Why we decided to do an MD/PhD

An MD/PhD is approximately an eight year, dual degree! Typically you do the first two years of medical school followed by four years of research, and then you finish the last two years of medical school. We do everything a medical student or graduate student would but with the addition of some MD/PhD specific seminars and outings. As mentioned above, the MD/PhD program is eight years - a massive time commitment - but there are some benefits: you get a stipend (~40k a year in NYC), medical school is paid for, multifaceted education, more longitudinal mentoring and more job flexibility in the future! Below are some of the reasons why we chose to pursue an MD/PhD

Lindsey

I think an important part of me choosing to do an MD/PhD was mentorship. I had a lot of mentors as an undergraduate who were MD/PhDs. I was not exposed to the program before and did not know what it was, so they were able to tell me what being a physician scientist is like, what their training was like, and how it helped them and impacted their careers. I recommend reaching out to physician scientists whose research you are interested in or who you think would be inspiring mentors. Lastly, definitely take advantage of every opportunity you receive. 

Marisol

Growing up without even realizing it, I was always questioning the function of the brain. From big things like my grandma having Alzheimer's to little things such as me being left handed. I did not know research existed until freshman year. When I started doing research I fell in love with the idea of being able to explore my curiosity. After a lot of different shadowing experiences, I fell in love with Neurosurgery and neuroscience and realized I couldn’t separate the two. That’s why I did the MD/PhD program.

Juliana

I always had an interest in medicine. I grew up around it. My dad is a doctor. Starting my freshman year of college, I got involved in a basic neuroscience lab. I fell in love with it. I was there everyday and knew it had to be a part of my career. When I found out about the MD/PhD program it was a perfect fit for me.