DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of the Medical Scientist Training Program at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM-MSTP) matches that of the NIH: to prepare its graduates to function independently in both basic research and clinical investigation. Sharon E. Plon, MD, PhD, FACMG, is the MSTP Director. She is supported by four Co- Directors: Kjersti Aagaard, MD, PhD, Martin M. Matzuk, MD, PhD, James Versalovic, MD, PhD and Xander Wehrens, MD, PhD with all five program leaders being active NIH-funded physician-scientists with joint appointments in basic science and clinical departments. Over the last five years the program has been substantially improved to better emphasize continuity across the combined degree training with integration of graduate and medical school curricula, MSTP advising at all phases of training, development of individual development plans, numerous MSTP activities, active recruitment, support and retention of students from under-represented minorities and those students with disabilities. These improvements have been accompanied by ongoing program evaluation. This rigorous training program is designed for students who will become future leaders in academic medicine and biomedical research across the medical disciplines. Located in the heart of the Texas Medical Center, the world's largest medical center, BCM offers outstanding training facilities in both clinical and laboratory settings. Students pursue graduate training in diverse biomedical fields by selecting from among 12 graduate programs at BCM including several interdepartmental and inter- institutional programs at Texas Medical Center institutions. In addition, BCM-MSTP students can also complete their PhD in Bioengineering at Rice University. The integrated curriculum is designed for students to have early exposure to graduate faculty, six months of clinical clerkships prior to entering graduate school and innovative MSTP-specific clinical activities to aid the MSTP's student transition back to medical school. The NIH MSTP funding supports 26% of training and program costs with the remainder provided by institutional and endowment funds dedicated to the BCM-MSTP. The program is now in its 38th year and currently has 90 students (12 from underrepresented groups and 4 with disabilities) enrolled in different phases of the program. The applicant pool has increased substantially over the last five years with an incoming class of 10-14 students selected from over 300 applicants from a truly exceptional national pool. The BCM-MSTP has excellent retention of students with over 90% completing the combined degree program. Our students make important contributions to scientific knowledge and publish their graduate research in highly respected journals with an average time to dual degree of 8.28 years. Alumni of the BCM MSTP are accepted into highly competitive residency programs throughout the United States and 83% of graduates within the last ten years who have completed postgraduate training have fulltime academic positions at leading health care institutions and universities across the United States.

PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The goal of the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) is to develop the future leaders in academic medicine and biomedical research through completion of rigorous, integrated MD and PhD training programs carried out in a dynamic research environment with state of the art medical facilities.