# MD/PhD Program in Medicine, the Social Sciences and Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias

> **NIH NIH T32** · UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO · 2024 · $169,928

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
This proposal seeks support for an MD/PhD Program in Medicine, the Social Sciences, and Alzheimer’s
Disease and Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) centered at the University of Chicago (UC) in partnership with
Rush University (RU). The program builds on strengths at the two institutions in Alzheimer’s disease and
related dementias (AD/ADRD), the social sciences, and interdisciplinary research and its integration into the
professions, including the training of MD/PhD students with PhDs in the Social Sciences. The proposed
program will produce MD/PhD graduates trained in medicine, a social science or related profession
(Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Comparative Human Development, Public Health Sciences, Business,
Public Policy, and Social Work), and interdisciplinary approaches to aging research with a focus on AD/ADRD.
AD/ADRD research training areas will include the epidemiology of AD/ADRD; the content, organization, and
financing of care for persons with dementia; behavioral, health system and community interventions aimed at
the prevention, early identification, and treatment of AD/ADRD; the care workforce and roles of formal and
informal caregivers in health outcomes for persons with AD/ADRD; and methodological issues prominent in
AD/ADRD research. The proposed approach to training builds on UC’s 30-year history of national leadership in
training MD/PhDs in the social sciences through the Medicine, Social Sciences and Humanities (MeSH)
program. UC’s training record has been exceptional, training more MD/PhDs in the social sciences than any
other institution with exceptional placement and scientific impact in aging and AD/ADRD research. MD/PhD
applicants will be able to apply to the program through one of three tracks: 1) the Pritzker School of Medicine
Track, in which students apply simultaneously to the MD and PhD programs at UC; 2) the Rush Medical
College (RMC) Track, in which students apply simultaneously to the MD program at RMC and PhD programs
at UC; 3) the National Track, in which students at any U.S. medical school may apply to PhD programs at
UChicago. The proposed program also benefits from the exceptional clinical and research expertise at RU in
AD/ADRD, and RU’s participation expands local medical school options for trainees interested in research
careers in AD/ADRD and earning a social science PhD from UC. The National Track pathway will also continue
to further expand the pool of potential candidates eligible for the program by recruiting students from across
the U.S., which we expect to especially help in expanding recruitment of minority trainees. Institutional support
will allow us to matriculate 3 PSOM or RMC track students and at least 3 National Track students over the
course of the award. Trainees’ focus on AD/ADRD research will be enhanced by their participation in relevant
coursework, clinical experiences, and seminars in which they present their work to their colleagues and
program leaders.Each tr...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10915652
- **Project number:** 5T32AG074937-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** DAVID O MELTZER
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $169,928
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-30 → 2026-09-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10915652

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10915652, MD/PhD Program in Medicine, the Social Sciences and Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (5T32AG074937-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10915652. Licensed CC0.

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