MD/PhD

[Guest tim23]

Anyone have any info on the MD/PhD program at U of M? I've been told they have one but not much more.

 

Is is done concurrently or pre-clerkship then PhD then clerkship?

 

Also, do you think they'd let me do my PhD at another university? cuz anything I'm interested in isn't particularily strong at U of M.

 

Tim

[Guest jackiedirks]

No, I think that part of the deal when you enroll in the MD/PHD program is that you do it all in one place. That's how they let you shorten timeframe a bit.

 

What are your interests? Maybe they could put something together for you.

[Guest tim23]

I'm a long way from deciding what I want to do research in... Its not a matter of what they could put together, its just that Manitoba is just not a strong enough school in research, save some of their AIDS stuff, to make the time commitment of PhD worthwhile, it would be better to do a fellowship or something along those lines.

 

Tim

[Guest mosquitoba]

woah...... that's a pretty general comment to make about a university with a wide range of research areas! i personally wouldn't feel comfortable making a blanket statement like that. if you're looking for big names and prestige along with a high maclean's ranking... that doesn't necessarily mean "good research". there are so many intelligent, well-educated, and highly respected people working in research at the U of M - its not really fair to say that making the committment to work with ANY of them is worth your time. you are not even sure what area of research you want to complete a PhD in... maybe with some time and exposure to more researchers at U of M you'll find someone "worth" working with.

mosquitoba

[Guest jackiedirks]

Hi Tim-

If you're interested in a PhD I'm sure you've done a lot of lab work, which means that I'm sure you know that the lab you work in and your supervisor has a huge impact on how you will enjoy your program- even more so (in my opinion) than how prestigious the school is. A lot of the prestigious labs you speak of have a supervisor that hardly in the lab- you're spending most of your time with the postdocs and masters students. And they're usually great, but I think an accessible supervisor is key.

 

I also think that, in terms of clinical research, fame is not measured by what recent article you read in the globe and mail. There is a lot of clinical research being done within the province, that, while doesn't make the front page- is very cutting edge. When my sister was diagnosed with Crohns disease a couple years ago, our parents considered taking her to an expensive specialist in the states, until they found out that some of the best Crohns research in North America is being done in Winnipeg.

 

You seem kind of down on U of M based on your previous posts. Don't attend the school if you feel its not for you. I'm really enjoying my education here and feel that they're training me to be an excellent clinician- but if you would feel better at U of T with the ultra-keen, you might be better off. Most of us who attend the U of M are very proud of the work it puts out.

[Guest studentz]

I was actually pleasantly surprised with the research facilities there, particularly the huge Asper building at St. Boniface and the research building attached to Brodie. I know there's some affiliation with Mayo for cardiac research, and since that's what I'm interested in at the moment, I'm not too worried.

 

However, the students I met there mentioned that most in the class have a clinical focus.

[Guest westsimba]

Hi Tim

 

I'm also interested in the MD/PhD program. It is definitely a HUGE commitment and you should really be passionate about the area before you decide to pursue it.

 

When you say that UofM doens't have a lot of good research - I guess it really depends on what you compare it to. Manitoba is a the flagship university of the province and as such, it has to be all things to all people. The same thing goes for funding, it has to fund a bit of everything and probably can't focus on a specific area such as transplantation at UofT or robotic surgery at Western. Having said that, UofM does have some really outstanding research programs. The AIDS program like you said is world renowned. The IBD clinic is as well.

 

I'm currently finishing up a master's degree in crohn's disease research and that would be right up my alley. I also agree with the previous postings that an accessible researcher is definitley key. My advisor is quite busy and while she tries to make as much time for me as possible - the lack of attention can impede progress.

 

My understanding of the MD/PhD program after speaking to the Assistant Dean - Grad studies is that you apply for the the PhD program after you've been accepted into meds...so right now...let's all say each other a prayer and cross ALL of our fingers.

[Guest tim23]

I wouldn't make a blanket statement if I wasn't sure of it, I think that U of M has a solid medical school and great clinical training, some of the research the medical school does is good, but its mainly cliniclally oriented. As far as a more scientific perspective its lacking compared to some of the other schools, U of M simply doesn't have the resources to compete, I know lots of people in graduate studies at U of M who tell me the same things, as well as several professors who blantently said, "don't do a MD/PhD program at U of M, its not good enough to be worth the time commitment"

maybe if you were considering clinical stuff for PhD it would be different but I'm not...

[Guest smiets]

Tim23, what kind of basic science are you looking for? I know a new PI at U of M who is a Canada Research Chair in genetics, a really great scientist with the funding to do good science.

[Guest tim23]

I have a chemistry background and would probably want to do work in biochem, or medicinal chem related stuff, I was also looking at some imaging stuff that seemed really interesting.

 

I guess my rationale is that if I'm not sure what I want to do it would be better to do the MD/PhD at a school that has a wide range of cutting edge basic science stuff with medical applications (ie U of T, McGill), rather then a school like U of M, which as you guys have mentioned has some good profs here and there but there is limited choice, and lets be realistic, Manitoba schools have been really underfunded (the med. school itself is an exception) as of late due to the tuition freeze and we just don't have the kind of resourses that the aformentioned schools do.

 

Its unfortunate because I actually believe that U of M's undergrad med program is one of the better ones in the country and is really cheap.

 

Tim

 

(PS Jackie I'm not down on U of M's med school at all, I just thought that their admissions policies need to be updated a bit if those are the previous posts your refering to)

[Guest tim23]

...as a bit of a follow up from a discussion in general premed forum, any U of M med students heard anything about clinical investigator or scientific surgeon programs possably being introduced (maybe they have them already?) at U of M? so you could do you PhD during residency as opposed to during undergrad MD.

 

Tim