On behalf of the Student Government, thank you for your interest in the Emory Medical Scientist Training Program. Becoming a physician-scientist is a long road, but it is immensely exciting and fulfilling! We are delighted that you are considering making Emory a part of your journey. Emory is an incredibly collaborative and enriching place to train, and we are eager to share with you a few of the things we believe make our MD/PhD program unique.
Interdisciplinary Graduate Education
As one of the nation’s leading and fastest-growing research institutions, Emory University is consistently among the top recipients of federal research funding and graduate students in the Laney Graduate School have a strong track-record of obtaining NIH predoctoral fellowships. In this well-funded and supportive environment, Emory offers a diverse range of degree programs.
In addition to the 8 interdisciplinary programs offered through the Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (GDDBS), students have access to many other programs at Georgia Tech, Rollins School of Public Health, and within the social sciences. The Emory-Georgia Tech joint Biomedical Engineering (BME) degree is currently ranked #1 in the nation and attracts nearly one-fifth of current students in the MD/PhD program. For students passionate about public health, the Rollins School of Public Health is ranked 4th in the nation and offers countless opportunities for collaboration in partnership with the CDC, the American Cancer Society, and the Carter Center – all based in Atlanta. Our program also values degrees in the social sciences, with current and former students successfully pursuing degrees in Psychology, Anthropology, and Sociology. Our administration strongly supports the wide-ranging academic interests of our students -- if you can dream it, you can do it!
Diversity in Clinical Training
Emory School of Medicine is consistently ranked among the nation’s top medical schools. Our medical education begins with a systems-based curriculum that incorporates small group sessions, human anatomy dissections, and clinical skills training. As you are evaluating programs, you will discover the pre-clinical content of medical education to be largely standardized across the country. Instead, what really distinguishes one medical school from another are the types of clinical opportunities available to their students. At Emory, we are incredibly privileged to train across four leading hospital systems in Atlanta, including: Emory University Hospital, Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta VA Medical Center, and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA).
Emory School of Medicine has a reputation for graduating highly skilled clinicians, which directly results from the breadth of clinical exposure we receive as medical students in both private and public health care settings. Emory Healthcare is the largest and most comprehensive health system in Georgia and our Winship Cancer Institute is the only NCI-designated center in Georgia. Additionally, Emory medical students are required to complete clinical rotations at Grady Memorial Hospital, one of the world’s largest public hospitals. Grady is home to several innovative and ground-breaking care delivery models, including the world’s first Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center , one of the largest outpatient HIV/AIDS clinics in the U.S., and the Marcus Trauma Center – the only Level 1 trauma center in Atlanta. Emory’s long-standing partnership with Grady underscores the dedication of the University and our students to treating historically underserved populations and combatting healthcare disparities.
Integration of Graduate and Medical Education
Emory’s “3-4-1” MD-PhD curriculum is structured for students to complete the 18-month Foundations (i.e., didactic preclinical coursework) and 12-month Applications (i.e., core clinical rotations) phases of the MD curriculum prior to the start of graduate training. Equipped with a full year of dedicated clinical experience when choosing a research focus, our trainees are better prepared to identify a course of graduate study that aligns both their clinical and research interests with their future career goals. As PhD students, we work with longitudinal clinical mentors to help maintain clinical competencies acquired on rotations and gain valuable experience in our clinical area(s) of interest.
As you progress through our program, you will encounter several elements designed to integrate your medical education with valuable research perspectives, and vice versa. During Years 1 and 2, Dr. Andy Neish leads a biweekly journal club for MD/PhD students to supplement didactic medical training with an understanding of relevant clinical and basic science research. On a monthly basis, the entire program gathers together with Dr. Holly Bauser-Heaton for the MSTP Forum – a student-led conference designed to expose students to the many practicalities of the physician-scientist career path through expert guest speakers and professional development sessions. Each semester one MSTP Forum is reserved for our graduate students to present brief Research in Progress talks to their peers that reflect their stage of training. Finally, Dr. Joanna Bonsall – an Emory MSTP Alum – leads a clinical reentry course for senior medical students returning to M4 year and preparing to apply to residency.
The City of Atlanta
When choosing an MD-PhD program, you are also choosing where you want to spend a good part of the next decade of your life. Atlanta is a diverse and rapidly growing Southern metropolis that offers residents a little bit of everything. As a result, Emory students are empowered to create a work-life balance that reflects their individual interests and passions in an affordable yet vibrant city.
If you consider yourself a foodie, be prepared to never stop exploring from the centralized food halls at Ponce City and Krog Street Market to the sprawling international cuisine along Buford Highway. Lovers of live music and sporting events have easy access to see their favorite artist or team at one of Atlanta’s iconic venues, including the historic Fox Theatre and shiny new Mercedes-Benz Stadium. History buffs and art critics alike will appreciate the wide range of museum offerings in Atlanta, from the National Center for Civil and Human Rights to the High Museum of Art. And if you are a nature lover, don’t worry! Atlanta has ample access to greenspaces such as Piedmont Park, the Atlanta Botanical Garden, and the Chattahoochee River. Not to mention, Atlanta is only a short drive from the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Southern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail connecting Georgia to Maine!
Whatever you love to see and do, Atlanta provides plenty of opportunities to be yourself!
Emphasis on Community
Regardless of where you choose to pursue your MD-PhD training, you will find yourself in constant transition from medical school, to graduate school, and back again. Along the way you will forge incredible personal and professional relationships with your MD and PhD colleagues. Your peers in the MD/PhD program, however, will be one of the only constants over the years and the people who best understand and can support you through the unique challenges of this career path. Within the MD/PhD program, we value opportunities to connect with like-minded colleagues through the MD/PhD Women’s Association, the Physician Scientist Interest Group, and ARISE. Antiracism, Inclusion, Support & Equity (ARISE) is a student-led group that advocates for proactive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives and education within the MSTP. At Emory, we strive to create a community in which every student can see parts of their identity represented and celebrated within the MD/PhD program. As a community of aspiring physician-scientists, we are committed to supporting one another in our shared pursuit of lifelong learning and scientific exploration that will improve the health of our patients.
In that spirit, we invite you to reach out to us with any questions or concerns you have as you begin your MD-PhD journey and hope you will continue to consider making Emory your academic home.
Wishing you all the best,
Srinidhi Bharadwaj (G2, Biomedical Engineering)
MD/PhD Student Government President