# UNC Medical Scientist Training Program > **NIH NIH T32** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2024 · $59,936 ## Abstract Abstract The primary mission of the UNC MSTP is to train an outstanding group of students committed to becoming physician scientists, capable of bridging the gap between science and clinical medicine. We strive to achieve this goal by recruiting candidates from diverse backgrounds who bring a variety of academic and research interests. We project a steady state of 96 students (12 new students per year) whose academic and extracurricular experiences are stellar, including substantial research experience and proven commitment to service. We plan to appoint MSTP trainees to the T32 during their first two years in the program. We will also appoint students returning to medical school after completing their PhD who do not hold F30 awards. Through our UNC MSTP, students will be able to pursue their graduate training in 15 individual departments and 5 curricula representing the Schools of Medicine, Public Health, Pharmacy, and the College of Arts and Sciences. Our leadership team includes Dr. Toni Darville and Dr. Mohanish Deshmukh, who serve as Co-Directors and Alison Regan, who is the Assistant Director. Our program emphasizes strong education in clinical medicine that is well integrated with superb research opportunities not only in biomedical sciences but also in other important areas of public health. Throughout their training, we promote a framework that compels students to define clinical implications of their research, and how research affects clinical care. Our program leverages resources from the UNC Clinical Translational Science Award (CTSA), the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program (BBSP), links students with physician scientist role models, and structurally integrates research and clinical work in the thesis process, and in research-in-progress and clinical case conferences. During the PhD phase of training, students are engaged in a longitudinal clinical clerkship to maintain clinical skills. Graduating PhD students participate in the Extra Practice to Transition to Application Phase course to promote clinical confidence upon returning to medical school. These mechanisms help ensure that our students learn essential skills including conducting rigorous and reproducible research, oral presentation, and manuscript writing. Critical grant writing skills are taught through a rigorous F30 bootcamp and mock review sessions. Additionally, we meet extensively with each student throughout their training to ensure that they have a complete support system for research, clinical, and career mentorship via peer colleagues and faculty. Finally, we expose them to leadership and career development opportunities to prepare them for careers as Clinician Scientist leaders. Training outcomes include receiving a high percentage of honors for clinical rotations, obtaining first author publications, successfully competing for a variety of awards and independent funding (e.g., F30 awards from the NIH), completing the dual degree program with the average ti... ## Key facts - **NIH application ID:** 11111503 - **Project number:** 3T32GM152316-01S2 - **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL - **Principal Investigator:** Toni Darville - **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.) - **Funding institute:** NIH - **Fiscal year:** 2024 - **Award amount:** $59,936 - **Award type:** 3 - **Project period:** 2024-07-01 → 2029-06-30 ## Primary source NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11111503 ## Citation > US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11111503, UNC Medical Scientist Training Program (3T32GM152316-01S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11111503. Licensed CC0. --- *[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*