VCU Medical Scientist Training Program

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The NIH Physician Scientist Workforce Working Group was convened to address a growing demand for and decreasing supply of physician researchers. The Group concluded that MD-PhD programs, including the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), have been successful in promoting the development of physician- scientists and should be continued. The VCU MD-PhD program has been addressing this shortfall since 1986. Our mission is to train diverse physician-scientists to improve human health through discovery in basic and social sciences and biomedical engineering. Our program objectives are Excellence in Clinical Training, Excellence in Research Training, Program Quality and Satisfaction, and Career Success. In the past four years, our recruitment efforts, growing pool of qualified applicants, and holistic admissions process have greatly enhanced our ability to enroll a diverse cadre of highly qualified trainees. Our uniquely integrated curriculum is tailored to meet the needs of physician-scientist trainees, with clinical and research learning integrated over the entire training period. We promote rigorous, transparent, reproducible research methods, founded in ethical principles of responsible conduct throughout training. Our training program is centered on the trainee, with transparent leadership and trainee input. Our participating faculty members represent a broad spectrum of biomedical science disciplines and are supported by ample research funding. Our program is committed to mentorship training and an environment that is safe, equitable, and inclusive. Our governance structure has a prominent role for students and a faculty steering committee to assist our experienced leadership team to continuously improve the program. We closely monitor the progress of individual trainees, support their efforts and wellness, and address their concerns. A detailed, trainee-centered evaluation plan guides us to achieve our objectives with specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound, inclusive, and equitable goals. Our recent trainees have been highly productive, securing individual training grants, publishing original research, and graduating to top research-intensive residency programs. We are on an upward trajectory in virtually every metric that can be used to assess program quality. As our trainees succeed, our ability to attract highly qualified diverse applicants continues to grow, perpetuating a virtuous cycle. The VCU MD-PhD program is the largest physician scientist program in the country that provides full support for all its trainees but is not funded by an MSTP. Support from the VCU School of Medicine has been extremely generous. In addition, our program has benefited from philanthropic outreach that resulted in a $4M endowment and a $100K enrichment fund. With MSTP funding, we seek to leverage this exemplary support and our superior program plan to increase the number of trainees to whom our mission applies, expanding our ability to reduce the physician-scientist shortage.