Neuro Programs

[trevithick]

So, Im applying to med schools, and I have a strong interest in research but I dont want to dedicate the 3-5 years for a phd. Im looking for MD/MS programs or md programs with a neuroscience slant. I know downstate has the clinical neuroscience program, and einstein has an md/ms program you can apply to after youre accepted, but I wanted to know if anyone here knows of any similar programs. Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Vader]

So, Im applying to med schools, and I have a strong interest in research but I dont want to dedicate the 3-5 years for a phd. Im looking for MD/MS programs or md programs with a neuroscience slant. I know downstate has the clinical neuroscience program, and einstein has an md/ms program you can apply to after youre accepted, but I wanted to know if anyone here knows of any similar programs. Thanks!

If you're dead-set against pursuing an MD/PhD program, I would look for an MD school that also has strong neuroscience research (most of the top medical schools fit this category). There are prestigious 1 year fellowships available such as Howard Hughes, Doris Duke, etc. Many schools have their individual programs that may suit your goals. For example, at UCSF, one can do the new Pathways to Discovery program, MD w/ thesis, etc. There is also a separate UCSF-Berkeley Joint Medical Program. Obviously, the particulars will vary depending on the institutions in which you are interested.

Depending on your career goals, if you decide you would like to continue with research, the MD + postdoc pathway is totally reasonable and there is a loan repayment program available from the NIH. There are certain fellowship programs that will let you earn a PhD during the post-graduate clinical training portion (i.e. UCLA's STAR program, UCSD's PSTP, etc).

Therefore, my advice would be to try and examine what your particular goals are now, including extent of research career, type of research (clinical, translational, basic science, etc), and clinical specialty (if any). Your preferences will dictate the "best" pathway.

 

[URHere]

You should check out the University of Rochester. They really emphasize research for their MD students, and to my knowledge, anyone who is interested is able to take one year to complete a MS degree. Rochester faculty also tend to like working with MD students, so finding an interesting lab and PI shouldn't be a problem.

The downside? One extra year of tuition and living in upstate NY. It really is a good program though.

 

[Ariodant]

The MD programs at Yale and Stanford are research-oriented as well.

 

[Neuronix]

Every school in the USNews top-50 research rankings, and probably more, will let you take time for research if you want it. Every one of those schools has many Neuro research options available. The real things you want to pay attention to are free master's degrees, getting stipends from the med school if you take a year out, and even better, cash off of med school if you commit to doing research (CCLCM, Pitt, Mayo have big reps for this). You can find paid research spots and apply for national scholarships, but why fight for or luck into money if you don't have to. Otherwise no med school will object to you taking time off for research either there or somewhere else, whether that's the summer between 1st and 2nd year, a year somewhere, or that few months of research scut that many schools require of fourth years.