MD/DO-PhD Resources
National APSA Website
One of the best places to look for APSA resources is the national APSA website. It offers a variety of unique opportunities and information.
In general, you can look over all of the undergraduate resources here.
Learn more about APSA's undergrad mentorship program that connects you with a current MD/PhD or DO/PhD student here. The mentoring is available all for the price of registering as an APSA member (only $12 a year)!
Get an idea of what life is like in an MD-PhD program with these helpful "Day in the Life" articles here.
APSA has hosted a number of panel with MD/PhD program directors and students. Recordings of these events can be found here.
This is a particular panel from 2017 where program directors answer a lot of common questions.
We also encourage you to try and make it out to an APSA meeting and get to meet real physician-scientists and physician-scientist trainees in person. You can find the nearest regional meeting here.
YouTube: Journey to the Double Doc
Check out this helpful YouTube series from two new MD/PhD students. It's called "Journey to the Double Doc" and offers helpful and friendly information about preparing to apply, applying, interviewing, and choosing a program. Also, it gives some helpful background information on what a physician-scientist is and what MD/PhD programs consist of.
Note: None of these are absolute truths about applying but provide a relatable perspective and reflection on the process.
YouTube: Spilling the MD/PhD Admissions' Tea
Check out this helpful YouTube series from a new MD/PhD student that applied with online interviews and is interested in pursuing a PhD in public health/epidemiology. It's called "Spilling the MD/PhD Admissions' Tea" and offers helpful and friendly information about preparing to apply, applying, interviewing, and choosing a program.
Note: None of these are absolute truths about applying but provide a relatable perspective and reflection on the process.
YouTube: Doc Talk
This is a video within a "Doc Talk" series that covers MD/PhD's training and careers. This particular video many of the FAQs about MD/PhD training regarding the application process and program structure among other things.
Articles
Here are a number of articles in scientific journals and other publications to help you consider pursuing an MD/PhD program and better understand what MD/PhD training is like.
Is an MD/PhD program right for me? Advice on becoming a physician–scientist.
60 Years of Building the Physician-Scientists of Tomorrow: A Q&A with Penn MSTP Director Skip Brass
Finding Nirvana: Paths to Becoming a Physician-Scientist
Perspective: Three Crucial Questions When Applying to M.D.-Ph.D. Programs
Training the physician-scientist: views from program directors and aspiring young investigators
Statistics
Not all schools publish detailed statistics about their applicants and interviewees, but the Tri-Institutional (Tri-I) MD/PhD program from Weill Cornell Medicine, Sloan Kettering, and Rockefeller does here. Additionally, the Washington University in St. Louis publishes its data here. VCU shows the data for its matriculants here as well. Keep in mind that these schools' statistics maybe similar for other peer institutions but not necessarily be the same for less prestigious or less established programs. The data from the Tri-I and the VCU programs are shown below.
Data for Tri-I MD/PhD program applications, interviews, and acceptances from 2017-2019.
Data for VCU MD/PhD matriculants from 2016-2020
Resources for Choosing a Mentor and Lab
Below you can find Advice and a Goals Sheet from Dr. Richard Steinman, director of the University of Pittsburgh's MSTP Program, on choosing a mentor and lab for your PhD training.
AAMC MD-PhD Program FAQ Table
Please find this list with key details about US MD-PhD programs. A complete list of MD-PhD programs can be found at this link: https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/mdphd-degree-programs-state/
MD/PhD Program Manual
This is a MD-PhD student manual from 2016 from the Tufts University School of Medicine. It may help you get a better idea of what life is like as an MD-PhD student.