimizes redundancy and optimizes time utilization by the students without compromising the quality of education in any area. In addition, the breadth of expertise of our graduate faculty provides a large range of research disciplines and projects for our students to explore in laboratory rotations early in their training. This allows students to make informed decisions concerning their areas of dissertation research, dissertation advisors and advisory committee members.
INTEGRATED MEDICAL SCIENTIST PROGRAM
(IMSP)
The medical school’s Independent Study Program (ISP)
and IBGP have developed a unique MD-PhD program that coordinates
the learning resources of both programs. It is offered to
a limited number of highly motivated talented students. Essential
aspects of this program are presented below. There are several
aspects of this program that enrich the learning experiences
to prepare students for academic careers as medical scientists.
- During Med I
the ISP modules are synchronized with material covered in
the IBGP core courses making it possible to complete Med
I and most of the IBGP core in 14 months (one year less
than traditional programs).
- Patient-Centered Research , a course developed specifically to address
issues critical for MD-PhD students, is taken during year
one.
- During the
second year, students take anatomy, most of the remaining
IBGP core courses,
and ISP modules for Med II.
- A course in Physician
Development includes history taking, doctor-patient relationship,
infection control, instrument
correlates, and clinical preceptorships.
- Students take
step 1 of the USMLE at the end of year 2.
- At the end of
year 3 students take the Graduate School candidacy examination.
- Years three
to five consist mainly of dissertation research, but
during
this time students will also take medical school courses
in Doctor-Patient Relationship, Physical Examination,
Geriatrics
and engage in clinical experiences with a clinical preceptor
for one half-day per month.
- During
all years students will attend the MSP seminars and participate
in both the annual MSP Retreat
and the Medical Center’s Graduate and Postgraduate
Research Day.
MD/BIOMEDICAL
ENGINEERING PROGRAM
Students interested
in the MD/BME program must apply to and be accepted by
the Medical School, the Medical Scientist
Program, and the Biomedical Engineering (BME) Graduate Program
(www.bme.ohio-state.edu/msp). This
is a 7-year Fellowship program, competitively awarded, with
the 4 medical school years funded by the MSP program, and
the 3 graduate school years funded by the BME program. The
course requirements for the Biomedical Engineering Ph.D.
component of the MSP remain the same as the stand-alone doctoral
degree in BME, with the life science requirement being met
by the Med I and Med II curriculum of the Medical School.
Doctoral
Program and Requirements
The MSP student
and adviser work out a program of study and submit it to
the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Studies Committee (BMEGSC)
for approval. The program must have one major area in a
biomedical engineering field (e.g. bioimaging, biomechanics,
biomaterials, bio-nanotechnology, etc.), and one or two
minor areas in supporting fields of life sciences or engineering
(e.g. cardiovascular physiology, vision science, etc.).
The major area should consist of courses comprising at
least 25 credit hours. Students may choose to have two
minors with each minor area consisting of at least 12 credit
hours of related courses, or one minor consisting of at
least 18 credit hours of related courses. The student and
research adviser (who supervises the major exam) are responsible
for identifying a supervisor in each of the minor areas,
as well as a second supervisor for the major area for a
total of four supervisors who form the Advisory Committee.
Students whose program has only one minor should work with
their adviser to determine a fourth faculty member to be
added to either the major or minor area.
At least 40 hours of coursework must be in engineering disciplines
(including CIS, Math, and Statistics). The distribution of
such courses must be appropriate for each individual student's
program, as determined by the student and adviser, and approved
by the Graduate Studies Committee. MSP students will receive
30 graduate credit hours upon completion of Med I, and 15
graduate credit hours after completion of Med II, for a total
of 45 credit hours that will count toward the life science
requirement of the doctoral program. This brings the coursework
requirement to a minimum of 85 credit hours of graduate courses
plus 50 credit hours of thesis research, for a total of 135
credit hours.
