Unofficial research schools

[Rud42]

I was wondering which schools encouraged research more without having to enroll in the MD/PhD program. Also which schools have more clinically-based research?

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[ndmed]

I know Pritzker is very strong on research, even for non-MD/PhD students. Washu is very research heavy as well.

 

[TerdFerguson]

CCLCM is a 5 year research-intensive MD program with an option for an MS.

 

[MrBurns10]

Duke's entire 3rd year is devoted to research or obtaining a 2nd degree, your choice.

 

[CCLCMer]

CCLCM is a 5 year research-intensive MD program with an option for an MS.

I'm a student at CCLCM, and yeah, it is definitely a research-intensive program.

Rud42, CCLCM is an official research MD program, but it's not an MD/PhD. Our degrees will either be an MD with Distinction in Biomedical Research, or else an MD/MS like TerdFerguson said. We are all required to do two summer rotations plus one year of research with a thesis. One rotation is basic science, the other is clinical science. You can do your thesis year in either basic science or clinical research. I'm planning to do mine in clinical research.

 

[shantster]

If you are interested in doing clinical research, Pitt has a 5 year Clinical Scientist Training Program.

 

[Rud42]

I'm a student at CCLCM, and yeah, it is definitely a research-intensive program.

Rud42, CCLCM is an official research MD program, but it's not an MD/PhD. Our degrees will either be an MD with Distinction in Biomedical Research, or else an MD/MS like TerdFerguson said. We are all required to do two summer rotations plus one year of research with a thesis. One rotation is basic science, the other is clinical science. You can do your thesis year in either basic science or clinical research. I'm planning to do mine in clinical research.

CCLCMer, I have a couple of quesitons about the program if you don't mind:

With only 32 students admitted each year, does each student have to have multiple publications and other qualifications to even get an interview? -- I am a soph. currently working in a research lab. Do many students already have masters or doctorate level degrees when admitted?

 

[jlq3d3]

Stanford, Duke

 

[CCLCMer]

CCLCMer, I have a couple of quesitons about the program if you don't mind:

With only 32 students admitted each year, does each student have to have multiple publications and other qualifications to even get an interview? -- I am a soph. currently working in a research lab. Do many students already have masters or doctorate level degrees when admitted?

Goodness, no. You definitely do NOT need to have multiple pubs or a grad degree to get accepted here, much less invited to interview. I would say maybe about 1/4 of my class has an advanced degree from before med school. We have two people who came in with PhDs and then another half dozen or so with MSes. Some of the others took time off (like a year or two) between college and med school and worked in research labs. Some of us did research in college and wrote an honors thesis. There are two new M1s with PhDs and a few with MSes, but most of them also just have BSes or BAs.

Really, as long as you have serious research experience, then you will fulfill the research requirement to come here, even if you don't have an advanced degree or any pubs. If you're already doing research as a sophomore, your experience should be more than adequate. Try to spend more time in a single lab and if you can do your own project, that's even better. Also I think if your school offers an option to do a senior thesis and get an honors degree that you should consider doing it. Not that you need it, but you're doing all this work anyway, so you might as well get the credit for it, right?

 

[EyeballLove]

Yale. Everybody graduates with some sort of research thesis.

 

[TheRealMD]

Baylor's got a 5-year program where you can graduate with a distinction in research. UTSW lets you earn a MD with distinction in research as well (still 4-year program though).

 

[drizzt3117]

Hst...

 

[Rud42]

So the basic list of schools that recommend or require research without having to do MD/PhD are:

Pritzker
CCLCM
Baylor
Yale
Stanford
Duke
Pitt

... Any more that I forgot?


---Thanks everyone for the input.---

 

[drizzt3117]

So the basic list of schools that recommend or require research without having to do MD/PhD are:

Pritzker
CCLCM
Baylor
Yale
Stanford
Duke
Pitt

... Any more that I forgot?


---Thanks everyone for the input.---

Harvard HST.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Goodness, no. You definitely do NOT need to have multiple pubs or a grad degree to get accepted here, much less invited to interview. I would say maybe about 1/4 of my class has an advanced degree from before med school. We have two people who came in with PhDs and then another half dozen or so with MSes. Some of the others took time off (like a year or two) between college and med school and worked in research labs. Some of us did research in college and wrote an honors thesis. There are two new M1s with PhDs and a few with MSes, but most of them also just have BSes or BAs.

