# National MD PhD Student Conference

> **NIH NIH R13** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · 2021 · $1

## Abstract

The Annual National MD/PhD Student Conference was established in 1986 by the University of Colorado
Medical Scientist Training Program (CU MSTP) and for the past 34 years has occurred in mid-July in a
Colorado mountain resort. We obtained R13 funding in 2000 and this is the 4th competitive renewal application.
The objective of the unique conference specifically targeting MD/PhD trainees is to provide a forum that brings
together a diverse group of ~190 dual-degree students from across the nation to learn about cutting-edge
biomedical research from Keynote speakers and MD/PhD trainees; to promote networking and life-long
friendships with peers that are going through similar issues as they train; and to promote the progression of
their career as high impact physician-scientists. The current 3rd year CU MSTPs organize the conference,
guided by an annually rotating Faculty Advisor. The 2.5-day conference is multi-disciplinary addressing the
most important current biomedical problems and includes talks by 5 nationally renowned Keynote speakers,
both established (Nobel Laureates, NAS members & HHMI Investigators) and rising stars; 18 oral student
presentations; 100 student posters; 5 Break Out Sessions; a Career Panel; and a Research Track Residency
Recruitment Fair. Break Out Sessions include topics such as: Women in Science, Research Ethics, Rigor &
Reproducibility, Career Opportunities at NIH, Interfacing with Industry, and Clinical Trials. A recent addition has
been the Research Track Residency Recruitment Fair, whereby Directors of these program come and recruit
MD/PhD students by establishing Program-specific tables during food service, serving on career panels,
attending talks and posters, and setting up recruitment booths. The average annual Conference attendance is
~186, with ~108 (58%) men, ~78 (42%) women, and ~15 (8%) URM. Diversity is strongly endorsed with 8
(27%) women and 2 (7%) URM of the 30 Keynote Speakers, and 10 (36%) women and 0 (0%) URM of the 28
Break Out Session Leaders. The R13 grant pays for 10 Diversity Travel Awards of $1000 each, which we
competitively select every year from the URM applicant pool. In the 5-year period (2014-2018) since the last
submission, 49 Diversity Travel Awards were presented to 30 men and 19 women, representing 40 institutions.
Publicity for the conference is accomplished via: emails to the AAMC MD/PhD Directors and Administrators
list-serve; our CU MSTP Conference Website; Conference Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages; and listing
the conference on the American Physician Scientist Association website with a hotlink. Finally, a key “added
value” of the Conference is that the “MD/PhD Program Organization” and “MD/PhD Section of the AAMC
GREAT Group” grew directly out of the student Conference. In sum, the continuous improvement of this unique
conference, the consistent elite caliber of the Keynote speakers, the emphasis on providing opportunities for
career promotion as physician-scientists, and t...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10137252
- **Project number:** 5R13GM060664-21
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER
- **Principal Investigator:** Cara C. Wilson
- **Activity code:** R13 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $1
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2000-06-01 → 2025-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10137252

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10137252, National MD PhD Student Conference (5R13GM060664-21). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10137252. Licensed CC0.

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