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To the Editor: In their analysis of new MD/PhD graduates, Dr Andriole and colleagues¹ noted that MD/PhD programs intend to "produce highly trained physician-scientists who will engage in biomedical science research careers." However, in an accompanying Editorial,² Dr Rosenberg points to a paucity of data needed to evaluate whether this goal is being met. Indeed, from the perspective of an MD/PhD student, I am concerned that programs are failing to acknowledge, accommodate, and appropriately train the large number of students who discover, well into their training, a preference for clinical over basic science research.

The data in the study by Andriole et al justify this concern. Less than 75% of matriculating MD/PhD students complete their program, but those who do leave nearly always finish their MD degree, suggesting a retained interest in medicine and potentially clinical research. Of the MD/PhD students who do graduate, a significant majority intend to pursue . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Jason Miller, BS
jason.miller@ucsf.edu
Medical Scientist Training Program
University of California, San Francisco

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