Dartmouth is committed to training physician-scientists for the 21st century. The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth will meet and exceed educational challenges in training the next generation of physician-scientists, individuals that will provide excellent patient care, lead discovery in biomedical disease-oriented research, advocate for basic and translational biomedical research, and take leadership roles in biomedical research and the delivery of health care. Training for this career path is unique, and distinct from the simple combination of the separate MD and PhD educational programs. Of equal importance is the need to maintain flexibility to meet the special needs of individual students. The program at Dartmouth offers students opportunities both challenging and rewarding. This is an era of astounding discoveries in biomedical research, making it an exciting time to pursue this unique career path.
MD-PhD Physician-Scientist
MD-PhD physician-scientists are special individuals with extensive training in both medicine and biomedical research. MD-PhDs are vital members of the research community and uniquely positioned to advance both basic and clinical research. Their goals are to:
- Advance the understanding of health and disease processes at the basic research level;
- Mediate the translation of bench top discovery into clinical advances in the diagnosis, prevention, or therapy of diseases;
- Ameliorate illness and suffering through patient care, basic and applied research; and,
- Establish and implement health care policy.