Welcome
Overview
The mission of VCU’s MD-PhD program is to train diverse physician-scientists to improve human health through discovery in basic and social sciences and biomedical engineering.
The VCU School of Medicine has been awarding combined MD and PhD degrees since 1975. Over the years, the school's commitment to the program has grown alongside it, providing support to all students with paid tuition, fees, health insurace, and stipend.
- Over one thousand full-time VCU and practice plan faculty, plus part-time clinical faculty and VA faculty.
- Clinical programs at VCU Health include a Level 1 trauma center, the NIH-designated Massey Cancer Center, and a pioneering organ transplant program. Our affiliated hospitals, including the McGuire Veterans Medical Center, have over 1,000 beds.
- In 2020, VCU received more than $360,000,000 in external research funding. VCU School of Medicine currently ranks number 60 of all US medical schools by total NIH grant awards with 107 NIH-funded investigators and 147 grants.
- Our C. Kenneth and Diane Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research has a $21.5M Clinical and Translational Science Award from the NIH.
- Research facilities adjacent to the VCU Medical Center include: the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park, the home of our Institute for Structural Biology, Drug Discovery and Development and the Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics. Less than two miles away, on the Monroe Park Campus, are the undergraduate Departments of Chemistry, Biology and Physics, the College of Engineering with its Department of Biomedical Engineering, and the Integrative Life Sciences program.
Moderate program size. We typically admit five to eight students per year into the program, with a total census of around 50. This size provides a critical mass to stimulate interactions while preserving a familiar and congenial environment.
Full support. Full medical school and graduate school tuition is provided by the VCU MD-PhD program and PhD dissertation adviser. Students receive a minimum annual stipend of $31,265 each year, which is increased by $1,000 after passing their PhD candidacy exams. Each student who receives support from an NIH F30 award (or equivilent) has an additional $1,000 added to his or her stipend for the duration of their education.
Outstanding clinical and research training. VCU is one of the largest medical centers in the country, caring for the sickest patients in the Central Virginia area. VCU has vibrant programs in transplant medicine, stroke and movement disorders, Level I trauma, and women's health. Moreover, the Massey Cancer Center at VCU is one of only two NCI-designated cancer centers in the State of Virginia and the new Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU is Virginia’s only Level I pediatric trauma center. Our students also train at the McGuire Veterans Administration Medical Center in Richmond, which has outstanding neurological and rehabilitation facilities.
Clinical rotations before beginning graduate work. Because the M1 and M2 years are completed in 18 months (see Curriculum), students in our program are able to spend 6 to 8 weeks completing a block of M3 clinical rotations after taking USMLE Step 1 and prior to starting their PhD phase. This gives students the opportunity to better appreciate and apply the translational aspects of their graduate research. Additionally, it allows students the flexibility to rotate back into their clinical years anytime between April and October, following their successful PhD dissertation defense.
Student involvement in the program. MD-PhD students are involved in all phases of the program, from admissions and interviewing to organization of monthly seminars and annual retreats. Additionally, students in each cohort select a class representative to serve on the MD-PhD Student Council, which meets monthly with the Program Director to recommend and discuss improvements to the program.
Non-traditional PhD options. In addition to strong traditional basic science training offered through departments in the VCU School of Medicine, MD-PhD students in our program are eligible to obtain their PhD through a variety of novel research programs. These programs include the Cancer and Molecular Medicine translational research program offered through our Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Biomedical Engineering, Healthcare Policy and Research, and Epidemology and Community Health, among others (see PhD Training Options).
Wright Scholars. A generous endowment by C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright funds an MD-PhD Scholars program. MD-PhD students who have reached the second year of graduate studies may submit an application describing a translational or clinical research project, which can be part of their dissertation research or a capstone project during their final year of medical school. Selected students become Wright Scholars who are entitled to reimbursement of up to $3000 per year for educational expenses. In addition, their tuition, stipend and fees are covered by the endowment, supporting growth of the MD-PhD program.
Big-city feel with quaint Southern charm. Richmond has it all – museums, festivals, and concert venues; restaurants, craft breweries, and farmers’ markets; park systems, bike trails, and Class III and IV rapids. And with I-64 and I-95 running right through downtown, it’s easy to get to the Appalachian Mountains, Virginia Beach, and D.C. Amtrak operates out of historic Main Street Station, a short walk from campus. Or you can fly in and out of town from the Richmond International Airport.
