Year 1
In their first year at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, MSTP
trainees are immersed in an integrated curriculum which includes both
graduate coursework (biochemistry, cell biology, molecular genetics, and/or
other courses) as well as the first year medical school preclerkship
curriculum. This first year starts in June with Orientation. During the
summer students take the MSTP Physiology course and perform their first lab
rotation. Incoming students are assigned a Big Sib, a second year student
who can answer questions about life at Einstein and the MSTP curriculum.
To select their first lab rotation, entering students meet with the program
director and current students prior to arrival on campus. Virtual meetings
with potential rotation mentors are arranged to assist students in choosing
their first rotation lab. There are 200+ labs and research groups in 9
degree granting departments available to MSTP trainees. MSTP students can
also perform their thesis research in clinical research programs via the
PhD in Clinical Investigation
run by the Montefiore Einstein Institute for Clinical and Translational
Research.
Students do two more lab rotations during the second summer. Rotations give
students opportunities to explore the science and culture of labs. The goal
is to identify a research mentor who will oversee their PhD thesis research
in an environment in which they will flourish and feel stimulated and safe.
Year 2
During the second year, MSTP trainees complete the medical school organ
system courses, prepare for and take the first step of the United States
Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE Step 1), and complete the Transition to
Clerkship course. They then have the option to either do one clinical
clerkship or start in the lab. Based on their lab rotations, MSTP trainees
select a PhD thesis advisor. Ph.D. mentors must be members of the faculty of
the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Candidates for the MD-PhD degree
may pursue thesis research in any of the College's degree granting
departments.
Years 3-5
Starting in Year 3, MSTP student commence their PhD thesis research. In
conjunction with their mentor, students develop their thesis projects and
complete any remaining graduate coursework to fit individual needs and
research interests. During the next three to four years students pursue the
research which constitutes their PhD thesis. Students are expected to
publish at least one first author peer-reviewed paper. On average students
publish 5.5 papers and 2.5 first author papers. During the PhD phase of the
program students may participate in the MSTP Continuity Clinic, an
outpatient ambulatory care clinic run by the MSTP at Jacobi Medical Center.
This allows students to develop their clinical skills one evening per week.
Students also participate in monthly Clinical Pathological Conferences and
Career Seminars.
Years 6-7
After defending the PhD dissertation, students engage in intensive clinical study. They must complete the required clinical clerkships (medicine, neurology, ob/gyn, pediatrics, psychiatry, and surgery) and two months of acting-internships (choice of medicine, pediatrics, surgery, Ob/Gyn, or adolescent medicine) and the Transition to Residency course. Additional clinical electives can be arranged depending on individual student's interests. Further information is available on the medical school clinical curriculum
site. The close proximity of the Weiler and Jacobi hospitals, where many
clerkships are performed, to the basic science buildings allows for
continued interaction with the research faculty during these final months.
MSTP trainees graduate with both PhD and MD degrees, and most continue to
pursue careers in academic biomedical research at the finest institutions in
the country.
The integration of medical and scientific training and the independent
curriculum for the Einstein MSTP is unique. While other schools will push
students through the labors of becoming both a doctor and a scientist, they
usually do so separately, through a medical school curriculum and a graduate
school curriculum. Our training seeks to bridge the gap between medicine and
science to integrate the educational experience and maximize the impact on
career development.
