DO/PhD MSTP?

Maybe they came up with the name first, and then NIH copied them?

Kidding - You should report this to the NIH, I bet they'd be pissed.

•••quote:••• Maybe they came up with the name first, and then NIH copied them?

Kidding - You should report this to the NIH, I bet they'd be pissed. ••••There are about 30+ active MD/PhD programs not funded by the NIGMS. Some of them call themselves MSTPs, but I don't think the NIH has a problem with that, as some of these programs have been in existence for more than 15 years, but NIGMS hasn't raised Cain. There isn't a copyright on the term "MSTP", but I imagine there be hell to pay if a program claimed NIH NIGMS MSTP funding when in fact it does not -- that's just plain stupid.

I think the meaning of "medical scientist training program" isn't monopolized to those schools that have NIH funding. NIH funding may be given to those schools with a proven history of producing physician scientists using funds of their own before receiving the NIH grant, but that doesn't mean that non-NIH funded programs can't and don't train medical scientists. Also I don't think these programs are purposely naming themselves to better market themselves to potential applicants as an NIH-funded MSTP, when in fact such information is freely and easily accessible to the MD/PhD applicant.

Non-NIH funded programs billed as Medical Scientist Training Programs:

Michigan State School of Human Medicine
St. Louis University
SUNY - Buffalo
University of Utah
Medical College of Wisconsin

I think some schools ARE sensitive to this issue - take the University of Cincinnati and University of California - Davis, which bill their programs as "Physician Scientist Training Programs". In the end, however, I think most applicants are well aware of issues with "semantics" and will evaluate application to the MD/PhD track on much more than the basis of title.

Yours,

Jason

I agree that the program title is misleading, but like Jason said, I don't think the NIH has rights to the name. However, I do think it's a little dubious that they would call it an MSTP. Whatever their motivation for doing so, they are legitimate in that they are training physician-scientists. Still, I wonder how people at the NIH and NIGMS feel about that...

geez...just semantics people...try not to worry about it too much...MSTP, PSTP, NIH, not NIH, who cares. It's a combined degree preparing medical scientists...period.

•••quote:•••Originally posted by flpostbac:
•geez...just semantics people...try not to worry about it too much...MSTP, PSTP, NIH, not NIH, who cares. It's a combined degree preparing medical scientists...period.•••••Well, one potential problem lies in that students might be misled into applying to what they think is an NIGMS funded MSTP with guaranteed funding the full number of years. In reality, the funding issue is variable between schools, so some years may not be covered. I know that when I was applying I didn't check out the funding situation of all schools I applied to and hence made some wasted trips to schools that weren't fully funded. Maybe that's just my ignorance, but I have a feeling that others probably didn't realize this initially either. That's one reason I wrote my guidebook. 😀

Perhaps it might be a bit misleading with regard to the funding issue, but other than that, I don't have a particular problem with them calling themselves a Medical Scientist Training Program. I mean, I don't think the NIH has a copyright on that phrase, and it seems to pretty accurately describe what they are trying to do, so...