UI COM Medical Scientist Training Program
The University of Illinois College of Medicine Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) educates exceptional students for careers as physician-scientists. MD/PhD graduates are positioned to bridge the basic and clinical sciences, and to pursue interdisciplinary approaches to important biomedical problems. Graduates of the MSTP from the University of Illinois College of Medicine routinely gain admission to highly competitive residency programs at premier academic institutions across the country. Our students typically pursue careers as physician scientists at academic health science centers. Current students in the MSTP at the University of Illinois College of Medicine have a strong record of receiving individual fellowship support from the NIH and other foundations. Our program has been supported by a training grant from the National Institute of Health – National Institute of General Medical Sciences since 2007.
Pride Points
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96 Current students
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12 NIH funded spots for 2026-2027 Academic Year
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139 Participating Faculty
About our Program
In response to the need for accomplished physician-scientists, the University of Illinois College of Medicine offers a combined Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) leading to both the MD and PhD degrees. The objective of the MSTP is to prepare students for careers that integrate academic medicine with biomedical research. The MSTP integrates the medical curriculum with graduate studies across a broad range of disciplines, including the basic medical sciences, bioengineering, and pharmaceutical sciences. Students pursue original, mentored research in the laboratories of the University’s graduate faculty while completing their medical education in the College of Medicine. To provide students with the broadest possible exposure to graduate research opportunities, students enter the program without an initial affiliation with a basic science department. This allows them to explore diverse areas of research and identify a graduate program and research environment that best align with their academic and scientific interests. Students are supported in developing individualized programs of study that foster both their clinical and research training.
During this time, they explore research opportunities in any academic department of the College of Medicine (COM) which organized under an umbrella program known as Graduate Education in Bio-Medical Sciences (GEMS) and includes research concentrations in the following areas: Cancer Biology, Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Integrative and Translation Physiology, Microbiology, Immunity and Inflammation, Molecular Biology and Genetics, and Neurobiology, Graduate Program In Neuroscience or in a non-COM department such as Department of Biomedical Engineering, and Pharmaceutical Sciences in the College of Pharmacy.
Why?
Why University of Illinois College of Medicine?
The University of Illinois College of Medicine (UI COM) is located in the Illinois Medical District and is one of the largest medical schools in the United States. It offers medical education at three distinct geographic sites: Chicago, Peoria and Rockford. The MSTP is located in Chicago. The extensive clinical and research resources provide both extraordinary and exciting opportunities for the study of medical science.
The UI COM at Chicago is located two miles from downtown. Housing is affordable in the immediate vicinity of campus. Many students live on campus or within walking distance, although some prefer the cultural opportunities of other neighborhoods. Excellent rail and bus public transportation service the campus from all parts of the city and suburbs.
The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) is the largest institution of higher learning in the Chicago area and major center for international education and research. The 187-acre campus established in 1982 by a merger of the University’s Chicago Circle and Medical Center campuses, is located just one mile southwest of downtown Chicago. It is considered one of the largest and the finest comprehensive research universities in the nation. Research funding granted to UIC faculty, usually through competitive grant programs, has grown at an average annual rate of 15 percent over the past decade. UIC enrolls approximately 25,000 full-time students, and nearly 30 percent of the enrollment is at the graduate and professional levels.
Why MD/PhD?
MD/PhD graduates from the MSTP at the University of Illinois College of Medicine are ideally trained to identify and pursue interdisciplinary approaches to important bio-medical problems, and to help bridge the basic and clinical sciences. Compared to other physicians, MD/PhDs stand out for their scientific insights into bedside problems, as innovative champions of progress in medicine, and for their ability to educate succeeding generations of physicians. Compared to other scientists, MD/PhDs have deeper perceptions of medical significance in biology, greater ability to transfer basic scientific advances toward patient care and a more comprehensive understanding of the limitations in current medical practice.
Program Advising
To address the special educational needs of the MD/PhD students and the psychological-emotional problems that can result from stresses occurring at various stages of MD/PhD studies, the UIC MSTP has a multi-pronged effort to counsel students and prevent problems that may arise in difficult situations of each educational stage, as well as to remediate such problems as quickly as possible, if they do occur. The MSTP has made a concerted effort in the past year to recruit and secure a diverse directorship. This provides a leadership with varied backgrounds with which trainees can identify and seek support. We follow a multi-faceted advising approach that includes individual, 1:1 advising, cohort-based advising, house system advising, and advisory committees.
The MSTP Nucleotide House System:Â The Adenine, Cytosine, Guanine, and Thymine Houses were constructed to promote a sense of vertical belonging in the program, and to provide peer-to-peer mentorship among students across program stages. Each house consists of roughly 25 randomly assigned students across all years of the program, headed by a Program Director (PD). A trainee may opt for another house or additional advisors for any reason. The house meetings occur monthly and provide an important platform for group advising from the PD, but also emphasize vertical peer-to-peer mentoring of trainees and bidirectional communication across training stages.
Cohort Meetings:Â An individual, stage-specific cohort meeting, led by a PD, occurs at least once a year. This meeting promotes a sense of longitudinal belonging to students as they progress together through the stages of the program. The mutual experiences within cohorts, bolstered by the strong feelings of camaraderie, are the special feature of our program community.
Other Faculty Advisors: In addition to the MD-PhD program advisor, students will receive guidance from a diverse and wide variety of other sources:  the Medical School Associate Deans, Director of Graduate Studies, Chairs and advisors, thesis mentors, thesis committee members, and MSTP Advisory Committee (MAC). MAC comprises of 16 faculty members, who provide support to MSTP students and provide feedback and updates to MSTP Leadership. We strongly encourage students to network and talk with a diverse group of faculty members about your training and career plans.
Academic Progress Plan (APP): All MD-PhD students are expected to complete an APP annually. The Academic Progress Plan (APP) is to be completed in advance of the student’s one-on-one cohort advising session with a Program Director. Containing a combination of structured and open-format questions, these APPs have been extraordinarily successful in directing attention to issues of importance for individual students. Students are encouraged to keep their APP up to date with their most recent publications and completed coursework. The MSTP APPs have proven extremely valuable to help us monitor the students’ progress. Annual advising meetings of students with MSTP program directors are tracked and enable trainees and faculty to identify strengths, weaknesses, and seek support as needed. Additional meetings can be scheduled depending on the needs of the student.
Program Administration: The Director of Program Administration plays a crucial role in advising and supporting the students on any issues arising throughout their tenure in the program, as well as connecting them to other students, faculty, directors, or resources.
Strict confidentiality is always maintained, and referrals to more knowledgeable authorities will be made when needed.