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

September 1998

Summary

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) established the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) in 1964 to support research training leading to the combined M.D.-Ph.D. degree. The program was designed to train investigators who could better bridge the gap between basic science and clinical research by providing both graduate training in the biomedical sciences and clinical training offered through medical schools. What began in 1964 with three programs has now grown to 32 MSTP programs. Since the inception of the MSTP, several assessments documenting the success of the programs have been conducted, but none included graduates of all the funded MSTP programs, and no recent study has provided data on the career outcomes of comparison groups. In addition, no study has assessed the contribution of combined-degree training to graduates' careers through a comparison between MSTP graduates and other Ph.D. recipients in the biomedical sciences.

This study was designed to assess the success of MSTP graduates in establishing research careers and the types of careers and research activities of MSTP graduates compared to graduates of other combined-degree or Ph.D. programs. The data were drawn from existing National Institutes of Health (NIH) databases as well as from curricula vitae (c.v.) provided by graduates of MSTP programs and members of several comparison groups. The comparison groups included former MSTP-supported trainees who completed an M.D. but did not complete a Ph.D. degree, Ph.D.-degree recipients supported through traditional NIH training programs, M.D.-Ph.D.-degree recipients from MSTP institutions who were not supported as MSTP trainees, and M.D.-Ph.D.-degree recipients from non-MSTP institutions.

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, the findings of this study are consistent with reports of the individual MSTP programs that have conducted their own studies. When compared to other M.D.-Ph.D. recipients and MSTP trainees who did not complete the Ph.D., MSTP graduates:

• are more likely than most other groups to have received postdoctoral research training support, and more likely to have performed both research and clinical postdoctoral training;
• are more likely than most other groups to hold academic appointments;
• are more likely than other groups to have received research support (from any source);
• are more likely to apply for NIH research grants and, when they do so, are more likely to be successful--three-fourths of MSTP graduates who applied were successful in obtaining NIH support; and
• have more total publications and more publications during the most recent 3-year period for which data are available.

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. In terms of these characteristics, MSTP graduates appear most similar to non-MSTP M.D.-Ph.D.s from the same institutions--both groups are likely to be employed in academia with appointments in a clinical or in both a clinical and a basic science department, and both have similar patterns of publication in clinical or mixed-type publications. Such similarities are not surprising, particularly given that individuals in the non-MSTP group participated in many of the same core training activities as their MSTP counterparts, 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) at those institutions.

Compared to MSTP graduates, MSTP trainees who received only an M.D. degree 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 have lower rates of publication.

MSTP graduates are more likely than Ph.D. graduates to be employed in academia and 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 of MSTP graduates complete internship and residency training and many have positions with some clinical involvement. They also are more likely than Ph.D.s to publish in clinical journals or journals that publish both clinical and basic research articles.

These differences reveal a pattern of professional and research activity that differs from that of graduates of traditional research training programs. The settings in which MSTP graduates 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 the research training they received through the MSTP contributed to their ability to mount successful research programs relevant to human health and disease.