Graduates of the VCU MD-PhD program overwhelmingly chose to enter clinical residencies as the next phase of their careers. Most choose specialties that are accustomed to training physician-scientists, including Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Neurology, Radiation Oncology, and Psychiatry.
Match day has been a day of celebration for our senior students. From 2017-2020, 22 of 26 (85%) of our graduates matched into one of their top 3 choices. Our graduates fan out across the nation for their residency training. You can explore the map below to learn more about where they went.
Student Statistics
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Average number of years to complete both degrees
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Average number of publications as MD-PhD student
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Percentage of eligible students who have an NIH F30 training grant
Admissions
The VCU MD-PhD Program encourages students with disabilities, members of underrepresented groups, and students who are disadvantaged to apply.
Average number of applicants, interviews conducted, accepted students, and enrolled students from cycles ending 2016 – 2020.To be considered for the VCU MD-PhD Program, prospective students must apply to the medical school through the American Medical College Application Service. Please designate “Combined Graduate/Medical Degree” on your AMCAS application.
The VCU MD-PhD Program is committed to a holistic application review, taking into consideration not only grades and scores, but the depth and quality of research experience, exposure to clinical medical opportunities, evidence of altruism, personal statements, and unique factors that allow the applicant to contribute to a vibrant, diverse student population. Current VCU MD-PhD students often complete the initial review of submitted applications.
The median (bold horizontal lines), middle quartiles (colored boxes), and outer quartiles minus outliers (vertical lines) of undergraduate grade point average, Medical College Admission Test scores, and months of full-time research of applicants who ultimately enrolled in our program from 2016 – 2020.
After review by the MD-PhD Admissions subcommittee and a trained file reviewer, selected candidates are invited for interviews.
For the 2021-2022 admissions cycle, all interviews will be conducted virtually due to COVID-19.
Typically, we interview around 40 applicants per admission cycle. We typically start in September and end in February, using two days for the visit. The two-day interview process is divided into an MD-PhD interview day and a medical school interview day (usually the following morning and early afternoon). This process allows applicants to interview with the medical school and the MD-PhD program, to meet current students and potential lab mentors, and to get a feel for the overall culture of the program.
Day 1 - MD-PhD Admissions Interview Day:
- 9:30 a.m.: Informal beakfast with current students
- 10:00 a.m.: Welcome and Program Overview with Dr. Michael Donnenberg
- Noon: MD-PhD seminar given by a faculty member or MD-PhD student
- Afternoon: Individually scheduled visits with PIs
- 5:00 p.m.: Virtual happy hour with with current MD-PhD students
Day 2 MD Admissions Interview Day:
- TBD: MD Admissions Day Activities
- Note: Some MD-PhD students may have interviews on day 2 if specific PIs were not available on day 1
All activities for initial interviews scheduled during the 2021-2022 interview season will be held virtually and times listed are EST. Please note this is a sample itinerary; events are subject to change.
Following the interview days, the MD-PhD admissions committee will meet, often the next week, to complete the review of your application. You will also be considered by the School of Medicine Admissions Committee. It can take two to four weeks from your interview for both committees to complete their deliberations. After this time, you may be accepted, deferred for later consideration, or rejected from the MD-PhD program. Importantly, students not accepted to the MD-PhD program are not automatically considered by the Medical School Admissions Committee for the MD program. If you are not accepted into the MD-PhD program at VCU and wish to be considered for admission to the medical school, you will have to contact AMCAS to change your application status and notify the Office of Admissions of the change.
We strongly encourage accepted applicants to attend the scheduled Second Look event, usually held in early April. Second Look is a great opportunity to view current students’ research at our annual poster day and meet other accepted applicants, as well as meet potential research mentors and further explore Richmond. Accepted applicants who are unable to attend can return to VCU at any time. We cover travel and lodging expenses no matter when a Second Look occurs and are hoping to have this in person for 2022.
Research
Research Resources
VCU School of Medicine (SOM) has been investing in research, building and renovating laboratories and recruiting well-funded investigators. Sanger Hall, at 486,000 ft2 the largest of our research facilities, has benefited from total renovation of the fourth (Pathology) and fifth (Microbiology and Immunology) floors since 2016 with open lab and shared space configurations. The Molecular Medicine Research Building, which opened in 2009, shares the open lab design, as does the Massey Cancer Center’s Goodwin Research Building, which opened in 2005. Additionally, a new interdisciplinary Neurosciences Building is in the planning stages. Researchers at VCU have access to a full suite of core laboratories, including state-of-the-art microscopy, transgenic/knockout mouse, proteomics and metabolomics, and structural biology cores. The SOM also has a variety of pilot project grant opportunities for its faculty, which provide the seed funding that can lead to external grant success. Indeed, these efforts seem to be paying off, as grant funding to SOM faculty has been growing at an impressive rate.
