Goals and Mission of the M.D.-Ph.D. Program

Dartmouth is committed to training physician-scientists for the 21st Century. Dartmouth Medical School will meet and exceed educational challenges in training the next generation of physician-scientists, individuals that will provide excellent patient care, lead discovery in biomedical disease-oriented research, advocate for basic and translational biomedical research, and take leadership roles in biomedical research and the delivery of health care. Training for this career path will be unique and distinct from the simple combination of the separate M.D. and Ph.D. educational programs. Of equal importance is the need to maintain flexibility to meet the special needs of individual students. The program at Dartmouth offers students opportunities that are both challenging and rewarding. This is an era of astounding discoveries in biomedical research making it an exciting time for pursuing a unique career.

M.D.-Ph.D. Physician-Scientist

M.D.-Ph.D. physician-scientists are special individuals with extensive training in both medicine and in biomedical research. M.D.-Ph.D.s are vital members of the research community and are uniquely positioned to advance basic and clinical research. Their goals are to:

1. Advance the understanding of health and disease processes at the basic research level;
2. Mediate the translation of bench top discovery into clinical advances in the diagnosis, prevention, or therapy of diseases;
3. Ameliorate illness and suffering through patient care, basic and applied research, and
4. Establish and implement health care policy.