# Medical Scientist Training Program

> **NIH NIH T32** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $1,276,934

## Abstract

7. PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The Duke Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) is one of three original MSTPs funded by NIGMS in
1966, and it has been continuously funded since that time. This competing continuation application requests
funding for 28 trainees, an increase of one position over the current level of support. The goal of the Duke
MSTP is to prepare young physician-scientists for careers in biomedical research and academic medicine by
providing comprehensive training in both scientific research and clinical medicine through completion of both
the MD and PhD degrees. The program's mission is to provide an intellectual foundation that will allow trainees
from diverse backgrounds to become the future thought leaders in biomedical science and academic medicine
in the US. To accomplish these goals, the Program is built on a unique medical school curriculum that
integrates medical education with original scholarly investigation. The defining feature of the Duke curriculum is
that all medical students engage in significant scholarly activity in the third year. As a consequence, the core
medical education takes place over three years, rather than four, with the preclinical basic sciences condensed
into the first year and core clinical clerkships taught in the second year. This curriculum is therefore ideally
suited to MSTP trainees, as it provides comprehensive clinical training prior to PhD training, allowing students
to align their research interests with their long-term clinical interests as well as shortening the time to the dual
degree. Over the past 5 years, the Duke MSTP has undergone a number of major changes and improvements
after it came under new directorship in 2006: 1) The admissions process was revamped to ensure recruitment
of top tier applicants while also addressing the problem of unacceptably high attrition rates; 2) Program
administration has been modified to ensure adequate oversight of the director and to provide enhanced input
from a broader range of outstanding faculty; 3) Improved trainee oversight has been incorporated at multiple
stages of the program; 4) Numerous program activities have been added to ensure adequate program-wide
training opportunities and to foster program unity; 5) An accelerated rotation structure has been added to allow
time for trainees to take Step 1 of the USMLE and to transition to their thesis labs by the middle of first-year of
graduate school; 6) Activities to ensure that clinical skills are not lost during the PhD years have been added;
7) Institutional support has improved dramatically; and 8) Multiple opportunities for trainees to influence their
own career development have been incorporated. These new program initiatives have built on the Duke
MSTP's tradition of excellent MD-PhD training to substantially improve and revitalize the program, preparing it
for growth over the next 5 years to a new steady state of approximately 88 students.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9952376
- **Project number:** 5T32GM007171-46
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Christopher D Kontos
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1,276,934
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1975-07-01 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9952376

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9952376, Medical Scientist Training Program (5T32GM007171-46). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9952376. Licensed CC0.

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