91社区

MDCM & PhD

You could make major contributions to health care innovation with a career as a physician scientist!

A career as a physician-scientist is extremely rewarding and meaningful! It is also challenging and requires creativity, perseverance and passion. 91社区's MDCM & PhD program is designed to prepare qualified students for successful careers in medicine and research. To learn more about this prestigious program, please see the program brochure mdcm_phd_program_brochure_eng.pdf.

For all program admission enquiries, please contact the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Undergraduate Medical Admissions Office: admissions.med [at] mcgill.ca

For general information about the program, please write to: mdphdadmin.med [at] mcgill.ca

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Program Overview

The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences offers a combined clinical and doctoral research program leading to the MDCM and PhD degrees (Combined Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery Medicinae Doctorem et Chirurgiae Magistrum) with Doctor of Philosophy (Philosophiae Doctor). This is a 7 to 8 year program in which the basic and clinical sciences portions of the medical curriculum are completed from September of year one to December of year two, prior to the beginning of full-time graduate studies.听In preparation for graduate studies, MD-PhD students conduct research with clinical and basic scientists for 2 months during the Summer term of their first year. This gives students the opportunity to prepare the research and communication skills necessary for the successful completion of graduate research (such as detailed scientific experimentation, sourcing literature, developing hypotheses, working with methodologies, interpreting data, writing and presenting findings), and to screen potential graduate research laboratories. Graduate research is expected to last three, but no more than four years by which time all course work and research requirements for the PhD degree must be completed and a thesis submitted. The defense of the thesis will ordinarily take place at a later date. From January of year five to May of year seven students will complete the requirements for the MDCM degree.

Throughout the seven or eight years, students in the MDCM & PhD program meet at two-week intervals from September to April to attend research seminars presented by clinician-scientists from within, as well as outside, the 91社区 scientific community, and discuss their research and network with other students in the program.

Along with the MDCM-PhD Program director, the Program Advisor Committee provides oversight and supports the student selection process.听 The graduate studies part of the program is administered by the students' respective academic units and 91社区's Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) and the MDCM phase is administered by the office of Undergraduate Medical Education.

MD-PhD Students

The 91社区 MDCM-PhD Program currently has an enrollment of 29 students. Prospective applicants are welcome to communicate with the students to obtain more information on the program via email at: mdphdadmin.med [at] mcgill.ca

MDCM-PhD Alumni

Class of 2019 (MDCM & PhD) - now doing ophthalmology residency at the Universit茅 de Montr茅al

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Paul Savage Class of 2019 (MDCM & PhD) - now doing surgical residency at University of Toronto

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Paul鈥檚 interest in medicine was sparked by great mentors, including his high school science teacher, a physician-scientist who often highlighted the link between science and medicine.

Torn between research and medicine

When applying to 91社区, he vacillated between research and medicine. 鈥淚 was interested in the intellectual challenge of research and the possibility of helping society at large. But, I was also interested in becoming a doctor because of the patients I鈥檇 treat. The 91社区 MDCM & PhD Program opened the door to both 鈥� medicine to help patients today; research to help them tomorrow,鈥� he says.

Studying an aggressive form of breast cancer

Under the supervision of Dr. Morag Park, Director of the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Centre at 91社区, Paul studied an aggressive form of breast cancer. The goal was to determine if subsets of people living with breast cancer might bene铿乼 from drugs already approved and commonly used to treat other cancers. 鈥淚t is an exciting time to be a cancer researcher. Thanks to the genomic era, the 铿乪ld is changing at an incredibly rapid pace. How we treat and diagnose people living with the disease is being revolutionized,鈥� he says.

Paul is now doing his surgical residency at University of Toronto. He has always loved sports and has recently taken up golf, although he won鈥檛 reveal his handicap.

Dr. Kevin Petrecca听Class of 2002 (MDCM & PhD)

Dr. Petrecca makes his living opening heads and cutting into brains - providing life saving treatments for patients. He is a neurosurgeon specializing in brain cancer. When not in the operating room, you鈥檒l 铿乶d him in his lab perfecting a neuro-oncology surgical tool or maybe doing fundamental research to determine why brain cancer stem cells are treatment resistant. Then again, you might 铿乶d him hanging out with his wife and three children.

Passionate about his work

To say he is busy is an understatement. 鈥淚 have the luxury of doing what I am interested in. I never actually have to go to work or work late because it isn鈥檛 work. I love the balance. I love treating patients and love doing my research. You need to work in a place that values physician-scientists and with colleagues who understand your dual role. After that it is fun,鈥� he says.

Not really sure he wanted to be a doctor

Dr. Petrecca did things in reverse when he started 91社区鈥檚 MDCM & PhD Program. He focused on research and put o铿� his medical studies. 鈥淚 deferred medicine as long as I could because I wasn鈥檛 really sure I wanted to be a doctor, however, I soon discovered I really liked taking care of people and making a di铿�erence in their lives.鈥�

There is no doubt Dr. Petrecca makes a di铿�erence. He, along with Fr茅d茅ric Leblond of Polytechnique Montr茅al and the Research Centre of the Universit茅 de Montr茅al, received the 2017 Qu茅bec Science Discovery of the Year Award. They developed a 铿乥er-optic probe, no bigger than a pencil, that di铿�erentiates between cancer cells and healthy brain cells in a matter of seconds.

Improving patient outcomes

鈥淥ften it is impossible to visually distinguish cancer from normal brain, so invasive brain cancer cells frequently remain after surgery, leading to cancer recurrence and a worse prognosis. The probe improves patient outcomes,鈥� Dr. Petrecca says.

Dr. Petrecca acknowledges physician-scientists bring a unique perspective to biomedical research that is inspired by their experience caring for patients. 鈥淎ll 铿乪lds require people to move them forward. The contribution physician-scientists make to both research and patient care is critical if we are going to answer the most pressing health care issues facing society.鈥�

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If you would like to connect with students in the MD-PhD program, please contact admissions.med [at] mcgill.ca.

With their dual degrees, physician-scientists are poised to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice. Most will spend the majority of their time doing research and the remainder taking care of patients. This allows them to identify novel and clinically relevant questions at the patient鈥檚 bedside that inspire and inform their research.

Register today听