All of these efforts have tangible benefits for our MD-PhD students, who can choose a mentor from over 110 participating faculty representing 17 Ph.D. granting programs. Collectively, these faculty have over 66 million dollars in external funding, or over $3.3M per student requiring support. Links to faculty who serve as current mentors for our students in the graduate phase, or recent mentors for our students in the last two years, can be found by visiting the student profiles.
While our participating faculty include well-funded and highly accomplished investigators in all of the programs available, it is worth noting some of our particular strengths.
- The Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, endowed by the Wright family and funded by a Clinical and Translational Science Award from the NIH, provides a strong infrastructure for medically-relevant research, including grant and paper writing courses and workshops, biostatistics consultations, clinical trial support, research navigation and mentorship programs. The Wright CCTR is also home to the PhD in Clinical and Translational Sciences with a specialized interdisciplinary concentration in Cancer and Molecular Medicine, the most popular dissertation program among MD-PhD students.
- The Massey Cancer Center, with its National Cancer Center designation, is home to outstanding, cutting-edge treatments and also the full range of cancer-related research, from molecular to population-based research.
- The Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics conducts ground-breaking research into the interplay between our genome and complex mental disorders and behavioral traits, such as depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, obesity, sleep disorders, alcohol use and drug use.
- The VCU Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies brings together our many highly-funded researchers who study many aspects of these complex issues. VCU consistently ranks comfortably in the highest quintile of funding from both the National Institute of Drug Abuse and the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
- A full list of VCU research-intensive institutes and centers can be found here.
MD-PhD students have many options for their dissertation work, including traditional department-based basic science disciplines in the School of Medicine, basic research in other Colleges and Schools within VCU, cross-departmental translational and clinical research, healthcare policy research, and applied research in Biomedical Engineering and Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.
|
PhD Program |
Department |
School or College |
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Biochemistry |
School of Medicine |
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Biomedical Engineering |
College of Engineering |
|
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Interdisciplinary |
Institutional |
|
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Interdisciplinary |
College of Humanities and Sciences |
|
|
Health Behavior and Policy |
School of Medicine |
|
|
Human and Molcular Genetics |
School of Medicine |
|
|
Microbiology and Immunology |
School of Medicine |
|
|
Interdisciplinary |
College of Humanities and Sciences |
|
|
Interdisciplinary |
School of Medicine |
|
|
Phillips Institute for Oral Health Research |
School of Dentistry |
|
|
Medicinal Chemistry |
School of Pharmacy |
|
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Pharmacology and Toxicology |
School of Medicine |
|
|
Physiology and Biophysics |
School of Medicine |
|
|
Interdisciplinary |
Life Sciences |
Curriculum
The VCU MD-PhD Program boasts an integrated curriculum, blending medical school with scientific studies throughout the journey.
With the help of MD-PhD leadership, matriculating students jump right into the program. In June before the start of their M1 year, students take the first steps toward selecting a graduate program and mentor by completing rotations in two laboratories of their choice. This summer period also features lunch presentations by PhD Program Directors and students.
The M1 curriculum begins with foundational concepts and continues with systems-based basic and clinical concepts. The MD-PhD Program supplements this material with a Journal Club and a Science and Disease series, each of which is coordinated with the medical school curriculum and seeks a deeper understanding of the scientific foundation of topics under study.
The summer between M1 and M2 features one or two more laboratory rotations. M2 continues as M1 left off with systems-based basic and clinical concepts for one semester. At the start of spring semester of M2, students prepare and complete Step 1 of the US Medical Licensing Examination. Our MD-PhD students then experience their first mandatory M3 clinical clerkships, spending 6-8 weeks on the wards before beginning their graduate studies. This allows them to put theoretical information into practice prior to a one-year hiatus from clinical studies during the first year of graduate school.
