# Cornell University Combined DVM-PhD Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)

> **NIH NIH T32** · CORNELL UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $239,744

## Abstract

The mission of this MSTP at Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is (i) to create a diverse
and inclusive veterinary clinician and scientist community to support and mentor Combined DVM-PhD
Degree (CD) trainees along the axes of their personal identity, clinical discipline, and research domain;
(ii) to provide integrated training in clinical veterinary medicine and biomedical research that prepares
trainees to perform at the highest standards as rigorous clinician-scientists; (iii) to develop biomedical
science leaders exhibiting creativity, curiosity, compassion, and service; and (iv) to develop skills for
success in a broad range of veterinary clinician-scientist research careers through experiential learning.
Towards this mission, we have established a flexible and vibrant CD training plan that strategically and
uniquely pairs Cornell’s Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) curriculum with the graduate (PhD)
program in Biomedical and Biological Sciences (BBS). The current Cornell CD program has a strong
track record of ongoing success since its creation in 2002. Approximately 71% of our 24 CD graduates
are in research careers (33% in academia, 17% in government, and 21% in industry). Incoming CD
students will choose their PhD mentor, after their laboratory rotations, from a pool of 40 trainers
(including 4 affiliate trainers) representing 8 research specialties with an average of $900,000 of
research grant funding. Cornell is committed to providing all CD students, including MSTP trainees, full
financial support (tuition, stipend, and health insurance) for all years during their CD programming. The
training of CD students at Cornell is flexible. It typically starts with 1.5 years in the DVM curriculum,
then switching to a 3- or 4-year long Ph.D., and finally returning to the remaining 2.5 years of DVM
training. Of the current cohort of 15 CD students, including 2 newly admitted trainees, 6 (40%) hold
prestigious predoctoral fellowships, including 5 NIH F30s. Key objectives for our MSTP are to: (1)
Recruit and retain students, and grow a diverse CD student cohort; (2) Develop biomedical science
leaders with skills in major competency domains required for clinician-scientists, namely disciplinary
knowledge combined with clinical, technical, operational, professional, and self-development skills; (3)
Optimize DVM and PhD training integration and the combined time-to-degree through the temporal
intermingling of DVM and PhD training, research during the DVM curriculum, and clinical training during
the PhD curriculum; and (4) Expand opportunities for career development, both in academia and
beyond academia, and enhance skills in communication, team-science, and entrepreneurship. Our
overarching objective is to develop a diverse pool of well-trained veterinary clinician-scientists who
have the disciplinary knowledge and skills that will uniquely prepare them for leadership roles in
biomedical research to advance human health at the individual...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10863937
- **Project number:** 5T32GM150453-02
- **Recipient organization:** CORNELL UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Renata Ivanek Miojevic
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $239,744
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-07-01 → 2028-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10863937

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10863937, Cornell University Combined DVM-PhD Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) (5T32GM150453-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10863937. Licensed CC0.

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