Questions for moderator and other MudPhud students and graduates

[Baylor_eye]

I am curious to know if any of you thought being a MD/PhD helped you or hurt you as a candidate. I just finished my PhD in a gene therapy vector development lab (not exactly related to the bulk of ophtho) and am getting ready to apply for ophthalmology next year. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I have got a really packed schedule over the next few months and I was wondering specifically when I need to have Step I finished by. I am also trying to figure out if it would be better to take an extra 4 weeks and study for StepI or squeeze in an away rotation at a potential school.

P.S. - Ophtho_MudPhud please say hi to Sudeep and Michael (Hunt) from Brandon...two old "Baylor Boys", thanks

[Andrew_Doan]

As an MD-PhD candidate, it's most important to demonstrate your strengths and interest in clinical ophthalmology first. You must be a good clinician before being a lab rat.

Being a MD-PhD will help with the big research programs. Programs like U Penn, Hopkins, MEEI, Wash U, Iowa, Jules Stein, etc... attract and seek MD-PhDs who are well balanced in both their clinical and research interests.

I recommend taking time to study for Step I. This is an important test and often is the biggest factor used for screening potential candidates. You should email Michael because he was on the selection committee this year. It seem to me that board scores were a huge factor in determining who received interviews.