The School of Medicine provides the full stipend, tuition, and fees for the first year of graduate school. This support relieves pressure on PhD mentors to fund MD-PhD students while they take courses and complete qualifying exams. After the first year, funding is provided by the dissertation advisor. MD-PhD students receive considerable credit for their pre-clinical courses toward their graduate degree requirements. MD-PhD leadership has worked with each graduate program to eliminate redundancy and maximize flexibility. The course requirements differ for each PhD program, though all MD-PhD students are required to take courses in Biostatistics, Responsible Conduct of Research course, and, Research Reproducibility and Transparency. Mentors, dissertation committees, and graduate program leaders are all sources of information and guidance during the graduate phase. Oral and written candidacy exams (qualifying exams) are typically completed during the summer between G1 and G2. Requirements can differ by program, but often the written qualifying exam consists of a grant application based on the student’s dissertation project. This same proposal can often be adapted for F30 submissions. The oral qualifying exam is a crucial stage of the PhD training and demands both specific and broad-based knowledge. The remainder of the graduate phase is committed to relevant conferences, seminars, journal clubs, laboratory work, manuscript submission, and work towards successful completion of the PhD dissertation.
Submission of fellowship applications is a critical part of student training for successful careers as academic physicians. Therefore, unless they are ineligible, all students are required to submit an F30 fellowship application to the NIH as soon as possible during the graduate training phase. The MD-PhD program holds an F30 Grant Workshop for G1 students. Students are also encouraged to submit applications to other funding sources, such as the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, or the American Cancer Society, as appropriate.
It is critically important for MD-PhD students to maintain their clinical skills while pursuing their graduate education. With that goal in mind, students attend a longitudinal clinic over the G2 and G3 years in fulfillment of the M3 Ambulatory Care clerkship requirement. In addition, during G4, students are encouraged to complete a two-week-long clinical Foundational Elective.
The experience of writing an original research manuscript, submitting it for publication in a reputable journal, responding to the criticisms of reviewers, resubmitting the manuscript, and making any additional edits for final publication are essential parts of scientific research. As such, prior to returning to medical school, all students are required to have a first-author manuscript describing the research they conducted as part of their PhD studies at VCU accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal that is recognized by PubMed or Web of Science.
The graduate phase of training ends with a successful dissertation defense, a requirement that must be completed prior to returning to medical school. Past and current M4 MD-PhD students developed and maintain an outstanding “Return to M3” Workshop to aid in the transition back to clinical training. The MD-PhD program also purchases a Q-bank of questions, adapted from USMLE Step 2 board exams, to help students review clinically relevant material. Finally, each student has a session with a standardized patient.
MD-PhD students returning from graduate school have a great deal of flexibility in their return dates because they have already completed a clerkship before entering the graduate phase and have completed the Ambulatory Care clerkship during their graduate training. Thus, MD-PhD students can begin clinical clerkships in-phase with newly rising M3 medical students in April, before that, or until October of the M3 year and still match and graduate with that medical school class.
During the M3 year, students receive clinical training by rotating through the academic medical centers of the VCU Health System and the McGuire Veterans Administration Hospital. This rich clinical experience is supplemented by didactic presentations on practice-related topics. All M3 students complete clerkships in Internal Medicine (8 weeks), Surgery (8 weeks), Pediatrics (6 weeks), OB/GYN (6 weeks), Psychiatry (4 weeks), Neurology (4 weeks), Family Medicine (4 weeks), and Ambulatory Medicine (4 weeks, completed during G2 and G3).
All students are required to take the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination Step 2 CK and CS for the first time by October 1 after completion of their M3 year. Students are required to pass USMLE Step 2 CK and CS for graduation.
Students proceed to the final phase of training in M4, during which there are a minimum of 5 required clinical months. These clinical electives include two Acting Internships (4 weeks each), one in a general ward team and one in critical care, and senior advanced clinical electives (4 weeks each). The options for the remainder of the M4 year include research, clinical and non-clinical electives, a USMLE Step 2 study month, and an interview month. Many students opt for clinical experiences at other institutions, especially where they would like to match as residents.
Each M4 MD-PhD student is expected to complete a senior clinical or translational research project. The project may or may not build on the PhD dissertation. The mentor and project are chosen and outlined by the student. The project can be completed at another institution. Each student is expected to present a poster describing this experience during the spring Second Look event.
Our Students
Contact Info
Office Address
VCU School of Medicine
MD-PhD Program
Sanger Hall, Room 1-055
1101 East Marshall Street
Box 980158
Richmond, Virginia 23298-0565
Phone: (804) 828-0673
Fax: (804) 827-1469
MD-PhD Program Faculty and Staff
Georgia Sauvé, MPA
MD-PhD Program Administrator
Georgia Sauvé, MPA
MD-PhD Program Administrator
MD-PHD
Phone: (804) 828-0673
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MD-PHD