The selection of courses is individually tailored to the
student's background, interests and thesis research. However,
some courses are required of all students, including:
Course
Number and Name
|
Credits
|
| BME
600, Introduction to Biomedical Engineering |
3 |
| BME
771, Biomedical Instrumentation |
4 |
BME
881, Seminar in Biomedical Engineering
(Ph.D.
students will be expected to give seminars on their work.) |
2 |
Statistics-based
course on research design or
model building (e.g., Statistics 641 or 645) |
|
The program of
study to be submitted to the BMEGSC should include:
- A concise course
list with credit hours in each major and minor area, as
well as any additional courses, and a schedule for completing
the courses. Important information regarding the format
and distribution of courses are available on templates in
the Biomedical Engineering Computing Center (BMECC).
- The examiner(s)
for each area (Advisory Committee) with the exception of
a minor in statistics.
- Signed approval
by research adviser and all examiners (Advisory Committee),
and the core contact.
Approval of changes
to a previously approved program should be requested of the
BMEGSC in a letter stating the changes and their justification.
The letter must first be approved by the student's Ph.D. adviser.
Sequence
and Timing of the BME / MSP Program
Students accepted
into the BME / MSP Program will begin Graduate School during
the first year of their Fellowship. During the early part
of this year, the advisor will be chosen through “rotations”
implemented with BME 793 Individual Studies, and the dissertation
topic will be defined. Students will register for 15 credit
hours per quarter, which is a requirement for holding a Fellowship,
with a mixture of course and research credit. The technical
coursework will be completed during this first year, along
with approximately 20 credit hours of research (BME
999), and BME 881 seminar. It is advisable to begin in
the summer to allow 5 full quarters of courses prior to beginning
Med I, in order to begin the process of choosing an advisor
via research rotations. A second year of graduate school may
be also completed prior to Med I, depending on the needs of
the individual student.
Students will continue
their research, and register for BME 999,
integrated with the Med I and Med II curricula, during the
second and third year of their Fellowship, respectively.
Upon completion of Med II, students will take Step 1 of the
Boards, and subsequently, their Candidacy Exam. After entering
Candidacy, students will complete their research during the
next two years, and return to Med III in year 6 of their
Fellowship, after receiving the Ph.D. During this time the
MSP will assign a clinical preceptor with whom the student
will gain clinical experience for 4 hours per month. Med III and Med IV will be completed
during years 6 and 7. During all years students will attend
the MSP seminars and participate in both the annual MSP Retreat
and the Medical Center’s Graduate and Postgraduate
Research Day.
Although the MSP
Fellowship is structured as a 7-year program, additional time
is sometimes required by the students in order to complete
their research. This is done prior to Med III, in order to
have the Ph.D. completed before Med III.
NEUROSCIENCE MEDICAL SCIENTIST PROGRAM
The medical school’s Independent Study Program (ISP) and the Neuroscience Graduate Studies Program (NGSP) have developed a unique MD-PhD program that coordinates the learning resources of both programs. It is offered to a limited number of highly motivated talented students. Essential aspects of this program are presented below. There are several aspects of this program that enrich the learning experiences to prepare students for academic careers as medical scientists.
- Patient-Centered Research, a course developed specifically to address issues critical for MD-PhD students, is taken during year one.
- During the second year, students take anatomy and ISP modules for Med II.
- A courses in Physician Development includes history taking, doctor-patient relationship, infection control, instrument correlates, and clinical preceptorships.
- Students take step 1 of the USMLE at the end of year 2.
- At the end of year 3 students take the Graduate School candidacy examination.
- Years three to five consist mainly of dissertation research, but during this time students will also take medical school courses in Doctor-Patient Relationship and Physical Examination, and engage in clinical experiences with a clinical preceptor for one half-day per month.
- During all years students will attend the MSP seminars and participate in both the annual MSP Retreat and the Medical Center’s Graduate and Postgraduate Research Day.
|
