Are you a student interested in both medicine and research? If so, you may want to consider pursuing a dual MD/PhD degree. By combining your medical degree with an additional doctoral degree focused on research, you can take your career to the next level and enjoy benefits like:
Practicing on the Cutting Edge of Medicine
Working in an Academic Medical Center allows access to cutting edge research, equipment, and funding opportunities that can enhance your clinical knowledge and skillsets while taking your career to the next level.
Expanding Your Career Beyond the Clinic
By adding a complementary PhD degree to your repertoire, you open yourself up to a variety of alternative career options that aren't available to strictly M.D. graduates. This degree can make you a top-level candidate for hospital leadership, pharmaceutical or specialty practice positions due to your above-average education and training.
Working as a Teacher
Many MD/PhDs working in Academic Medical Centers split their time between the clinic and teaching students. This facet of your career can be especially rewarding as you help guide future generations of professionals wanting to work in the field.
Accessing Top-Level Colleagues in a Variety of Specialties
A medical career in research has the added advantage of providing access to both national and international colleagues interested in collaborating on similar clinical and research interests.
Taking Advantage of Alternative Funding Sources
Pursuing a dual degree can increase your access to certain loan repayment, grant and scholarship opportunities that are only available to MD/PhD students.
Helping to Advance Medicine
You can become part of the future of medicine by advancing research endeavors that help uncover new discoveries in medicine.
Being Unique
According to the AAMC, only about 3% of medical students matriculate into MD/PhD programs, making those who pursue this option truly unique.
Pursuing Research Passions in a Variety of Specialties
According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), there are multiple disciplines that PhD candidates can choose to pursue their studies in like:
- pharmacology, physiology cell biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, and biomedical engineering and biochemistry
- other alternative areas for graduate study focus include health care policy, computational biology, economics, epidemiology.