Starting the Program: Transition Advice

Students are introduced to the program leadership team during medical school orientation.

Timeline of MD/PhD Program:

The timeline for students:

2 years of preclinical coursework (M1, M2) followed by the USMLE Step I examination,  PhD Training and  Dissertation, and finally, a return to the clerkships for M3 and M4.

During the M1 and 2, students begin to look for labs to rotate in for the two summers.  Lists of Faculty with ongoing research are available and a list of all the departments and degree granting programs and their contacts is provided to each incoming student. Students attend open houses for a majority of the departments. For the others, the MD/PhD directors will bring in faculty to discuss potential labs.  Faculty advisors within the departments are available to meet with students and answer questions.

Students are required to perform a minimum of 2 rotations; however many students do perform 3 rotations. The rotations may be a combination of 4 and/or 8 week rotations. A summer stipend is given to students for the lab rotations from the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences. Students are expected to give lab rotation talks in August and September to the MD/PhD community.

Advice for MD/PhD students nearing the graduate phase research:

  • Decide on and perform rotations for summer I. Decide on rotation for summer II.
  • USMLE Step 1: Students take the Step 1 exam directly after BUSM II.  The Step 1 must be completed prior to the start of the PhD part of their graduate training.  Students will be guided by the OSA of the Medical School.
  • Complete rotations, meet with MD/PhD Co-Directors and discuss your ideas of labs.
  • Identify a mentor
  • Identify a department or program: This is done in consultation with your mentor. Talk to students if your mentor has more than one appointment. We encourage you to attend seminars.

Student Activities During the Graduate Phase

  1. Departmental requirements:  Each department has specific curriculum requirements that include courses and qualifying exams.  Current information is available on departmental websites. A number of courses are waived for the MD/PhD students. Courses are determined on an individual basis and in consultation with the faculty advisor for that Department.
  2. Qualifying exams:  Students take qualifying exams within two years of initiating graduate work.  The format of the qualifiers differs among departments, but includes a written and an oral component.
  3. Quantitative training:  There are multiple courses that can be taken in statistics through the School of Public Health, GMS, and at the Charles River Campus. These include courses in bioinformatics, statistics, coding in various programming languages, and machine learning.
  4. Dissertation committee: Dissertation committees are formed within 6 months after students pass the qualifying exams.  In the MD/PhD program we recommend that be done within 3 months. The faculty are selected based on expertise and departmental requirements (e.g., some departments require at least one member to be from outside BU). Dissertation committees are requested to meet twice a year to monitor the students’ progress.
  5. Writing and submitting a grant: All students are required to submit an NIH F30 grant. The NIH F30 grant has a deadline of applying within the first 18 months of graduate work. Students are assisted in writing the grant application. Successful students receive tuition, stipend and health insurance for M3 and M4 years. During the PhD years students receive tuition, stipend and health insurance from their own grants, a T32 or a PI’s grant. The tuition is paid for by the University.
  6. GMS MD 800: Clinical Refresher Course:  As MD/PhD students enter their (anticipated) last year of graduate work, they are required to participate in a course designed by the M.D/Ph.D. program to ease re-entry into the medical curriculum.
  7. Enhanced clinical exposure: The Co-Director has formalized exposure to the clinic for students during their graduate years after they pass their qualifiers.

 Advice for MD/PhD students nearing the end of the graduate phase research:

Students who declare that they are within 1 year of finishing their graduate work need to fill out a MD/PhD Transition Form. This is located on the GMS Forms portal. Students must also set up a meeting with the GMS Registrar.

Checklist and timetable for transitioning back to 3rd year Medical School

  • The dissertation must be defended before the second week in May prior to M3 orientation.
  • The students should meet with program directors to review their progress.
  • Plan for an April/May thesis defense date to give you time to respond to committee issues and file your thesis in library.

Approximate Timetable for clerkship registration:

  • February, ~2nd week: Mandatory Class Meeting: “Choosing Your 3rd Year Schedule”
  • February, 2nd week to March: Enter sequence selections on Registrar’s website
  • March 3rd week: Final sequences appear on Registrar’s website
  • March 3rd week -April 2nd week: Enter location selections on Registrar’s website
  • May 1st week: Final 3rd year clerkship schedules appear on Registrar’s website