Any info on Brown's MD/PhD program?

[deleted728364]

I noticed that a large number of their students come from Brown and are doing PhDs in comp bio. Given that their MD program heavily selects their own UGs, i wouldn't really consider applying, but then I read this on their website:

"Although the school does not (yet!) participate in the NIH Medical Scientist Training Program..."

Does this suggest that they're looking to broaden their cohort beyond just Brown UG's? Any info is appreciated

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[SoberPony]

I think the only people who can answer that are the Brown MD/ PhD program admin and leadership. FYI you don’t apply into the MD/PhD program there, you have to get in MD and then apply for the PhD in the first year (which means you have to pay a year tuition, unless you don’t get in, in which case you pay 4 years of tuition).

 

[mblemp]

I was under the same impression as SoberPony but I just recently looked at their website and under "How to Apply" they give instructions for applying through AMCAS for the 2020 cycle and selecting MD/PhD on their secondary. Not sure if this is a recent change but I was surprised to read this!

Under their FAQs, they say that they do provide a full-tuition scholarship for medical school, but only provide a stipend during the graduate school years.

 

[deleted949953]

I applied and interviewed for the Brown MD/PhD program this year so I can verify some of this stuff. Their website is out of date. In years past they used to only take people from the Brown PLME program but in the past year (or two?) they are taking applicants from anywhere. Application was the same as any other MD/PhD Program and you DON'T have to get into MD first to do MD/PhD as far as I could tell. You would get into the MD-PhD program before M1 and start as an MD-PHD student right off the bat.

Tuition is waived for all 4 years of med school, but as of right now there is only a stipend while you're in the PhD years and maybe M3 and M4 if you get an F30 grant/are lucky. They're trying to get funding for all years and I think it's likely that this coming year they'll be able to offer a stipend for all 8 years of the program. But TBD.

I'm happy to answer other specific questions if you've got them... But also the admin is really nice and I'm sure they'd have the most up to date info available. The program itself hasn't been around long and seemed to be kind of guinea-piggish in my honest opinion. The oldest cohort is just finishing their PhD and going back to med school so there are still some big unknowns in the program at the moment.

 

[Lucca]

I applied and interviewed for the Brown MD/PhD program this year so I can verify some of this stuff. Their website is out of date. In years past they used to only take people from the Brown PLME program but in the past year (or two?) they are taking applicants from anywhere. Application was the same as any other MD/PhD Program and you DON'T have to get into MD first to do MD/PhD as far as I could tell. You would get into the MD-PhD program before M1 and start as an MD-PHD student right off the bat.

Tuition is waived for all 4 years of med school, but as of right now there is only a stipend while you're in the PhD years and maybe M3 and M4 if you get an F30 grant/are lucky. They're trying to get funding for all years and I think it's likely that this coming year they'll be able to offer a stipend for all 8 years of the program. But TBD.

I'm happy to answer other specific questions if you've got them... But also the admin is really nice and I'm sure they'd have the most up to date info available. The program itself hasn't been around long and seemed to be kind of guinea-piggish in my honest opinion. The oldest cohort is just finishing their PhD and going back to med school so there are still some big unknowns in the program at the moment.

oof no stipend during med school

 

[deleted949953]

oof no stipend during med school

Yeah, most of the applicants didn't know that going in either. We found out at the interview. That was a fun surprise. Should have dug through the FAQ a little more thoroughly...

 

[TBD3699]

Tuition is waived for all 4 years of med school, but as of right now there is only a stipend while you're in the PhD years and maybe M3 and M4 if you get an F30 grant/are lucky. They're trying to get funding for all years and I think it's likely that this coming year they'll be able to offer a stipend for all 8 years of the program. But TBD.

I'm happy to answer other specific questions if you've got them... But also the admin is really nice and I'm sure they'd have the most up to date info available. The program itself hasn't been around long and seemed to be kind of guinea-piggish in my honest opinion.

kt is def correct. I know a few people in the program, and it is very much an experiment as of right now. Newly enrolled students do get a tuition waiver, but there is still no stipend or health insurance subsidy while in medical school. Unless you are successful in obtaining additional grant funding, you are not likely to get more support as the program is new and still not an MSTP. You can apply directly now, but you will also be competing with Brown PLME and current M1 students as well. Just to keep in mind.

I also heard it is very disorganized as there is little integration between the MD and PhD program; you essentially just do M1-M2, "leave for the PhD", then come back to finish med school. Who knows how the program will unfold, but I do know much of the current cohort is pretty frustrated/concerned, which is why I didn't apply. The MSTP programs sound like a way safer bet program wise and financially, plus they are obviously more established.

 

[deleted728364]

Thanks all for the input. Brown seemed really compelling as they have several well known PI’s in my area of interest, but I’ll consider the other factors mentioned as well.

 

[SoberPony]

The oldest cohort is just finishing their PhD and going back to med school so there are still some big unknowns in the program at the moment.

I know a mid career graduate of the Brown MD/ PhD program so it has been around for a while but it is news to me that they are taking applicants from outside of PLME and the med school, I would have applied if I had known this.

 

[deleted949953]

I know a mid career graduate of the Brown MD/ PhD program so it has been around for a while but it is news to me that they are taking applicants from outside of PLME and the med school, I would have applied if I had known this.

IIRC they had a program like 20 years ago, they lost funding/support for it so it went away for a while, then ~7 years ago the current director fought for Brown to bring the program back and they did.

 

[TBD3699]

IIRC they had a program like 20 years ago, they lost funding/support for it so it went away for a w

They did have a program for a while, and yes, it lost funding. The current director is actually a member of the 1st MD/PhD cohort at Brown, which was only PLME. They began accepting students from within the medical school (i.e. already accepted/enrolled at the medical school), but all applicants coming directly into the program were PLME, until around 2016-2017, when they officially started offering the MD/PhD application to students applying to Brown Medical School from elsewhere. The MD/PhD application was not part of AMCAS until 2018, I believe.

New students do get a tuition waiver, but they are still required to cover remaining costs, which include fees, living expenses, insurance, etc. So, for example, in 2018 the Tuition was $61,000 and the overall Cost-of-Attendance was $87,000, which means that, in general, students should budget 87-61 = ~$26,000 per year. This policy is unlikely to change unless and until Brown becomes a recognized MSTP-funded program, which takes years to obtain. Of course, any "Free money" is better than none, but I think its important we all know (and share!) how these things work in reality. For some, its worth it; for others, it isn't. But, an informed decision is the most important.

And, just to be precise, the program was advocated for by another faculty member who is not the current director, and the funding was obtained in 2016 from the Warren Alpert Foundation (same foundation that the school was named after in 2007 after a $1M donation) to expand the program as part of a new initiative -- Brown Institute for Translational Science -- which was a priority of the new dean, Jack Elias, who is an md/phd basic scientist. You can find this at: Med School receives $27 million donation