The Careers and Professional Activities of Graduates
of the NIGMS Medical Scientist Training Program
September 1998

Conclusions

The data presented in the preceding sections are summarized below by the extent to which they address the two questions that were the primary focus of this study:

How successful are MSTP graduates in establishing research careers?

By several measures, MSTP graduates appear to have been successful in establishing research careers, and their recent publication records suggest that members of all cohorts continue to be productive researchers. In this regard, these findings are consistent with reports of the individual MSTP programs that have conducted their own studies. The various measures used in this study and the differences found between MSTP graduates and the comparison groups are summarized in Table 9. When compared to other M.D.-Ph.D. recipients and the MSTP M.D. only group, MSTP graduates have demonstrated greater success on nearly all measures. A high percentage of MSTP graduates are in academic positions, they have been successful in obtaining research support (three-fourths of those who applied were successful in obtaining NIH research support), and they publish actively.²⁹

On many measures, MSTP graduates do not differ from other NIH-supported trainees who graduate from traditional Ph.D. programs. However, the latter is a select group of graduates who themselves have been shown to be more successful than Ph.D. recipients who have not received NIH research training support.¹

In what ways do the careers and research activities of MSTP graduates differ from those of graduates of other combined-degree or Ph.D. programs?

Several differences between MSTP graduates and members of the comparison groups emerge when selected characteristics of their professional activities are examined. A summary of the comparisons of their 1995 employment characteristics and their publication patterns is shown in Table 10. In terms of these characteristics, MSTP graduates appear most similar to non-MSTP M.D.-Ph.D.s from the same institution--both groups are likely to be employed in academia with appointments in a clinical or both a clinical and basic science department, and both have similar patterns of publication in clinical or mixed-type publications. Such similarities are not surprising, particularly given that non-MSTP-supported students at MSTP institutions met the same requirements as their MSTP counterparts for admission to the combined-degree program, participated in many of the same core training activities, were expected to complete the same degree requirements, had many of the same career aspirations (e.g., pursuing an academic career), and most likely benefited from the MSTP-sponsored training efforts (e.g., seminars and speakers, etc.) at those institutions.

Table 9. Comparison of MSTP Graduates to Other Groups on Measures of Research Activity.

Note: A > symbol is used to indicate comparisons in which MSTP graduates exceeded the comparison group, a < symbol indicates comparisons in which the comparison group exceeded MSTP graduates, and a = symbol indicates no difference between groups. n/a designates a number that is too small for a reliable estimate or not applicable.

Table 10. Comparison of MSTP Graduates to Other Groups on Selected 1995 Professional Activities and Publication Patterns.

Note: A > symbol is used to indicate comparisons in which MSTP graduates exceeded the comparison group, a < symbol indicates comparisons in which the comparison group exceeded MSTP graduates, and a = symbol indicates no difference between groups. n/a = not applicable to Ph.D. group.

Compared to MSTP graduates, the MSTP M.D. only group and M.D.-Ph.D.s from non-MSTP institutions appear to have less research-intensive careers. They are less likely to have research support and academic appointments, and are more likely to be engaged in an independent private or group practice. Consistent with this, they also have lower rates of publication.

Although both MSTP graduates and NIH-supported Ph.D. graduates appear similar in measures of research activity, MSTP graduates are distinguished from them in several ways, some of which might be expected given their combined-degree training. In addition to being more likely than Ph.D. graduates to be employed in academia, MSTP graduates are more likely to be located in clinical departments or to have appointments in both a clinical and a basic science department, a high proportion complete internship and residency training, and many have positions with some clinical involvement. They also are more likely than Ph.D. graduates to publish in clinical journals or journals that publish both clinical and basic articles.

These differences reveal a pattern of professional and research activity that differs from that of graduates of traditional Ph.D. research training programs. Although the NIH-funded research conducted by MSTP graduates may be "laboratory-oriented" as frequently as the research of Ph.D. graduates (as suggested by Sutton and Killian's findings),¹²  the settings in which they work and the avenues through which MSTP graduates communicate the results of their research suggest a closer integration of their research activities with the practice of medicine. Although their involvement in patient care may be lower than that of other groups of M.D.-degree recipients, it appears that their clinical interests and training have influenced the nature of their research, and that the research training they received through the MSTP contributed to their ability to mount successful research programs relevant to human health and disease.