Really, as long as you have serious research experience, then you will fulfill the research requirement to come here, even if you don't have an advanced degree or any pubs. If you're already doing research as a sophomore, your experience should be more than adequate. Try to spend more time in a single lab and if you can do your own project, that's even better. Also I think if your school offers an option to do a senior thesis and get an honors degree that you should consider doing it. Not that you need it, but you're doing all this work anyway, so you might as well get the credit for it, right?

Would an absolutely gratuitous number of publications put one ahead of the curve any?

 

[TheRealMD]

So the basic list of schools that recommend or require research without having to do MD/PhD are:

Pritzker
CCLCM
Baylor
Yale
Stanford
Duke
Pitt

... Any more that I forgot?


---Thanks everyone for the input.---

I'd say all schools secretly "recommend" research. Take Baylor off though, I didn't mean for it to be interpreted that way.

 

[Rud42]

I was thinking about Yale just know... (and I don't feel like searching the internet right now) how do their students do on the Step1 and the match?... It seems like not being graded could hurt students during these two times?

Also... do any of the schools that require a thesis from everyone (i.e. Yale) ever have great papers coming from the students or do the students just do the minimum work to get the paper done?

 

[CCLCMer]

Would an absolutely gratuitous number of publications put one ahead of the curve any?

Maybe, but only if you manage to out-publish your PhD classmates.

 

[CCLCMer]

I was thinking about Yale just know... (and I don't feel like searching the internet right now) how do their students do on the Step1 and the match?... It seems like not being graded could hurt students during these two times?

Also... do any of the schools that require a thesis from everyone (i.e. Yale) ever have great papers coming from the students or do the students just do the minimum work to get the paper done?

I know you asked about Yale, but I can answer some of your questions too. CCLCM is not only completely P/F all five years, but we also have no science tests besides taking Step 1 at the end of M2. The first class did excellent on Step 1--we had a 100% pass rate and a 229 average (national average is about 215). I don't know what the official numbers are yet for the class ahead of mine, but anecdotally I've heard that they did very well. You definitely don't need to have grades to do well on Step 1.

No one has graduated from CCLCM yet, so I can't comment on how well they match. A few people in the first class have completed their research year, and they definitely did significant research work. There were two with Howard Hughes fellowships and a bunch of other crazy awards that I can't remember off the top of my head. People are really serious about doing research at CCLCM. Some of my classmates were also applying to MD/PhD programs, so that gives you an idea of what kind of people this program attracts. By the end of our first year, the people in my class had already published 11 papers since coming to med school (not 11 people, because a couple people got out two papers). I expect that most people if not everyone at CCLCM will wind up multiply published before they leave. I don't know what the thesis work is like at other schools, but it's like doing a real MS thesis here.

 

[Cataract]

If you're looking for lesser known schools for research, SUNY Downstate allows you to graduate with "Distinction in Research", if that's worth anything. SUNY Upstate has lots of focus on research with their "Medical Student Research Program".

 

[anotherpremed]

So the basic list of schools that recommend or require research without having to do MD/PhD are:

Pritzker
CCLCM
Baylor
Yale
Stanford
Duke
Pitt

... Any more that I forgot?


---Thanks everyone for the input.---

UVA has an optional 5th year of research. The Case as a program that's 5 years long that is combined MD/MS

 

[CCLCMer]

The Case as a program that's 5 years long that is combined MD/MS

That's CCLCM (the College Program), and the MS for us is optional, not required. If we decide not to get the MD/MS, then we get a 5-year MD with Distinction in Biomedical Research instead. The regular Case Program (University Program) is four years like most schools are, but they still do a 4-month research block and have a thesis requirement too.

 

[EBI831]

Hmm, I never got the heavy on research feel from Baylor. Whoever is making the list forgot to add WashU, and UTSW like posters above suggested. Also, Vandy has a mandatory research program (Emphasis) but you can do it on a variety of things (education, international health, basic science, etc).

 

[anotherpremed]

Mt. Sinai has a research fellowship you can spend a year doing

 

[QuantumMechanic]

So the basic list of schools that recommend or require research without having to do MD/PhD are:

Pritzker
CCLCM
Baylor
Yale
Stanford
Duke
Pitt

... Any more that I forgot?


---Thanks everyone for the input.---

Vanderbilt

 

[RunningForever5]

Mayo

 

[RokChalkJayhawk]

Ucsd

 

[Rud42]

Pritzker
CCLCM
Yale
Stanford
Duke
Pitt Harvard
SUNY (Upstate and Downstate)
UCSD
Mayo
Vanderbilt
Mt. Sinai
UTSW
WashU